The Great Gatsby

It was recently that I had come across the term 'Lost Generation writers'. I must admit it was a little intimidating to brace myself to read Fitzgerald, for I had expected 'the Great Gatsby' to be a bulky classic requiring months of laboring to complete. And like a pleasant surprise (I run the risk of sounding crude saying this) - the book is small and better still an easy read as well.

The narrative is first person and told my Nick Carraway who incidentally was in the first world war, probably like the author himself. The story in itself may not be out of the ordinary, but it is the narration that sticks to 'first-person' that makes it interesting; that is, Carraway only narrates things he knows of, any speculation about someone or something is purely his point of view. The story-teller is not omnipresent, but someone like you and me.

That said, the narration is in most parts satirical. The story is set in the Jazz age and a period when 'prohibition' was in effect in America; but this does not stop the protagonists to access to  abundant liquor. The general motif seems to be to emphasize the unfairness in the world. He brings it on paper through the references to high-end parties, west-egg and east-egg lifestyles and the classes. It is easy to imagine the cruel undertone of NY which to date remains very familiar. I did indulge in some wikipedia reads to get an understanding about America during this era of 1920s, so that I could figure some of the references in the novel.

Like an immovable force is Gatsby in the book, the rags to riches lad, the stupid lover, the doormat; all of this is known from Carraway's point of view, while Gatsby's real background remains a mystery almost throughout the writing, till the end. The initial tone of sarcasm slowly gives way to disdain and gets darker as the novel progresses. One is left to distrust Carraway also at times, for he is not a reliable narrator as well, with biases, frustrations and everything human.

The end is cruel, but it leaves a piquant after-taste, something you neither pity nor find heart-breaking. And simply like the vile world he projects, close the book and get on with your life. The world that has got no time to care...

Embroideries

This is my first graphic novel of recent works. Having not read Satrapi's more popular Persopolis yet, I wasnt sure what to expect from this terse book. I had assumed embroideries would be in the lines of a quilt-club of women and I was almost right, except for having guessed 'Embroideries' completely wrong!

The setting is a tea-klatsch ; There is the redolence of tea brewing in the samovar, a gaggle of  intriguing women and the warm ambiance suited for unending talk. With the motto of "To speak behind others' backs is the ventilator of the heart" this strange clique presided by Marjane's grandmother settles to narrate stories that are even better than gossip, for they are gossip at its best.

 The main topic of conversation is surprisingly about sex, experience they have had or known others to have had. the stories flow as easy as conversations and are at the same time heart-breaking and funny. The things common to the stories are obsession to being a virgin when the woman marries and deception of men.

As the samovar warms and many rounds of tea is drunk, the stories turn to many confessions and mishaps that are laugh out funny, but equally tragic. Satrapi's ideas, and drawings are amazingly fresh. It is refreshing to see how much she depicts with the stroke of her hand and limited words. There is no real motif in the entire book but a culmination of dialogues, representing the woman's world in Teheran that is no different from the west.

It is a charming little book, with so much told and yet untold painting a vivid picture in our minds. You will love the characters and caricatures without much effort and may be even find yourself in the party.

The god of small things

It is my Nth read of the book and every time I get to 'naaley.. tomorrow' the last line, it leaves a cold hurting feeling inside much like Pappachi's moth. I read the book for the first time when I was seventeen and I must admit, it took me two reads to follow her pattern of writing. Back then I was more inspired by the Kerala touch to the novel, since I am from there. However over the many reads, I have come to love the book for much beyond that!

Since I unquestionably love the book, I will split my review to be as unbiased as possible :

Why the book may be loved by many -

1. Roy's writing is a new language in itself. She creates a revolution with the innovative style of using words that paint a clear picture rather than flood it with jarring vocabulary. Some of the writing that comes to mind - house with a river-sense, Christianity came in a boat and seeped in like tea from a tea-bag, fisherman with sea secrets in his eyes, the creeper hung like half-sneeze-coming

2. The story is told through the eyes of the twins and the language is suited to depict the mind of children. Almost all the writing comes directly from the way a child's mind thinks. This adds the element of wit in book and some quips and sarcasm are laugh-out-loud hilarious. This makes it easier and at the same time difficult for the reader to grasp how the little minds can be scarred with a moment's doing or words ( like the orange-drink-man incident )

3. The story in itself is not unique; if not for Roy's shrewd looming of the motif in flashbacks and falsh-forwards, I am sure the novel is but ordinary. This style of writing in itself can make it difficult for a reader who doesn't enjoy complexity. It is more suited for someone who finds clarity in chaos.

4. The story woven like a web, with details and nuances, often strewn with questions in a child's mind (Why dont birds drop dead from the sky?) only makes it more lovable with more reads; for it is like prose, you realize you learn something new every time you read it. Even though the story stays as clear as blue sky in ones mind, a second read doesn't thwart the joy of reading.

Why the book may be loathed by some -

1. The writing is rocking continuously backwards-forwards and this can easily put certain readers off if they hate to keep track of the novel and expect the novel to keep track of them!

2. The story is like any other booker-prize material, ends in tragedy, and how a single event leads to a complete collapse. For someone looking for a unique storyline you have picked up the wrong book.

3. Roy generously uses malayalam in parts, the language spoken in the southern most state of Kerala in India, where the story is set. Although it is no different from many references of hindi words in Indian author books; for a novice reader who has no clue about this southern part of India, this reference can be irksome without a guide.

4. The end of the novel is morbid, it defies all the love-laws, as Roy puts it. And this in itself can make a reader hate the book. 

5. Her ability to create a new language in the writing mostly in jointed-words, may not be appealing to the literary-strict! She tries to bring understanding into the  otherwise illogical language..

If you havent read the book, I cannot recommend it more highly; for her writing is brilliant and you will be treating yourself to 300 odd pages of prose-wonder, innocence of children and may be even  enjoy the language of joint-words.

Have you read this book? Did you love it or hate it?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The next time I visit Europe, I wouldn’t want to miss Channel Islands or Guernsey ever! That’s how lovely this book is! This epistolary novel had me hooked from the very first letter and before I knew I wanted to dole out letters to the many intriguing and affable characters of this book.

Juliet Ashton is the gregarious protagonist, who is an upcoming writer in the post world war II era in London. She, by some bizarre work of fate, gets in touch with the members of an oddly formed book club in Guernsey. Almost like pieces of a puzzle, her quest for a topic for her book and the lives of the book club members falls into place. The friendship thus born, through correspondence of letters leads to an unbreakable bond; And it is these letters that hold the heart of this novel.

Set in a sad time when Europe was strewn in post war trauma, this book is comfortingly sunny! The Nazi occupation of the island and the multitude of stories that encompass those years are told through the writings of various dwellers, as letters to Juliet. The formation of the book club itself was one such episode, invented on spot by the silent heroine of the novel, Elizabeth.

The letters and the impact of books on people of that era is the most wonderful thing to take away from this book. While you can imagine any character simply by their way of writing letters in itself is a warming feeling. Classics and writers like Oscar wilde, Jane austen or Charles Lamb were considered precious. Books weren’t available a plenty back then and owning books and reading them was considered a genial privilege!

The book encompasses a handful of cordial countryside folk. You would love them all the way you might have adored ‘Anne of green Gables’ and you will fall in love with Juliet, almost like one of Austen’s heroines. The appeal of the novel is the genuineness of the letters, the innocence of the lovely people and the sanguinary displayed as hope in grime times!

So go ahead, grab a warm cup of chocolate milk, light a fire, cuddle on the couch with this sweet little book and I can vouch that you will not stop smiling for a long time after you are done!

The wind-up bird chronicle

By Haruki Murakami

This was my first book by Murakami and it left a pretty strange impact much like the book itself. The book is in no way a feel good one nor easy to get through. It is mostly dark with satire and ironic parts, but absolutely enrapturing!

The story begins with the protagonist making spaghetti and humming the thieving magpie. From such a simple setting, the author spins a labyrinth tale spanning Japan’s forgotten war in Manchuria, mystery women, a lost cat, a waterless well and even a wig making company. In its complicated plot, you can almost feel the breath of a pulp fiction, but the engrossing narration, or should I say the translation, keeps it fresh and moving.

The story unwraps in the words of Okada, the hero of the story. But often the reader is thrown off guard by the bizarre stories of the numerous intriguing characters, told in first person. Sometimes it feels like an unexpected journey to unknown destinations; towards the end, the narrative is so discombobulated that it is difficult to distinguish virtual from real. And by the time the various pieces come together, the reader, like the characters themselves, would have lost all sense of perception, time and events.

Murakami’s writing is often strewn, as if finding lucidity in disorder. And if this very factor does annoy the reader, it must be understood that, if he were to tell the tale in chronological order, then you would end up with a piece of humdrum novel in its place.

Read the book for its uncanny story telling, mystifying details, the concoction of otherwise unrelated events, all making a potpourri of a thrilling read. I am definitely picking up other books by Murakami!

The house on mango street

By Sandra Cisneros

Having read some wonderful reviews, I was quiet baffled by the size of the book. It is even smaller than ‘Love Story’ and you can breeze past the hundred odd pages in a single hour. But that said this book is three things – Poetic. Terse. Powerful. The writing style of Cisneros is what is defined as vignettes; and this is first of its kind for me and I enjoyed it!

The book is a compilation of short chapters that describe events, people, emotions everything in a nutshell. More than the words, it’s the unwritten language between words that makes the reading a pleasure.

Esperanza is the young protagonist, growing up in a Latino neighborhood of Mango Street in Chicago. The narrative compiles her observations of her close world of friends, relatives and neighbors. She distractedly notes the man who locks up his wife, the aunt who is forever sick and hence sickness seems normal, the friend who is beaten by her father and all the vileness around her. Before you wince, the book has way more happy moments too – of being children, of finding that you have turned a woman, of family time.

These strewn pieces of the hazy puzzle, that is at times heart-breaking and other times putting a smile on your face with the witty remarks, make a terrific lazy afternoon read. The determination of the protagonist to change her world for better and live away, yet never let go of her descent substantiates the hope and inspiration for many who are caught in the similar web of bad neighborhoods, hooting drunk men and coming of age before time. I am definitely picking up Cisneros’s poetry book next!

South Asian Author Challenge

Looks like i am on a challenges roll for 2010! :)
South Asian authors have been my favorite, for driving the story home! And since I have many on my wishlist.. here goes my list for the challenge -

1. The Toss of a lemon - Padma Vishwanathan (india)
2. The splendor of silence - Indu Sundaresan (india)
3. Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh (Burma)
4. Salt and Saffron - Kamila Shamsie (Pakistan)
5. When memory dies - Sivanandan, Ambalavaner(Sri lanka)

Might be adding more depending on time!

Hooked to Harry Potter

The box set of the HP series is my early birthday gift! Currently I am on the second book. Re-reading the series hasn't ever been so much fun before, though only next to malory towers! Hope to complete all the challenges during the holidays!! More reviews soon. :)

Joined the Harry Potter Challenge to keep the momentum!!

In other rooms, other wonders

By Daniyal Mueenuddin

This book is a finely honed collection of stories, artfully interwoven across the steep and concentric societal hierarchy. The characters are all part of a complex system of feudal legacy; though varied in their monetary place, the emotions and subtleties remain the same through every story.

The center of the book is KK Harouni, the complacent residue of an ancient Pakistani feudal lordship. The stories circumscribe his extended kin of managers, servants and workers, who are pilfering yet serving his comfortable inheritance. The prime characters are almost always women and though only two of the stories are titled such (Lily and Our lady of Paris), the others follow the same pattern.

The men in the stories are in a comfort zone of power, sufficient wealth and authority to govern their lives. And in the imperfect world, their faith is shaken by concupiscence, combined with prowess of a woman that they feel threatened and humble to succumb. However, in all his stories, there is no triumph; like a pack of strangers at a gambling table, they all take back loses and few victorious moments to relish.

The stories are all hauntingly beautiful and that is totally owing to the prose like writing. Daniyal’s expressive writing and the peaceful exposition may be compared to Jhumpa Lahiri, which leaves a downy ringtone at the end of each tale. His ability to pack ironies, loose ends and nonjudgmental realities may be almost similar to Malgudi Days, but the element of satire is dark.

There were also other details; the author combines in his stories that give a peek into a Pakistan I had never known existed. In ‘Lily’, Daniyal, gives a glimpse of modern Pakistani life, a copious Islamabad society ousting orthodox fundamentalism. In ‘Provide Provide’, he comments on the gypsy realm and in ‘Our lady of Paris’ and ‘A Spoiled man’ he describes the affluent Pakistani, who almost lives as a westerner.

With a package of strangeness, unwarranted longing, perfect relationships undone by idiosyncrasies of love and moments of unattainable passion, Daniyal has created a ‘wonder’ in itself. I recommend this book for a peaceful vacation in the countryside; it may almost be a cue for self-analysis!

Mansfield Park

By Jane Austen

When I read Austen, I give in my full; I devour each sentence slow and steady, to not miss the hidden ironies and meanings. It was the same with Mansfield Park; though, this book depicted societal anxieties and graceful feminism more than the usual ironic humor her other novels are full of. To say that Mansfield Park may be Austen’s most solemn work may be right in every way.

The central character of this story is Fanny, the girl who comes to live with her rich cousins, as a symbol of goodwill shown by a wealthy sister to a poor one - with an enormous family. Though shy and timid in the beginning, Fanny transcends to make Mansfield her home, learns to love and find happiness, even though she is constantly reminded of her position and liberties in comparison to her cousins who share the same roof. And as the story progresses, Fanny returns to her own family many years after, only to realize that her heart resides at Mansfield, even though it has its painful moments.

There is a clear merit of countenance and attitude that is depicted in each character of the story. While Austen comments on the impact of a change in morals based on “London ideals” which interferes with the traditions of a country side, she is also adept in mentioning that mismanagement and undue austerity can result in rendering a house-hold in tumult. Such is the foundation of the novel; where she portrays Fanny to define scrupulousness in a society that is tending to be fluid.

Though quiet and demure by nature, Fanny is what one would define a mature feminist, as the story evolves. She is all calmness and propriety, yet never deters from her principles for anything or anybody. Sometimes the distinction is so blatant, one is to wonder if Austen deliberately, wanted to compare good and evil; love and compromise.

Then again, nothing is evil forever; even the most immoral character, shows remorse and has moments of reform. There are also philosophical endeavors and moments to welcome change, which is natural. And all of this is done in shades of black of white; while Edmund’s compassion and attachment is handled with patient disposition, Maria’s is all edginess and amoral; while Miss Crawford is blunt and impolite in her wants, Fanny is modest and all-enduring.

All in all, though I did not enjoy this novel the way I loved the other Austen books, it was indeed a pleasure to read. Take up this classic to draw in a complex, severe and compassionate world, so well rendered to burn the reading lamp.

Peony in Love

By Lisa See

Reading this book is like being caught in an abeyance of disbelief; for the story is a coalesce of myths, beliefs and mayhem of imperial China, so much that even life after death is depicted in all its apparent utopia. That said it is also one of the most passionate tales, crafted in conformance to the famous Chinese opera (The Peony Pavilion ) and the publication of ‘The three wives’ commentary’ of that work.

The story unwinds through the narration of the protagonist, who is the sixteen year old Peony, the typical nubile of fragrant bound feet, eyelashes like bamboo leaves, painter of lilies and all that was the view of the perfect daughter-wife-mother in that era. However, like in life, the perfection is not contained and Peony falls in love with a man she meets at the opera, though she is betrothed by her family to a suitor she hasn’t met.

The author gracefully takes the story to a whole new dimension; she boldly hints at the female strength of mind and emotion in a period that succumbed women to the inner chambers and away from worldly matters. The melodrama ensues with Peony dying of lovesickness, caused by undue indulgence in the opera ‘The Peony Pavilion’ and her state of having fallen in love. While this is nothing but the present day anorexia, the desperate attempt to control one’s life and to be heard.

From here on, the recitation is told by Peony’s apparition. Here the various customs and credence of life of the dead is well rendered, transforming the reader to a suspension of fantasy. Peony’s struggle even after death to find the love she died for and cause her writings about the opera to be heard to the world fills the reminder of the book.

The twists in the tale and the complexity created by love and death, is written in elegant lucidity - of passion, fear and poignancy. The dynamics of the relationship of Peony with other women of that genre, including her mother and dead grandmother take center stage to move the story further. The author concludes with fervor, the impact women's poetry and writings had on the way their world looked at them.

The book is heart-wrenching yet valiant; it is passion’s apotheosis; it is a book you might devour and apprehend. But it is certainly a book you must not miss.

The death of Vishnu

By Manil Suri

The book is my Indian entry for the Orbis Terrarum. This novel is mostly cruel, morbid humor, much unlike other Indian author novels that I have read; and this distinction in itself, makes it an interesting read.

There is nothing much to say about the storyline, which is simple and made into a good read by Suri’s well delivered prose like writing. The tale unfolds through present, past and unbelievable visions of the odd-job-man and drunk Vishnu. The dwellers of the building are comically depicted in their paralyzed faiths and notions, which are again entwined with the dying Vishnu in the landing situation. The element of humor comes by easily, which gets darker as the story proceeds.

However, there are three intriguing elements that stand out in the book – firstly the time period of the happenings is only made known through the references to the various hindi movies, songs, actors from that era; the English translations of the hit song lyrics was a first and nostalgic!
Secondly, Indian mythology is the benchmark to envisage the faiths and actions of the various characters that flow in and out through the pages. The hallucinations of a dying man Vishnu and the belief-troubled Jalal hold more references to the Indian myths than our generation would have ever known.

Thirdly, food is a significant factor to comprehend the many relationships in the book – While Mrs Pathak and Mrs Asrani, who share the kitchen and pilfer each other’s supplies, describes the animosity between the neighbors, the midnight snacking of tandoori chicken by the young bride and groom sets a giant leap to the relationship between Vinod and his wife. The author describes chai and the past evoking effects it has on Vishnu, while he also gets into gory sexual narration with the loved Indian mango.

Read the book for the writing. If it is a feel good factor, you are expecting, this book may not be the best choice. It simply leaves you neutral and from time to time smirking through the pages; and like any common man that RK lakshman so well conveyed to us, we would simply shut the book and carry on to ignore the harsher ironies of India Suri tries to portray to us.