Book Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Headline Review, Hachette India
ISBN: 978-0-7553-8403-7
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 215
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

Do you believe in love at first sight? And does love at first sight happens because of collective circumstances that lead to it? The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a book as the title says, quite what it is – love and the chances of it at first sight.

When Hadley misses her flight to London by four minutes, she never expects to meet Oliver – someone she instantly connects with, someone who has his own set of problems and so does she, and it is quite interesting to see how they solve their own problems, one by one, over the course of one day.

The book is a young adult romance so to say and yet it is written with so much maturity on so many levels. I could relate to Hadley in so many ways when I was seventeen – the same anxiety, fears and worry about the future. Hadley has had an estranged relationship with her father. She is on her way to London from New York to attend her father’s second marriage and does not know how to react to it.

Oliver on the other hand, has his own life which he doesn’t share initially but the layers are soon peeled and reality sinks in. The reality that when they are done with the journey and land in London, (they are seated next to each other 18A and 18B for seven hours on the flight) what will become of their friendship/relationship. Will they meet again? What does life have in store for them, if it does for the two of them together?

I found the book a sweet read. There were no mushy romantic moments and I liked that. The book in that case does not get boring. Jennifer E. Smith knows the craft of writing for young adults. It is not the typical romance novel, and that’s why it worked well for me.

Jennifer writes with a quick pace. She doesn’t make the reader wait for things to unfurl. She knows that the reader expects this and this is what needs to be given. The ending worked very well for me. It is sweet for almost all characters and a little fluffy. The book makes you want to travel, because at the end who knows what might happen on an airplane ride to two strangers. To read something light without it being too mushy, you must pick up this book.

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An Interview with Nelofar Currimbhoy

I had the good fortune of interviewing Nelofar Currimbhoy after reading her book, “Flame” based on her Mother Shahnaz Husain’s life. Here is the interview for you to enjoy.

1. Why write a biography? Why not a story may be or something fictional?

Writing for me has been a passion as far as I can think back. I once wrote a 60 page poem ‘Eyes of the Healer’ and got it read by Darley Anderson , the well known British agent. He wrote back to say that , there was no doubt that there was talent but I should write prose because it was salable. Somehow the salability aspect of writing seemed like sacrilege and I still love my poetry. Why not a fiction ? Well I guess sometimes things take a life of their own. My mother and I happened to be at Barista when my she went to the little book shop they had started and came back with a copy of Gulzar’s biography by his daughter. When I opened it, it said ‘Promise me , you will write a book on me.’ For years she had been the audience for my writing and was convinced that I was the best person to write her story. I have written twelve thousand words of my first fiction novel and I am very excited about it. It’s an exotic romance, a saga. Ideally it should have come before the biography because it would keep the focus on my writing and not the subject. On the other hand the response from serious readers to the quality of my writing has given me -a first time writer- a thumbs up that’s propelled my enthusiasm a great deal. Many books to come from this pen, or should I say computer.

2. What inspired you to write this book?

My mothers life , in fact her ability to defy life and change every negative event that came her way into a challenge that had to be overcome was the sort of inspirational story that had to be told. I see this book as a self help book in the form of a life story that will inspire and encourage those that read it. Many women and men too will identify with it. Struggle is not gender specific and we all dream of success and fame. Here is the story of a girl born to a traditional Muslim family , married at 16 , she had her first child in the year and went on to become an iconic figure.

On the professional front her ability to stay ahead of her competition without advertising, her faith in the all Indian Dream of Ayurveda as a way of life and her astute and instinctive decision to market this science at a time when it was taken as outdated and old fashioned will make this book an interesting read for every dreamer who dares to dream the almost impossible.

I have walked her journey with her, and seen her life unfold like a saga of a story book and all I can say is that this story was worth telling.

3. Beauty is only skin-deep. Is that true? Do you believe in it?

Not at all. It starts with the heart , the goodness of soul shows in the eyes. A good nights sleep and a diet of fruits shows on the skin much more than any beauty product can. A beauty routine is a good addition to a healthy life style and above all a mind at peace.

4. How much of an inspiration has Shahnaz Husain been to you? If you had to name 3 character traits that you would want of hers, which ones would they be?

I have always maintained that no two people can be as different as my mum and me. She is fiery and passionate , I am calm and serene , she works best around a lot of people and noise , I am methodical and enjoy my space. Yet I have indeed been inspired by her in many . Her family values and her ability to find self expression without undermining the importance of her marriage is something I respect and endorse for all people. It is an aspect that is going to become more relevant by the day when the pressure of urban life is becoming oppressive and couples opt out too quickly. I would always like to hold the family values that she has taught me as sacred in my life.

Her ability to change the course of her destiny when its almost staring at her in her face and her desire to enjoy life to the level of making every moment lived a celebratory event are qualities I would love to keep for myself too.

5. How difficult is it to differentiate personal life from professional especially in a profession like yours when the borderline is too thin?

In my mothers life there is no separation between personal life and professional life. She lives and breathes her work every moment. If she is at coffee shop she is signing autographs. When she is shopping she is approached by people who want to ask her about a beauty issue. She never turns them back. I am sure she even dreams of her work.

As for me I am the other limit. I keep all media interviews away from my home. Home to me is sacred and a place for family and friends.I believe in privacy as the most essential aspect to keep my life and those near me functional. My children were never allowed to be photographed so they would grow up level headed. If I am out and recognized as my mothers daughter I find it awkward and an intrusion. I work meticulously , but only from my office table and when I come home I am mum and wife. I think my mum and I are best friends because we are perfect foils to each other.

6. Nelofar as a person…

Can a person judge themselves fairly. Its not an easy question to answer. Okay ! Here I go , giving it a try. I love nature and the outdoors. I am quite hung up on good values and principles. I feel that good work ethics in a company is a purifying experience. If I sound boring , I am not. I laugh a lot. I find things funny quite easily and I have sense of humour that I think is quick enough ! Well the rest is for someone to say when they write a book on me. Who knows ?

7. If not beauty therapy, then what profession would you be in and why?

I could be so many things. But within my circumstances I would still like to expand myself to experience something beyond, follow my bliss for a while and write many more books. I believe that we need to extend our vision to the maximum, to touch, feel, celebrate the entire universe if one can. I don’t believe in remaining trapped in a tight environment. Prisons are often of different kinds, not always concrete and sometimes we build them around ourselves. There is too much happening in the world and life’s opportunitiy can’t be a missed experience.

I was first introduced to social work by a precious friend, Ms. Jetsun Pema, His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s sister and since my training centres for women have become a rewarding part of my life. Apart for my contribution to Shahnaz Herbals, I would like to be known as someone who made a difference to people’s lives.

8. What does success mean to you?

Sleeping at night with the belief that I did my best and that I have retained a clear conscious about what ever I did.

9. Nelofar the writer….

As a writer I am completely influenced by my childhood hero John Keats. A story needs to be seen , felt , tasted and touched. Your words must be palpable. The reader must walk the journey with you, you have to take him along . One cant be a distant narrator but an up close and personal voice that rings within you. That is my idea of writing and I believe – from those who have read my book – that I have achieved that in Flame.

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Book Review: Please Look After Mother by Kyung-Sook Shin

Title: Please Look after Mother
Author: Kyung-Sook Shin
Publisher: Orion Books, Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 978-0-7538-2907-3
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 261
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Have you ever wondered what would it be like if your mother disappeared one fine day? What would you go through if you were unable to locate her? What would you go through knowing that your mother has disappeared for good?
“Please Look after Mother” by Kyung-Sook Shin is about a mother’s disappearance and written with great empathy and emotion. The mother has disappeared in a crowded Seoul subway station, where she and her husband of 50 years are about to board a train to get to their oldest son’s house. Her disappearance devastates the people left behind.

The story is told from different points of view: her oldest daughter Chi-hon, a writer, her oldest son, Hyung-chol, who disappointed her and feels guilty about it throughout, her husband who is an adulterer, her second son, and last of all her, Mom. Slowly and steadily as the reader makes way through the book, facets of Mom emerge, none of which were known earlier by her family.

For instance, when the daughter’s point of view is being narrated and she finds her mother thinking about her brother, it hits her that even her mother is a sister and daughter to someone before being her mother.

The story will strike a chord in you somewhere. It made me feel the kind of attention may be sometimes I need to give my mother. Kyung-Sook Shin writes with clarity, which is only heart-felt. The relationships are complex (and sometimes you wonder whether is it the same in your family?) and the interaction between family members is restrained (which is the point of the story).

The Korean culture shines throughout the book – the way they live, the traditions and rituals, which to a large extent make the book what it is. The book is a universal story of love and loss, guilt and redemption and the things we do and sometimes we don’t for love. I like how each character in the book was fragile in his or her way and what “family” and “mother” meant to each of them.

Please Look after Mother is a distinct voice in literature and deserves to be read. Kyung-Sook Shin who has been recognized much later (MAN Asian Literary Prize for 2011) only deserves all the accolades for this book and her writing, which makes the reader, feel vulnerable and bare. The book is universal and that is what works best to its advantage. Anyone and everyone can relate to this one. A must read.

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Book Review: The Flying Man by Roopa Farooki

Title: The Flying Man
Author: Roopa Farooki
Publisher: Headline Review, Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 978-0-7553-9417-3
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 338
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

Roopa Farooki’s new book is unlike anything else I have read by her earlier. Even the writing for that matter is different from her other books. The Flying Man is about a man’s life, lived through cities and countries and in various disguises, from where the title comes about.

The Flying Man did take me some time to get into, as it didn’t start with the aplomb I thought it would. However, once the story got me going, I could not stop reading it. The central character of the novel is a man who cannot stay at one place (as you would expect from the title, and the story keeps up to it). This is because he is a criminal (well for that you have to read the book), has had many wives and children (in almost every city) and now, years later, his past is catching up with him. His name is Maqil – also known as Mike, Mehmet, Mikhail and Miguel, and it is all these characters and men (different and yet the same) that Ms. Farooki brings alive in her book.

The book worked for me on various levels. It spoke of conscience, love, fathering children (which I couldn’t relate to), the children’s view about their father, his tracks left behind and of what it feels like when the past is ready to catch up with you, only to culminate in love at the end, as with most stories and plots.

Roopa Farooki writes swiftly and without wasting any time. The urgency in her words and writing is apparent and maybe that is what works best with a book like this. The character of Maqil is of course well charted and documented, however it is also the other characters that equally add to the plot – his many wives, his estranged relationship with his children and their voices and that of his creditors as well, adding sometimes the much needed humour. The Flying Man has its moments of almost every emotion on the range and that’s what makes readers connect to it. I highly recommend this book as a season read.

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Hachette India at the 20th World Book Fair, Delhi

World Book Fair is the biggest book event in India. It is hosted in the capital city – Delhi and it is a festival of books that lasts for a week. There is much pomp and show but beyond all this there is love for books, as expressed by the common man, whose need is fed by the publishers or anyone who has to do anything with books.

Hachette India was one amongst the beautiful stalls at the Fair. I did not get the chance to visit the fair (very unfortunate), however I did get the updates from the folks at Hachette India and decided to write this feature on them. The 20th World Book Fair at Pragati Maidan began quite excitingly for one of the biggest publishers of the country. The titles hosted by them are not only interesting but also varied – from literary fiction to non-fiction to children’s titles.

I have always loved their range of titles – in fact I have read and reviewed most of them last year and continue to do so. Last year included titles such as, “Steve Jobs – the authorized biography”, “The House of Silk”, “Travelling Diva”, “The Diary of Amos Lee”, and “The Devotion of Suspect X” to name a few. These titles made it big at the fair as well. To add to these there were titles from every genre – Literary Fiction (Atwood), Mystery and Crime (Ian Rankin and Yrsa Sigurdardottir), Science Fiction and Fantasy (Robert Jordan, Tom Holt and SF Masterworks), to Non-Fiction and the Children’s section as well.

Hachette has had a great start in India and more so with their Indian fiction range as well – Overwinter by Ratika Kapur was one of their big titles for January 2012, Travelling Diva (as mentioned earlier) is a brilliant cookery book, which is unlike anything your regular off-the-mill recipe book, and not to forget, Roopa Farooki’s The Flying Man. The bags in which books were sold by Hachette were also talked about at the fair – but obviously considering they were themed after “True Blood”, which happens to be written by their author, Charlaine Harris.

All in all – the week long fair proved to be awesome for folks at Hachette. Their stall was much appreciated and I can only hope to be there next year and soak in as many books as I can. Hall no 2, Stalls 529-548 were flooding with books and it was a reader’s paradise.

Interview with Madhulika Liddle

Madhulika Liddle is a very talented writer. I have reviewed two of her books earlier and can say that she is very good. Here’s a short interview with her.

1. Why not a second novel? Why a collection of short stories?

That’s mainly because I love writing short stories – in fact, of the ten stories in The Eighth Guest & Other Muzaffar Jang Mysteries, seven had already been written before The Englishman’s Cameo was published. I’d discussed this with my publishers, and we’d toyed with the idea of publishing a collection of Muzaffar Jang short stories first. Eventually, the decision we took was to begin the series with a novel – it helps establish a character better.

2. While reading the book, I felt Muzaffar Jang and his mysteries were taking a different turn altogether. Was this intentional?

If you’re referring to the fact that more of Muzaffar’s personal life is revealed – yes, that’s intentional. And it was done because a number of readers had asked me, “Why doesn’t Muzaffar have a love life?!” (If you’d meant something else by that question, do let me know)

3. Your favourite short story writers….

O Henry, Saki (H H Munro), Roald Dahl, Ruskin Bond, Arthur Conan Doyle (and not just the Sherlock Holmes series, but also his boxing stories and horror stories).

4. I have always believed that it is very difficult to write a short story than it is to write a novel. Did that happen to you as well?

No; quite the opposite. I am primarily a short story writer; I don’t like writing novels – keeping track of characters (and ensuring they don’t run away with me), and keeping the plot in place is too much of a pain. For me, short stories are much more fun. They are challenging, especially if you’re trying to write a detective story, because you have to think up a plot, figure out clues and red herrings, and have your detective make sense of it all, in a few thousand words – but the challenge is what I enjoy.

5. Was Muzaffar Jang based on any person? If not, then the process of creating a character from scratch and to fit him in 17th century Delhi would have been quite a mind-numbing task, wasn’t it?

No, Muzaffar isn’t based on any person (though he does share some of my traits – his love for coffee and his interest in birds, for instance!). He is, actually, an oddity – his outlook is more 21st century than 17th century. For instance, even though he’s a nobleman, some of his closest friends (like Salim and Faisal) are from social classes that would’ve been considered taboo for an amir to associate with back in those days.Mostly, Muzaffar is a rather contemporary figure written into a backdrop that’s historical – intentionally, because I thought that would help modern readers identify more closely with him.

6. Favourite story/stories from the collection and why?

Though I like all the stories, two are particularly close to my heart: The Bequeathed Garden and The Woman Who Vanished. The Bequeathed Garden, because even though it’s not a crime story, I enjoyed putting that puzzle together (and read Golestan in the process) – plus, I liked the way it finally came together; I thought it a good example of poetic (literally) justice. I like The Woman Who Vanished because I thought it showed, very precisely, how Muzaffar goes about unravelling the clues. I took a long time to sort out that plot, and I was pleased with the end result.

7. If there was a movie to be made on the collection, who do you think would play Muzaffar and why?

Hrithik Roshan. I thought his portrayal of Akbar in Jodhaa-Akbar was exactly as I’d pictured Muzaffar: the same imposing, yet approachable, character. And, he carries off the Mughal look very well!

You can read my review of the book here: The Eighth Guest and Other Muzaffar Jang Mysteries

Book Review: Overwinter by Ratika Kapur

Title: Overwinter
Author: Ratika Kapur
Publisher: Hachette India
ISBN: 978-9350092637
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 248
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Writing about relationships is not an easy task. The writing has to come from a personal place, known and sometimes unknown to the writer. While reading Overwinter, I had mixed feelings – sometimes of joy but mostly of sadness and Ratika Kapur, intelligently has managed to evoke these emotions in her reader/s.

Overwinter is not an easy book to forget. It has been two days since I have finished it and cannot get it out of my head. Ketaki is your typical urbanite – a well paying job and a life that seems perfect, before the most important man in her life – her maternal aunt Neeta’s husband falls into a coma, almost nearing death. Ketaki blissfully goes on from man to man, in order to hide her pain and wanting some connection with her aunt. Her father’s arrival from New York leads to the wall being broken through a secret long held in the family. The secret then begins to shape the lives of the characters and what end will come out of this story.

Overwinter made me see my relationships differently and assess them – because sometimes relationships need to be assessed. Ratika Kapur writes with urgency, almost speeding somewhere and that works for the book. The descriptions and building of the atmosphere is critical to the book, which again the author does justice to in a beautiful manner. Ratika Kapur knows the pulse of what might work considering she used to work for a publishing house before venturing into writing.

For me the book worked on the level mainly because of its language. Every word fit every emotion and that matters a lot to me while reading a book. It just shows the skill of a writer, in addition to the plot and the storyline. I have enjoyed reading Overwinter and cannot recommend it enough.

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Book Review: Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Title: Jerusalem: The Biography
Author: Simon Sebag Montefiore
Publisher: Weidenfeld And Nicholson, Orion Books, Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 978-0297866923
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 696
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Jerusalem: The Biography is one of the great reads of the year for me and you should not miss out on reading this one. I have always loved reading anything by Simon Sebag Montefiore. He writes with honesty and passion that is hard to miss. Whether it is about Stalin as a boy and adolescent to Monsters and Heroes, Montefiore does a remarkable job of it.

Jerusalem is a true masterpiece – a biography of a city and yet so much more. It is not easy to write about a city – and also considering that the city is so old and ravaged by the brutalities of time. The thing about the book is that the reader feels as though he is stepping back in time and experiencing the history of Jerusalem first hand.
Jerusalem the book has been written in a very colourful manner – full of anecdotes, how the city came to be what it is today, the rulers, the ones who squandered and looted its riches, the ones who hold it in high regard – its Kings and its Prophets. Montefiore does not leave any stone unturned.

Having said that, there were times I would tend to disagree with the author and yet could not put the book down. There is not much in terms of guidance or analysis by the writer, and yet the book shines. What got me started was the role Jerusalem plays in the apocalyptic vision of fundamentalist Christians and Muslims, and how that has been brought to light in this book. The other aspect that got me going was the deep-rooted connection between Christians and Muslims is made so evident and clear throughout the book and the way it is done is marvellous.

Sparkling and profound, the book is written keeping in mind the most terrible things that have happened behind her walls and also the richness of its land. The book does not take sides. It is an unbiased book and at the same time lays the facts as they are which should be the case while writing about a city. My favourite chapter in the book is, “Sunset of the Byzantines” which truly captures the essence of the book – its timeline and charisma in drawing historical references.

To review a book of Jerusalem’s stature would definitely require a research paper. It is that intense and deep. What I can say is that this is not one of your airport reads. It requires the time and attention that a book of this kind deserves. It however makes you turn the page and wonder at the scale and scope of Jerusalem’s place in history.

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Book Review: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Title: Steve Jobs
Author: Walter Isaacson
Publisher: Little Brown and Co, Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 9781408703748
Genre: Biography
Pages: 627
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5/5

Writing a review about a book on Steve Jobs’ life is not easy. It is close to being very difficult, nonetheless here is a review of, “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. This might sound a bit strange, however I have never owned a single Apple product and yet I am so taken in by the man behind it all.

Steve Jobs at the same time was also a person and not just the man behind Apple and that’s the beauty of this book. The way it unearths the person behind the persona. I will be very honest – I did not want to read the book when I first laid eyes on it. I was skeptical only because technology as a topic has never been of great interest to me, so I was under the assumption that the book would be all about Apple and its making and nothing else. I am glad that my assumption has been put to rest.

The book is spread across forty seven chapters, talking about the man and his life. It is written in form of stories, which is what makes it so interesting. A lot of interesting people are spoken about throughout the book – from Tony Fadell and his role in the development of the iPhone to John Lasseter and the entire Pixar story. About how Jobs created Mac and then was ousted by the company he founded only to come back to it.

What almost took me by surprise in the book was the fact that the emotional aspects of Jobs’ life were also covered and not ignored. The chapters about his illness and his family around that time almost had me close to tears.
What I thought could have been spoken of more was Apple and what really happened there and how Steve helped fix it, after coming back to it. Nonetheless, what was written seemed alright to me at the end of it all.

Steve Jobs as a book is a great read. It is not a PR piece (as the danger might be in an authorized biography most of the time) nor does it try to glorify the person. Jobs at the same time also gave Isaacson complete freedom to write what he wanted to and did not at any point demand editorial control. The book is a treat for all those who want to know more about Steve Jobs and the kind of person that he was. A fitting tribute to a genius.

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Book Review: The Red Market: On the Trail of the World’s Organ Brokers, Bone Thieves, Blood Farmers and Child Traffickers by Scott Carney

Title: The Red Market: On the Trail of the World’s Organ Brokers, Bone Thieves, Blood Farmers and Child Traffickers
Author: Scott Carney
Publisher: Hachette India
ISBN: 978-93-5009-351-1
Pages: 241
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Let me make you aware right at the outset: The Red Market is not going to be an easy read. If you are looking for something nice and warm and mushy, then don’t even pick it up, however if you want to know reality and what goes unnoticed and unseen, then this is the book you must read. Through ten detailed, sometimes nauseating chapters (trust me at one point I thought I would throw up), Scott Carney removes the mask from the many layers of exploitation, experimentation, harvesting, and piecemeal selling of humans and human organs.

Targeted subjects include: the organ harvesting of corpses; the selling of kidneys and lungs and the thin red line of social acceptance it has reached in certain provinces in India; the kidnapping and subsequent cross-continental adoption of children from third world nations; the pharmaceutical practice of using willing human guinea pigs to test potentially dangerous new medicines; and even the growing market for real human hair.

I was astounded on reading some of the chapters. To know what takes place behind the curtain is discomforting for sure, however this kind of education is much needed. Carney an investigative reporter is allowed that insider’s perspective into the on-goings of the market of organ trafficking and selling. The book is full of individuals whose lives have literally been taken from them – who have been coerced into selling their blood (drained almost), women and men who owing to circumstances have no choice but to sell their kidneys and other body organs, of parents whose child is taken away from them (in the name of adoption) and settled in America, only to be abused for work.

The writing is frank and not for once does Carney mince his words. He tells it the way it is even if it means that readers have to squirm at the thought of it. It is not easy to take note that even during the age of globalization and policies and procedures, there are brokers who are adept at finding loop holes in the system – from selling of organs to surrogate pregnancies to stealing babies. Carney also takes a close look at the underlying issues – the anonymity in organ donation (which works best for the middlemen), the nature of fluctuating demand where growing technology is concerned and the relationship between the free market and the individual’s choice or the lack of it.

Carney writes in first-person, making you feel that you are right there as the events unfold. The reading is not difficult – it is simply written. Just that I had to pause several times while reading it, so I could move on with it, considering the topic. Scott Carney has done an outstanding job with this book. He has unearthed the darker side of humanity and the extent to which human beings reach the bottom-most level. He asks difficult questions for which there are no answers. The Red Market is a gripping account of an invisible crime wave that lurks between us and wings itself in every medical breakthrough. It will make you wonder and think a lot about the issue on hand, probably not the way that you would have earlier.

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