Book Review: One and a Half Wife by Meghna Pant

Title: One and a Half Wife
Author: Meghna Pant
Publisher: Westland Publishers
ISBN: 978-93-81626-48-1
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 296
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

Too many characters in a book sometimes just make the reader lose interest in the narrative. The reader is too caught up in the relationships of characters, and loses sight of the bigger narrative. This however did not thankfully happen to me while reading, “One and a Half Wife” by Meghna Pant.

“One and a Half Wife” may at times feel to be a clichéd book with a plot that is not very unique, however don’t be fooled by the writing that starts off as a simple narrative and then veers into the a little more complicated manner of writing – in the sense the shift between characters and their personalities and how it all interweaves through the story.

The book is about Amara Malhotra and her so-called American Dream gone wrong. She is everything a girl could ask for and has everything a girl could want. Intelligent, spirited and with a strong head, she leads a life worth being envious of, till she marries a Harvard-educated millionaire, Prashant Roy. It doesn’t seem to get better than this for Amara.

Till but obviously the twist in the tale has to occur and it does. The fairytale marriage doesn’t last the way it is supposed to. Amara returns to the place of her birth, Shimla and there starts another episode or rather a series of episodes of her life.

The juxtaposition of the life she had led and the life she would have to given the circumstances is beautifully done by the author. Amara doesn’t know what to believe in anymore – the old is in constant battle with the new and that is not even the start of her problems. She makes new friends; there are new battles to be fought and new territories that need to be explore.

What I liked about the book is that it doesn’t force anything on the reader. The writer says what she has to through the book and leaves it at that. My favourite character in the entire book has to be Baba – the silent, supportive and sometimes someone who speaks his mind nonetheless. Amara is strong, independent and yet sometimes quite not sure of her decisions, which I liked, as it made her only more human.

For me, the book represents the age-old tug-of-war between the old and the new and how much can one or should compromise? Or should one compromise at all?

This is one of my favourite parts of the book: “This is all hogwash, she told herself. All marriages were a consequence of security, tradition, money and beauty. Love was a chance, a lucky coincidence. Its existence was an after-thought, for more serious matters cemented marriage.”

This excerpt is enough to show you the skills of Meghna Pant as a writer – sometimes razor sharp, assured and knows where to take the story and at what pace. I did not get bored reading this book and I am sure neither will you. One of those reads that is perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.

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Book Review: The Resignation by Jainendra

Title: The Resignation (Tyagpatra)
Author: Jainendra
Translator: Rohini Chowdhury
Publisher: Penguin India
ISBN: 978-0-143-41524-4
Genre: Indian Literature, Translated Fiction, Literary Fiction
Pages: 178
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Indian Literature is under-rated. I have always believed that most Indian writers (great ones at that) are often not spoken about or mentioned at all. Some great books are never discussed. That’s a sad situation for a country that is so rich in literature – considering the number of languages stories are weaved in and then translated for the English reader’s (like me) benefit, only not to be praised.

One such Indian writer that needs to be spoken more about is Jainendra. Born in 1905, he was one of the first to join the Independence Movement in 1921. The interesting part is that most of his stories and novels are centered on the idea of freedom and the right to speech, which is what, pulls me to read his books. I have read his short stories in Hindi; however I must shamefully admit that it seemed like a mammoth task initially.

“The Resignation” or Tyagpatra is one of his most popular books published in 1937, and re-published in English (an amazing translation by Rohini Chowdhury) by Penguin India (God Bless them for that) very recently. The book though written in a time when every person was searching for an independent voice and way of life is still very relevant in our democratic society. The Resignation is a story of Mrinal, a young woman whose idealism is so strong that her family and the society around her rejects her completely and she is living on her own, facing situations as they come along.

That is the basic plot. On the other hand, Jainendra weaves the narration from the point of view of Mrinal’s nephew Pramod, who has adored and loved his aunt with deep passion. The themes of independence and family run deep in this book. Also hailed as a novel of psychological sensibility, The Resignation is an insight into life in those times and for a woman nonetheless as someone who is trying to live life on her terms.

What I found most interesting is that the novel is that Jainendra has taken many chances with its structure – from the plot to the way it has been narrated, which is quite refreshing. It almost reminded me of Tagore’s books and rightly so, considering that the themes of feminism (then I am sure not known as that) and individualism are clearly reflected in both their works.

The writing is fantastic. Every word is in its place and most credit goes to the translator (who often gets ignored) for the wonderful derivation of setting, meaning and the right words to add the much needed pace and communicative technique to the book.

The Resignation when it was first published; I am sure created a stir. It broke all rules of traditional sensibilities and that’s what makes it a great read. Indian literature is not what it seems most of the time till discovered and devoured. Great books such as these make it truly a niche genre.

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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: The Empty Space by Geetanjali Shree

Title: The Empty Space
Author: Geetanjali Shree
Publisher: Harper Collins India
ISBN: 9789350290521
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 260
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

The Empty Space is not one of those books that can be read in one sitting. Even if you want to, you would not be able to – the plot will not allow you to. I had a tough time getting through this book and the writing had nothing to do with it. It was the story.

The Empty Space by Geetanjali Shree hits you hard and in the right places. It tells the story of a bomb exploding in a university café, claiming the lives of nineteen students. The mother of one of those victims comes home with her dead eighteen year-old son packed in a box and the sole survivor of the blast, a three-year old, who was found in an empty space, living and breathing. The story chronicles three lives – the mother, the boy lost, and the boy who was found. Memories that have to be created and memories that can only remain that for time to come.

What I found most taking in about the story was the relationship portrayed between the mother and the three-year old. Both have so much to say and yet they cannot tell each other anything. There were also times when I thought the language wasn’t perfect in certain places; however I am going to let that go because it was a translation and I am sure that would not be the same in the original.

The Empty Space reminded me a lot of Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi, and that is solely due to the nature of the plot. You begin to start wondering about what the families go through when children die due to such banal acts of terror. Is there anything sacred left then in this world? Is there any sanity at all? This book is one of such attempts to bring to forth the consequences of what happens after an attack. Vividly written, The Empty Space unearths questions and emotions that may be needed in times such as ours.

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Book Review: Classic Saratchandra: Volume 1 by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay

Title: Classic Saratchandra: Volume 1
Author: Saratchandra Chattaopadhyay
Publisher: Penguin India
ISBN: 978-0143101253
Genre: Indian Fiction
Pages: 816
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

We all know of writers – writers who are not from the country we know more of. We eagerly wait for their books to publish, so we can savour them in the comfort of our homes and bedside reading lamps. However there are times when we tend to forget Indian Writers of the years gone by, who lived in different times and wrote excellently. The reason could be only that we did know of them in school as a part of the Hindi curriculum and therefore feel that they cannot be read otherwise.

Off late I have been discovering or rather re-discovering such writers and one of them is Saratchandra Chattopadhyay. Saratchandra wrote in times when India was under the British Rule. He did not write about the conditions in those times; however he did hold a mirror so to say to the society and its issues in a very subtle manner. For instance, Devdas is not just about a drunk and wasted lover. It goes beyond that. It speaks of feminism very early on through its two female protagonists – Paro and Chandramukhi. At the same time, the fictional value and element of the novel do not get ignored.

Penguin India has launched, “Classic Saratchandra – Volume 1” that features eight of his brilliant novels. From Biraj Bou to Swami, these novels explore a gamut of themes – from the relationship of a newlywed indifferent wife and her patient husband to a woman and her love for her husband despite misunderstandings that take place.

Saratchandra wrote his books with great sensitivity. When you read them you start noticing the underplayed emotional tones. His writing also sometimes was induced with a tinge of political awareness – for instance most of Srikanta is written with the angle of combining a family story with India’s then situation.

Saratchandra had an eye for detail and he used it to his advantage. The writing is in place and at times there is too much atmosphere, however that can be ignored. His works are definitely more than worth just one read. I would also like to mention that the translations by Malobika Chatterjee, Aruna Chakravarti, Sreejata Guha and Sunanda Krisnamurty is by far one of the excellent ones that I have read. At the end of it, I cannot wait for the second volume to be published.

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Book Review: 1888 Dial India by Anuvab Pal

Title: 1888 Dial India
Author: Anuvab Pal
Publisher: Random House India
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9788184001587
Pages: 230
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5/5

Anuvab Pal is one of the wittiest writers I have read in a while. I would not classify his writing as necessarily funny. His writing style is more sarcastic and satirical than anything else. He writes about India – today’s India and what it means to its citizens and how outsiders view it. I remember watching his play, “The President is Coming” with much trepidation – as he wasn’t a known playwright back then. I also recall enjoying the play a lot and then also watching the movie with the same enthusiasm. As I read his new book, “1888 Dial India” I was certain that I would read more by him in the future.

1888 Dial India is a book about new India and its follies. It is about the illusions it is creating and how people are emerging to be a part of the consumerist culture that is taking over half the country. The year is 2009. America is in a financial mess. Unemployment is in the air and doesn’t seem to go away easy. Enter: Arun Kumar: Entrepreneur, pragmatism personified, evangelist of new India’s dreams and under the impression that he can outsource the saving of American lives to India as well.

That is the crux of the book, however there is more to the surface than what meets the eye. Anuvab’s eye to detail is brilliant – the nuances of everyday living are skilfully displayed – from the BPO culture to the merging of India’s past, present and future perceptions. Corporate culture is most certainly written about a lot, however not in the usual boring tie and meetings affair – Pal’s writing comes from observation and there are so many instances that I could relate to having worked in that environment for most of my professional life to date.

I enjoyed reading the book more so because of the writing style. It is well-paced and it is at times in your face, however that is where the humour stems from, so one can overlook it. The writing nonetheless is crisp and to the point. It does not at any point get preachy, which is how ideally one should write when talking about current issues.

For me reading 1888 Dial India was a welcome change from the usual literary fare. It was something that happened by chance and I will re-read it for a laugh or two. It is definitely a perfect read for one of those lazy Sunday afternoons.

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Book Review: Secrets by Ruskin Bond

Title: Secrets
Author: Ruskin Bond
Publisher: Penguin India
ISBN: 978-0-143-41749-1
Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 150
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

There is only one Indian living writer I know who still manages to evoke my childhood memories that either seem long time gone or buried for good. That writer is Mr. Ruskin Bond. Though his stories are primarily set in Dehradoon, everyone who reads them can successfully conjure the picturesque beauty in his or her mind and that is the power of good writing.

My stint with Mr. Bond’s works began when I was all of sixteen and it wasn’t with his most acclaimed The Room on the Roof. It was with “A Flight of Pigeons” and it is but obvious that I fell in love with it, though it is one of his more serious works. What I love about Mr. Bond’s writing is that you don’t feel that you should be of a certain age to enjoy it. So when I received a copy of “Secrets” – his latest collection of seven new short stories, I was only too eager to read and review them.

The stories have the classic Bond touch – the description of a sleepy Dehra, the usual simple characters and a touch of quaintness, which is why I love reading what he writes. The stories in this book are set in the late 40’s – a time when India had just become an independent nation and Rusty was all of thirteen. His mother was a manager at a hotel called “Greens” at Dehra and he would stay there when visiting home from school on holidays. Times were tough and it wasn’t easy to make a living – amidst these circumstances, events started unfolding in and around the hotel, which form the crux of this book in the form of wonderfully told stories.

We meet “The Skeleton in the Cupboard”, where as the title suggests a Skeleton is found in one of the rooms and the mystery around it is uncovered. “Gracie” on the other hand is a sentimental tale of a Dehra girl’s descent into something else altogether as she marries a British Army soldier and moves to London. “The Late Night Show” revolves around the murder of a man in a theatre during the late night show and of course Ruskin was present – watching the show when the murder took place.

These three stories were my favourites, hence the mention. Not to say the other four are not worth it. It is just that these three appealed more to my senses. Ruskin Bond’s stories warm the heart and sometimes take you by surprise. They take your mind to a different time – a time when life was simpler and one did not have to think so much and but of course the credit goes to the way they are written. A must read.

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Book Review: Bedanabala. Her Life. Her Times by Mahasweta Devi

Title: Bedanabala. Her Life. Her Times
Author: Mahasweta Devi
Publisher: Seagull Books
ISBN: 9788170462910
Genre: Translated Fiction
Pages: 80
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5/5

Once again Mahasweta Devi has touched upon the lives of those who are never noticed, never cared for. And her pen cuts a deep wound in the minds of readers, forcing them to sit up and discern the essential from the inessential.

Bedanabala. Her Life. Her Times is a touching tale told in first person of a woman, Bedanabala, whose mother used to live in a brothel. These reminiscences are sometimes personal, sometimes historical. The story begins in the late 19th Century, with the “theft” of a beautiful girl child from a wealthy family. She is Bedanabala’s mother. She grows up in the house of ill repute, to be groomed to enter the profession once she has come of age. But then, Did’ma, the owner of the brothel, grows to love this beautiful child as she would her own daughter and does not want her to enter this profession. She seeks for her a life of a householder. It is story that is seldom told. Did’ma’s contribution to the war effort, her donations to the fighters of India’s freedom and her gifts to the mission are her way of atoning for her sins.

The story is set in a changing India, an India poised on the threshold of progress and transformation. New thoughts and ideas are forming in the minds of idealistic youth and nationalistic passion runs high. I like how she merges topics – nationalism with the issue of prostitution and yet none of them are glorified. She writes the way she imagines and the way she has known. There is not an ounce of superficialness in her penmanship skills.

Mahasweta Devi’s Bedanabala. Her Life. Her Times empathises with a section of women that is misunderstood and disapproved of. She narrates the story with great sensitivity, skilfully weaving into the story a changing India and nationalism. I am a great fan of her works and that is only because she knows how to write and write well. The book is translated by Sunandini Banerjee.

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Book Review: The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair

Title: The Girl in the Garden
Author: Kamala Nair
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 978-1455508709
Genre: Indian Fiction
Pages: 320 pages
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5/5

It is impossible to turn away from this story once begun, so be forewarned and prepared to read it in one sitting. Though this is only to feel the loneliness of missing a great friend, and to want to begin all over again. Unlike many big stories that try the reader’s patience with unnecessary details, Nair’s novel efficiently contains a multi-generational family saga, loves, deaths, secrets, ruin, and rebirth. We feel the thrill (and terror) of the heroine’s explorations in a new world, of her discovery of her mother’s devastating deception, and finally of her catharsis in learning to let judgment evolve into compassion and a return to the people and places that almost destroyed her family.

Rakhee Singh leaves a letter for her fiancee along with her engagement ring before heading off to India. The letter explains that she has been keeping secrets from him, and that she must return to India to resolve some things that happened there when she was eleven. That summer, while traveling with her mother, Rakhee is introduced to a whole new world which is much different than the life she leads in Minnesota. When she arrives in India with her mother there are a plethora of family secrets that Rakhee plans to solve. Who wrote the letters that drove her mother to make the decision to return to India? Is there really a child-eating monster hiding in the jungle behind the home of her ancestors? What she discovers will shape the person she becomes and will force her to return to her family years later to put this baggage to rest before she can marry the man she loves.

The originality and beauty of The Girl in the Garden, its wonderful strangeness, and its lifelong friendship with the reader, lie in the heroine’s narrative deftness in subtly yet wholly altering the reader’s expectations and perceptions of the two worlds of the novel. Nair sharply contrasts the whited sepulcher of Plainfield, in a Midwest as cold and colorless and alienating as its name, with Malanad, a South Indian village as warm and riotously hued and vital as the Indian myths that Rakhee’s cousins, her first real friends–particularly the bright, bold, brilliant Krishna–enact for their shy American visitor.

These stories come to signify the sheer force of living that Rakhee has been denied, and has begun to deny herself, as the neglected child of parents imprisoned within their own tragic pasts. They revive her dormant sense of self, and with keen psychological insight into how children perceive their world, Nair shows the therapeutic power of storytelling in helping Rakhee to make sense of the confusing behavior of her mother, of her mother’s family, and finally of the devastating secret they have conspired to conceal since before she was born.

Her childhood chronicle is a tone poem startling for its crescendoes of titanic discoveries and confrontations, yet written largely from the quiet wonder of a child’s daily explorations and introspections in deciphering, again, the strangeness of growing into oneself.

The magic moment, when the novel ceased to be a compelling mystery about Rakhee’s summer journey to India to discover the source of her mother’s unhappiness, and became a timeless story that has been told and will always be told, simple yet coiled in complexities vast and deep, came over me as Rakhee observes the incandescent coastline of Kerala from her airplane window. She is awed before so much that is beautiful and beyond her comprehension. Her world, our world, begins to expand to admit the history of a family that stalks softly, under the guise of this impossible beauty, as they unsheath the brutality that will destroy all their old complacencies and lies, making space, finally and gently, for resilience and reconstruction, grace and forgiveness.

For a debut, The Girl in the Garden is fairly accomplished, but that is mostly due to the last quarter of the novel. Everything leading up to the end is averagely lukewarm, predictable and uninspired, until Rakhee makes the decision to follow her head and heart instead of her relative’s orders. Her actions deeply affect the lives of her relatives and the novel becomes the dark and mysteriously lush tale it claims to be.

The Girl in the Garden is perfect for that long flight, that incessantly rainy afternoon or simply when you want to get lost in a beautifully written book that will spirit you away. Turn your phone off and disable your doorbell, because nothing can tear you away from The Girl in the Garden.

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Book Review: River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh

Title: River of Smoke – Ibis Trilogy
Author: Amitav Ghosh
Publisher: Penguin India
Genre: Literary Fiction, Series
ISBN: 9780670082155
PP: 568 pages
Price: Rs. 699
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

I can say with certainty that River of Smoke will and does not disappoint fans of the Ibis saga. Ghosh has crafted a book that draws the reader into the personal stories of his characters, while giving us a rarely-described perspective on history. In some ways, this is a fabulous piece to read with books like Heart of Darkness (what did the communities on the shore think?) or even Confessions of an Economic Hitman (when did this Economic Assassination begin?).
River of Smoke conjures up Canton, around 1838/9, particularly the foreign merchants’ enclave and the Pearl River: both inextricably linked to the opium trade. Aboard the Anahita, Bahram Modi is in danger of losing his biggest shipment of opium yet, whilst on the Redruth, Paulette and Mr. Penrose are plant hunting for a very special Camellia. Paulette and Penrose are aided in Canton by Paulette’s childhood friend and artist Robin Chinnery. Their disparate stories are drawn tighter and tighter as the Chinese Emperor, desperate to face his ancestors with a clean conscience when he dies, seeks to banish forever a drug that has enslaved his people.

Deeti’s shrine in Mauritius opens the novel, and its portraits, drawn on the walls by visitors, and introduced to curious children, draw the reader neatly in. It’s a fine device, allowing for a brief recap and a filling-in of sorts, from when we left the storm-stricken Ibis at the end of Sea of Poppies. The novel is subdivided into 3 sections: Islands, Canton and Commissioner Lin, and further subdivided into two main threads: the opium traders and the plant hunters.

Though no part is free from opium’s pernicious influence, our plant hunters’ narratives posit that the spirit of exploration and free trade can flourish legitimately. Here Chinnery’s presence, epistolary in form, is a delight. His effusive missives bring moments of humour and pathos that counterbalance the novel’s darker side perfectly. Opium pervades the other main thread, smuggled in by a Committee of merchants who are blinded by greed to greater or lesser extents. Ghosh takes on the complex matters underlying the trade, and probes the reader’s conscience too, ostensibly by using our sympathies for Bahram as leverage against our own better judgment. Those familiar with the history of the first Opium War will recognise the book’s events as its catalyst, and the author has fleshed out this historical background in meticulous detail.

What sets this book apart from other novels, but also what tends to be the most tiring aspect, is Ghosh’s grasp of history, in this case the development, effects and trauma of the European opium trade with China. He makes no attempt to hide his feelings on this one, nor is he very subtle when making the clear connections between that era and the globalization era today. His characters deliver some wonderful lines like Bahram’s one-liner, “Democracy is a wonderful thing. It is a marvellous tamasha that keeps common people busy that men like ourselves can take care of all matters of importance” or the frequent hypocritical declarations by various European tradesmen on Free Market when it comes to opium trading.

As in Sea of Poppies, Ghosh regales us with a mix of languages, scenes, smells and tastes. He is happy to spend paragraphs on the cuisine served at each meal, while freely adding mix-up, mash-up words on every page. There is so much to learn from this book, and not just the ancient trade relations that pre-dated European imperialism. I, for one, learned the history behind the Hindi word for sugar, and the term pidgin to describe a mixed, functional language. Or that the original European settlement in China was called Fanqui-town (yes, as in “Won’t you take me to …”)

My only complaint is that there are far too many segments that become repetitive or don’t add much to the story. While the visit with Napoleon (indeed, even he makes an appearance) is well-captured and adds another perspective on the main issue, I could have done without it.

In a trilogy, the second book suffers the fate of a middle-child. It is too late to be intrigued by new characters, but neither is it time for the climactic scenes. This book floats along for pages faced with this problem. While nothing in the book is as tedious as a visit to the Ents, there were times I was ready for the end. Having said that, I am looking forward to the next installment.

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River of Smoke: A Novel (Ibis Trilogy)