Book Review: Navarasa by Lotus by Rajiv Kumar

Title: Navarasa by Lotus
Author: Rajiv
Publisher: Frog Books, Leadstart Corp
ISBN: 978-93-81576-84-7
Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 162
Source: Author
Rating: 3.5/5

“Navarasa by Lotus” is Rajiv’s first book. It is a collection of inter-linked stories exploring different genres, and each story is a dedication of sorts to the rasa: humour, love, disgust, heroism, wonder, fury, horror, peace and compassion.

The stories are vivid and can be related to at some level. There is a fading movie star, who wants it all even though the idea of fading away is at hand, then there is a youth who takes the form of a masked vigilante, there is a mosquito (yes you read that correct) who is determined to fight human domination, the unmarried couple on the verge of a break-up, a woman, Lucky, enigmatic and elusive, who is terrified of her dream (interesting a lot has been written on it which is enough to pull the reader in), a school kid trying very hard to vent his anger, and the fate and aftermath of society post 2012 make these stories something else – sometimes a delight to read and sometimes as a reader, I thought more could be done with them.

The characters in these stories recur and so do the situations at times. The biting surprise at the end of every story is what keeps the reader engaged and that is where the writing style matters the most. There were times when I thought that the prose was getting a bit verbose but having said that, I enjoyed this collection. The collection is consistent and sticks to emotions as promised.

The writing is brusque and specific at times. Some stories stand out more so than the others, even though there is a link and recurrence of people. Navarasa by Lotus is a good effort to connect stories to the rasa (which I loved), honest and just the way stories are meant to be written.

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Book Review: Drifting House by Krys Lee

Title: Drifting House
Author: Krys Lee
Publisher: Faber and Faber
ISBN: 978-0-571-27618-9
Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 210
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

I always look forward to reading a collection of short stories, especially when they are written well and leave an impact on my mind and emotions. Short stories are like wistful appetizers, that leave you wanting more and that one bite sometimes is just not enough. I had to make this analogy because this is what came to mind, when I finished reading, “Drifting House” by Krys Lee.

Drifting House is a collection of nine stories, spanning across North Korea, South Korea and America. The tales but obviously aren’t a happy read. The stories are centered on themes of love, loss, home, and sense of belonging. Starting from Korea and ending in America, one can clearly see the difference in culture and how Koreans are also treated in a different country.

The title story, “Drifting House” is about children escaping a famine situation in North Korea and the horrifying sacrifices they have to make in order to survive. The stories spark and only because they are so real. Krys writes with such elegance and grace that the reader gets drawn in the struggle of the characters. Lee wants us to feel this way as she takes on themes in her book and yes to some extent, I did end up feeling that way.

My favourite story in the entire collection is, “A Temporary Marriage” – where a mother leaves Korea after being abandoned by her husband, who has also kidnapped their daughter. She marries a man in America, only to be close to her daughter, and she feels nothing for the man. The Believer on the other hand is a more violent story in the book of losing faith and the search for God at the same time.

Lee’s characters are as human as you and I, though going through difficult times and situations. The collection according to me will find resonance also beyond the audience who are fascinated with Korea anyway. The language is a bit much, in the sense that it takes time for the reader to set in to the story, however that is only initially. For me, there were deeper meanings hidden in the pages of this book and I loved discovering them.

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Book Review: The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

Title: The Buddha in the Attic
Author: Julie Otsuka
Publisher: Penguin Fig Tree
ISBN: 9781905490875
Genre: Literary Fiction, Short Stories
Pages: 129
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5/5

What does home mean to you? That was a very difficult question posed to me at the end of “The Buddha in the Attic” by Julie Otsuka. Julie Otsuka’s book is about immigrant Japanese women, set about a century ago, who have come to America to their husbands and new lives. Their lives away from their homes to create new ones – the magic and dream of America that once existed, is revived in this beautifully written short book.

The eight almost inter-linked (because of the theme) and yet isolated (because of what each story centers on) stories are real, heartbreaking and sometimes hopeful. For me immigration has not been an alien concept. I have heard stories from my grandparents about how they had to move from Pakistan to India during Partition (though it is very different from these tales) and it does ring a bell when I read anything about leaving your country for a new one. To start anew and especially when you are expected to be the obedient Japanese wife to her husband who has not told her about the truth of his job, what she would have to undergo in a strange place and what her life would be like. These women worked from dawn to dusk, lived with men who they did not love or loved but their love was not returned. They worked in fields, as maids, as anything, as long as it was work and paid them.

I had read a part of this book; the first story that is, “Come, Japanese!” in a Granta series titled, “Aliens” and was immediately taken in by it. I knew then that I would read it when it would be made available. The stories are subtle, sharp and sometimes they wrench the heart and make you want more. The basic idea of having to master a new language after say thirteen years (as young) or thirty seven (as old) of thinking and dreaming in Japanese is a task for these women. Otsuka follows these women as they enter the early days of WWII, when entire Japanese-American communities disappeared (Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima and Nagasaki being the reasons) to their relocation to desert camps.

The Buddha in the Attic is about the human touch. Always about it. Julie Otsuka does not for once waver from it. The writing is beautiful and easy to read, without losing the emotion it wants to convey. At the heart of the book, there is a lot of hope and love for the women in strange ways. I cannot for one wait to read her first book, “When the Emperor was Divine”.

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Book Review: The Habit of Love by Namita Gokhale

Title: The Habit of Love
Author: Namita Gokhale
Publisher: Penguin India
ISBN: 978-0-143-41772-9
Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 184
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

The Habit of Love by Namita Gokhale is a collection of thirteen stories that reflect and internalize the lives of women. Of course one cannot generalize anything basis these stories, however yes they provide the necessary framework needed to understand the environment around us. Some women do not belong to the present, some are parts of today and now and some are just wanderers.

Namita Gokhale speaks to you through her characters and stories. She wants you to believe and there are times you do, only wanting more. I wished at times, that may be the stories would continue and lengthen to a novella or so, because some of them had that potential. The women in these stories are not extraordinary. They do not take life-changing decisions, or change the world. What they do instead is connect with the reader and make them see things and situations a little differently.

The stories are well laid out. From an older woman’s infatuation with a younger man to the messenger swan narrating a story of doomed lovers, Nala and Damayanti, the stories capture the essence without becoming pedantic or superficial. The profundity of the stories are revealed through what goes on in the minds of the women, the not-so-quiet lives lead and the uneasiness with which their lives go haywire sometimes and sometimes are in control.

My favourite story in the entire collection has to be the three-parts, “Grand Hotel”, where each part is unique and different, like a quilt of different patches and merging in the end. The Habit of Love is different from her earlier books, which were flippant and funny. This one is serious and makes you think a little. The woman’s heart is not laid bare and at the same time there is enough and more of a glimpse to make readers wonder. The writing strikes you in a couple of places and in some it seems a little hurried, however it is a great read for a summer afternoon.

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Book Review: Smut: Stories by Alan Bennett

Title: Smut: Stories
Author: Alan Bennett
Publisher: Picador USA
ISBN: 978-1250003164
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 152
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

I must admit that while I had known of Alan Bennett (and owned a copy of, “The Uncommon Reader); I hadn’t read anything by him prior to reading, “Smut”, a collection of two short stories. The stories are definitely a tease, but not smutty at all, as the title claims them to be, at least not in this time and age.

Smut consists of two stories, “The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson” and, “The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes”. Both are centered on one theme: Being smutty and being candid, or the lack of it sometimes. Smut, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes tries too hard to scandalize but it cannot, not the modern reader, who I would assume has read about these themes earlier.

The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson centers on a 55-year old widow, trying to make a living of being a “part-time demonstrator” for the medical school – in essence, playing the part of a person with an illness, so the students can correctly diagnose. At the same time she is taken in by a couple from the medical school, who are her lodgers and watches them have sex in exchange of rent. Initially I did take some time to get used to the twist the story took, however it wasn’t that embarrassing. The story however does end on a very surprising note and makes the reader think, just that little bit.

The second story, “The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes” is about an over-possessive mother, her recently married son and her henpecked husband. The story unfolds when a well-kept secret of the son, Graham is about to be exposed. Again, being gay in the story is hardly smutty. It is the way of life. Having said that, it is still Bennett’s writing that takes you by the horns and makes you read what he has written.

Alan Bennett has the verve in his writing. The candour and the beauty of words hit straight through without any intensity or depth. The simplicity of his words, take the reader to the edge and then he reveals the twist in the tale quite nonchalantly. Bennett’s writing has to be experienced. The writing is sharp and makes no bones about the fact that the British like to have sex and indulge. The decadence is at the highest level and does not beat around the bush as well. I will read more by him for sure.

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Book Review: The Selected Stories of Merce Rodoreda

Title: The Selected Stories of Merce Rodoreda
Author: Merce Rodoreda
Publisher: Open Letter
ISBN: 978-1934824313
Genre: Literary Fiction, Short Stories
Pages: 255
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Short stories have always been close to my heart. More than novellas and novels. I do not know why but they are. Short stories are more compassionate – I do not know why again but I think they are. Honestly sometimes they also say more than full-length novels can and I have repeatedly said and maintain that.

The minute I started reading, “The Selected Stories of Merce Rodoreda”, I knew there was something different about this one. These 30 stories address every grim complexity of life and longing, heartache (very subtly done), capturing the necessary elements of chaos and peace. I had not heard of Merce Rodoreda before this book, and I am certain most people have not.

Merce Rodoreda’s stories take the extra leap that is required – of venturing into the unknown and writing something so worthwhile. For instance, in, “Friday June 8” a homeless girl ties a rock around her new born baby’s throat, a product of rape and throws her into the river. Shocking? Yes! But it is the prose that is used while writing this which will get you to weep silently. Stories such as these make you wonder: Should I continue reading this? And you know that you must, because it is about the writing and the delicate plots that will make you want to.

“Before I Die” is another such story. A housewife tries to come to terms with her husband’s past love, who she got to know of through the secret letters in his suitcase. The emotion and sensibility of the wife are well captured. “Carnival” on the other hand is a simple and poignant love story (I can safely say that), of a man and a woman (strangers) dressed in carnival outfits and walking together.

Most of the stories are short and that’s how it should really be – giving away some and hiding some. The stories come from three different collections published in 1958, 1978, and the last one seems to have been collected after her death. The stories are published in a chronological order and as the reader reads along, the different writing styles are clear – from simple to more experimental towards the end.

There is wide range to these stories, and enough and more for every kind of reader. Rodoreda goes into the heart of the human condition and churned out these brilliant stories. I would highly recommend this one, as I am all for short stories.

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Book Review: Night Shivers by Ed Pessalano

Title: Night Shivers
Author: Ed Pessalano
Publisher: Moose Hide Books
ISBN: 978-1-894650-82-3
Genre: Horror, Short Stories
Pages: 73
Source: Author
Rating: 2.5/5

An amusement park turns to a nightmare for a newly married couple. A night camp turns morbid for three teenagers. A dead horse is the cause of his owner’s death. These are just some of the short stories’ brief synopsis from the collection of unlucky 13 stories in Ed Pessalano’s collection, aptly titled, “Night Shivers”.

Writing a horror story is not easy. It takes a lot to think of what will scare the readers and what has already been said by other horror writers. Night Shivers is an attempt to scare readers and it achieves that to some extent (but only when you have not reading anything which is remotely similar).

I found the writing taut and simple, though I wish some stories would not end abruptly or had more meat to them. For instance, The Mourning about a mad uncle trying to do away with this nephew started off brilliantly and then ended too soon to be able to speak much of it. Similarly, I was looking for more while reading, Razorback Hill, however even that ended too quickly.

The collection in all is a bit spooky for readers (might I also risk and add: Young Readers) who have yet to venture into the horror genre. Ed knows how to tell a story and that I give him. At the same time, I do not understand the need to make the scary parts so obvious. I mean why let them be so scary-in-the-face?

If you have already read horror stories, then may be this book will not manage to give you the chills or the shivers. A tale or two would manage to but that is about it. For me, the only thing that didn’t work is that the stories weren’t spooky enough. I wish there was more to that.

Book Review: Burning Bright by Ron Rash

Title: Burning Bright
Author: Ron Rash
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 9780857861153
Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 205
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Burning Bright by Ron Rash was the most surprising reads for me for the year 2011. Short story collections have always held that special place in my heart and always will. Ron Rash’s stories and novels have been compared to Steinbeck, Cormac McCarthy and Faulkner, which I am not at all surprised after reading the collection. He most certainly deserves praise and more.

Burning Bright is a marvellous collection of twelve stories that focus on the people of Appalachia who though go through a lot of hardships and troubles refuse to give up their pride and yet keep seeking happiness. The stories are dark and rural in nature and yet at the core of the darkness is the human spark that carries itself on regardless.

My favourite stories in this collection are, “The Ascent” – a story of a young boy who discovers two dead bodies frozen in the wreckage of a small aircraft in the Great Smokies. What happens afterward is the proverbial twist in the tale. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading, “Dead Confederates” – a story of what happens when a greedy fellow schemes with a desperate soul. “Burning Bright” on the other hand is all about love beyond any logic and beyond the right and the wrong.

The characters in themselves are not afraid of pain they might endure or a discovery if made will have its own share of consequences. Ron also ensures that some of the stories have that wry sense of humour attached to them, which is necessary when dank tales are told. The language is on the spot and almost every reader will fall in love with it. Here is one of my favourites:

“He imagined towns where hungry men hung on boxcars looking for work that couldn’t be found, shacks where families lived who didn’t even have one swaybacked milk cow. He imagined cities where blood stained the sidewalks beneath buildings tall as ridges. He tried to imagine a place worse than where he was.

For me Burning Bright was a revelation to a writer whose works I will read more of in the future. Ron Rash breathes humanity in every word. He makes words dance on the pages and the reader is left gasping for more amidst meth addicts, sheriffs and lost souls who have a long way to go. Read the stories for the sheer magic of Ron’s writing and be mesmerized by it.

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Book Review: 420 Characters by Lou Beach

Title: 420 Characters
Author: Lou Beach
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 978-0547617930
Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 176
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

Since the advent of Twitter (140 characters only) everyone is a writer and everyone has a story to tell. The advantage to the reader being that these stories are short and sometimes very short, so the reader can assimilate it all and think about them long after the stories are done with. There are the random fifty-five word stories and then the 140 character stories. Amidst all this, there shines a book of stories summing to only 420 characters – including the words.

Lou Beach started writing these stories as his Facebook status updates. The condition was: Each story was limited to 420 characters. These miniature stories are something else. They contain worlds larger and more meaningful than most full-length stories. The character and texture of these stories is of fluidity. There are no chains or boundaries to this kind of writing. It is seamless and can take any shape that it wants, which in essence is the beauty of these stories.

420 Characters does not restrict itself to any one particular emotion. It traverses the entire rainbow of emotions – love, loneliness, envy, hate, anger and more. Lou Beach intends to mesmerize the reader even in the shortest of stories and does it marvelously. I was taken in by these stories from the very beginning.

What I love about the writing is that it has the essence of poetry attached to it. The reader through such writing is touched or not – emotions seep through the writing and enter the reader, evoking the same feelings, which is not easy to do for a writer. On the other hand, the book may not be for everyone. Not everyone can digest or would want to read a book with stories limiting themselves to 420 characters.

These are great story starters which can stand alone and also evolve into something else. They have the capacity to evoke the readers’ imagination and make him or her think a little more while reading stories and the due credit goes only to Lou Beach. A must read for its brevity and impact.

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Book Review: I Knew You’d Be Lovely: Stories by Alethea Black

Title: I Knew You’d Be Lovely: Stories
Author: Alethea Black
Publisher: Broadway Paperbacks, Random House
ISBN: 9780307886033
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

I Knew You’d Be Lovely is a beautiful collection of 13 short stories, written in a magical manner by Alethea Black. The reason I call this collection magical is that it is written from the heart and one can relate to almost all stories. The stories centre on love, communication, longing, fathers, sons, families, loss and the need to not be alone. I Knew you’d Be Lovely is a wonderful collection of short stories that one can read over and over again.

When I started reading short stories, I was very young and over a period of time I have come to realize the importance of this craft. Alethea Black does it effortlessly. The stories get you in a real tight emotional spot at times and that like I said is their beauty.

The collection starts off with, “That of which we cannot Speak” which is centered on two people who meet at a party for the first time, only to realize how important communication is or isn’t. This story is followed by, “The Only Way Out is through” which delicately explores the relationship between a father and his teenage son. “Good in a Crisis” is about a young woman and her need to find love – the search which takes her to an unexpected place. There are ten other stories in the book which are equally wondrous and make the reader think a lot about the human condition.

My personal favourite is, “Mollusk makes a Comeback” which is about a day gone wrong in the already bad phase of Katie’s life and how she hopes and wishes for a better day. I felt I could relate most to the story and what Alethea Black was trying to communicate.

I Knew You’d Be Lovely is a brilliant collection of short stories. The kind that deserves your time and attention and emotions. The kind that you read with a mug of hot chocolate and long after you have finished it, think, think about it.

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