Kindle

Book Review: A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam


Krishan, a young Sri Lankan, working in an NGO in Colombo, travels to North Sri Lanka to attend the funeral of Rani, his grandmother’s caretaker and a Tamilian who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after having lost a lot to the Sri Lankan civil war. The book is mostly about Krishnan’s introspection about the suffering caused by the war, his grandmother’s old age, about his ex and their relationship, and in general about love and loss, about longing and yearning.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro


My thoughts on Klara and the Sun, long listed for the Booker Prize 2021 and touted as a hot favorite to win the award.

Set in a futuristic world of genetic enhancements, replacement of white collar workers with technology, and sentient humanoids, Klara and the Sun is the story of Klara – an AF (artificial friend) – a companion robot for teens. She is bought as a companion to Josie – a teenager who is sick after “lifting” – a process of genetically enhancing children, and need help and attention. A solar powered robot, Klara believes that the sun has the power to cure Josie and goes to great lengths to get sun’s nourishment for her. Once well, Josie no longer needs Klara and abandons her with relative ease.

Continue reading →

Kindle Single Review: Fox 8 – A Story


This is a very unconventionally written book, where the narrator is a fox who has recently learned human language and his story telling is characterized by improper grammar and abundant typos. Fox 8 is a story about a fox who gets exposed to humans and learns their language by listening to stories told by human mothers to their kids. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Mine by Arnab Ray


“Makes you wonder if God himself is evil? Or whether what we consider the design of the devil is actually nothing but the will of God?” – Excerpt from The Mine by Arnab Ray (aka Greatbong).

To begin with, this book is a very bold attempt. I don’t remember having seen a novel in this genre by a mainstream Indian author. Such disturbingly dark pieces of art (movies/fiction/art etc.) are generally not well appreciated. As Indians, probably, we are not very comfortable with someone showing us the mirror. So, hats off to Arnab for this attempt. Continue reading →

Book Review: Asura – Tale of the Vanquished


Asura: Tale of the Vanquished by Anand Neelakantan is the story of Ravan, the primary antagonist in the Hindu Mythological Epic Ramayan. Instead of portraying Ravan as a devil and Ram as a God incarnate, Anand has attempted to depict the human nature of the characters, which is more grey than either black or white. Anand has taken well-known mythological facts and weaved a very imaginative and ingenious story around it. Continue reading →

Book Review: Narcopolis


Narcopolis

“Because, said Dimple, it isn’t the heroin that we’re addicted to, it’s the drama of the life, the chaos of it, that’s the real addiction and we never get over it; and because, when you come down to it, the high life, that is, the intoxicated life, is the best of the limited options we are offered – why would we choose anything else?” – Excerpts from Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

Continue reading →

Kindle Single Review: A Face in the Crowd


Dean Evers, an old widower who lives alone, spends most of his time watching baseball games on television. Then he starts seeing familiar faces from his past in the game crowd. These are people who are long gone and each of them reminds him of some guilt or regret from his past life. Things take an interesting turn when he sees himself sitting in the crowd. Continue reading →

Book Review: How Parking Enforcement Stole My Soul


“…it’s the story of my journey of learning that a job is more than just a job. It affects who you are, your character” – excerpt from How Parking Enforcement Stole My Soul by Ben Friedrich

How Parking Enforcement Stole My Soul is the autobiographical story of how Ben’s life and character are affected because of his job as a parking enforcement officer – his transition from an easy-going and friendly person who was considered by mothers as an ideal companion for their homely daughters to being grumpy, sadistic and a jerk. On a broader level, it is about the stress and emotional turmoil which results from doing things in your job which your heart and soul are not in agreement with, and the impact it will have on your physical and psychological well-being. Continue reading →