Rice Without Rain - Minfong Ho

Four young students from the university arrives at a village during their summer holidays, wanting to spend their time with the farmers and to understand their life. The year had been bad, as draught hit the farmers with another low harvest. The livelihood has been on few roots picked up the nearby hills. There isn't the usual happiness around the harvest as they will be left with almost nothing after the rents are paid. The arrival of students with rice and fish, had been a welcome change at least to a few households.

Jinda, the daughter of the village henchman Inthorn, did not anticipate the changes that are about to happen in her life post the arrival of the students. Students won the trust of the villagers against their fear of them being communists, manages to put across their idea of social reform and democracy. So much was the effect, the villagers refused to pay the normal rent, which is 50% of the harvest. Inthorn, the headman, was arrested and was subjected to torture and humiliation in the town jail.

Its now left to Jinda to try for the release of her father. Only support she seems to have is Ned, with whom she, by now, develop a close friendship. Its on his invite she moves to the town, with a hope of seeing her father. Her sister, discarded by her husband, now moves in with the rent collector. However, the situation in Bangkok is very intense. Students are rebelling against the government and is demanding further democracy. Jinda, now show cased as the daughter of farmers resistance leader, gets into the group of activists planning the agitation under Ned. The preparation was in full swing, but the event turns a catastrophe, as the police starts fire as soon as Jinda starts her speech. Jinda is estranged and had to flee, Ned is overseeing the rescue operations, he himself injured. The death of her father, greets her on return. Dejected and lost, she returns back to her life back in village, to take care of the last rites of her father.

The story line is promising, but the writing and language is not powerful enough and is too disjointed. Somewhere , it reduces itself to an ordinary story, not elevating the readers to the level of literary excitement. May be it was addressed to the 'young-adult' ( as per amazon.com catalogue) and I am too old for that.

Her wiki entry says, Minfong Ho spent two years in Thailand and this novel is the result of her experience with the villagers she had worked with.

She left two years later for Chiang Mai University in Thailand, where she worked as a lecturer in English. The subsequent two years she was going to spend in Chiang Mai had a deep impact on her. Together with her students and colleagues, Ho spent several periods living and working in nearby villages, as part of the ongoing student movement to alleviate rural poverty. While the student leaders were preoccupied with organizing the peasants into a political group in their search for democracy, Ho became more aware of the emotional world of the women and children there. She later commented that there was "so much beauty and so much pain in the world" around her that she wanted to write about.

I haven't read any other works of her, but going by this book, I am not too impressed. As I said earlier, this might not have been addressed to my kind of a reader.

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Rice Without Rain ( 1986)

Minfong Ho

Andre Deutsch

184 Pages

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Yalo - Elias Khoury

"Yalo did not understand what was happening. The young man stood in front of the interrogator and closed his eyes, as he always did."

Yalo( Daniel Jalu'u) being interrogated for multiple crimes, including robbery, rape and storing arms and explosives. Under trial he was forced to make confessions by the interrogator. Each time he makes his speech, he was interrupted by the interrogator, asking him to fill the gaps of his narrative as it is incomplete. Thus Daniel alias Yalo goes over his confession over and over again, giving us further insights into the character and his life. Repeating the often told story, Yalo under torture and interruption by the authorities, goes through the same story with its subtle variations and view points again and again.

Interrogation is not new for him. In his childhood, he remember his grandfather, a priest, forces young Daniel to confess of crime he did not commit. After his confession, the priest changes back into grandfather and beat up the child. The history is repeating now in the form of interrogator.

Yalos life is complicated. His father has left his mother after the insistence of his grand father that the newly wed should stay with him. His grand father takes control of their life, stopping the new found love of his mother. His grandfather, enrolls him in school as his own son and surname, mentions his mother as his sister. But Yalo insists that " His grandfather is not his father and his mother is not his sister."

Yalos spends long time in the Lebanon's sectarian civil war ( not a good soldier though), escaping to Paris towards the end living a refugee life. He was found and rescued from the basement by a rich Lebanese business man, who bring him back to be the bodu guard of his wife. Yalo, paid back to his rescuer by seducing his wife, and later using loop holes the Lebanese law, looted and raped innocent victims. The victims have turned up against him in the court of law, including Shireen, whom he loved and spent a lot of time together.

Yalo is a complicated character. Hence his narrative is also contrived and often contradicting. He does not give out the details in one instance. It becomes clearer and missing links were added of every repetition of the confession. Using Daniel (the alter ego) and Yalo ( the prime accused) Khoury presents the story of a city in real life.

The history of Beirut is riddled with war. The Syrians, the Kurds, the Turkish and the Arabs were all part of the people who invaded. People trying to hide their origins ( like his grand father who does not acknowledge his Kurdish ancestry), people trying to find their own identity. Story of Yalo is not an isolated story. Its the religious , political and historical back ground of the current day Beirut.

Elias Khoury's name has appeared in the Nobel speculation for this year. The book happened to attract my attention while waiting for the connecting flight. A brilliantly constructed novel, with some fantastic writing. Depicting the current life of Beirut. Though the story per se is very complicated and not detailed for a narration, the intricacies related the to the duality, and the unreliability of the person telling the story makes the reading very interesting.

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Yalo ( 2002)

Elias Khoury ( translated from Arabic by Humphrey Davis in 2009)

Maclehose Press

344 Pages

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More read : Quarterly Conversation, L A Times, Archipelago Books Review , Interview with Khoury

Purge - Sofi Oksanen

Meet Aliide Truu, living an isolated life in a remote Estonian Village in 1992. Her only daughter is moved to Finland an year ago and haven't visited her since then. The village is becoming less inhabited, as more and more people are leaving the country side moving to the city. Apart for a  few hooligans pelting stones at her house, there isn't anyone interested in her living in the country. To this setting, lands Zara, a young girl running away from her captors - the Russian Mafia men , dirty, bruised physically and mentally.

It was made obvious to the readers that the young girl, running away from the Russian Sex Trafficking Mafia, after going through some of the worst time of her life since leaving her home at Vladivostok. But, how did she end up at this remote village ?  It is not by chance, but there is some definite connection between the old lady and Zara, which is not revealed to Aliide. The girls speaks very crude form of Estonian, "Older, yellow and moth eaten". Zara produces an old photo of Aliide and her sister Ingel, without explaining how she happen to possess it, only to receive the denial from Aliide, about having a sister.

But, this photo triggered, the chain of thoughts in Aliide, taking us to the days of German siege, end of World war and the occupation by Soviet Forces. This parts takes us through some of the best writing in the book. The upbringing of the sisters, the rebellion against the soviet militia, the underground resistance organisation which they are either part of or supportive of, surviving torture and humiliation. Both Aliide and Ingel fell in love with the same person, Hans Pekk , member of the resistance organisation, but it was Ingel who won his heart. The situation soon turned worse after the Russian invasion,  Hans had to escape to the woods evading which hunt. The sisters spread the story of his death around the village, but the authorities are not convinced. They were summoned often to find the whereabout of Hans, and the authorities didn't even leave the young child, torturing and abusing them hoping to find a slight variations in their stories. Against all the rapes, beatings and torments, they stood tall. However the story turns bitter after Aliide, marrying Martin, a member of the Communist Party and the eventual extradition of Ingel along with her daughter. Aliide, under the cover of a communist husband, continued her clandestine support to the resistance organisation, sheltering and providing the necessary means to Hans, trying to win back her long lost lover.

On her part Zara's story is no different, as she seeks her own independence and financial freedom, but ending up tortured and humiliated by the new masters using her in their sex trade. After enduring horrible life as a sex-slave in Germany and other part of the new world, she manages her escape, killing one of her client. But she is certain that she will be traced and taken back to the cartel. Expecting the black luxury car to take her back, she is terrified of any noise that heard in the compound.

The arrival of Zara, would have provided Aliide with some redemption. Making amends to her action, which probably would have ended up Ingel and her daughter in Siberia, by providing shelter and protection to the grand daughter of Ingel.

Alternating the narrative between the early Soviet Occupation of Estonia, and the Newly separated Estonia, Sofi Oksanen, brings out a fantastic tale of a society continued to be occupied and humiliated under different time and regime. The book can be read as a thriller ( there is enough suspense till the end) or as a historical and political novel.

Estonia has to suffer the after effects of both the invasion and the collapse of Soviet Power. During the initial days of occupation they had looked towards west. To help them from the German Occupation and then against the Russian invasion. Hans, was very sure, that British or the US will come and save them.

     "Roosevelt will come !"
     "Roosevelt's dead."
     "The West won't forget about us !"
     "They already did. They won, and they forgot."
     "You have so little faith."

Its the same story after the independence from USSR. To the power vacuum came in the new Russian Mafia. The new generation of Estonians are leaving the country ( or the country side to the cities) leaving the interiors left to the older generations. The writing isn't graphic with the descriptions of torture and humiliation, but powerful enough. There is no judgment nor any biased views.

Originally staged and a play in Finland, later developed by her into a full-fledged novel. The book is brilliant and highly recommended.

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Purge (2009)

Sofi Oksanen ( translated from Finnish by Lola Rogers )

Atlantic Books

490 Pages

Rs 299/-

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Other Reviews : Complete Review , Wordwithoutborders

The Consequences of Love - Sulaiman Addonia

The streets of Jedda resembles a black and white movie. Men in White 'thobes' and women in their all covering black ' abaya'.  Into this Black and White streets come in the pink shoes, symbol of love. The colour not only symbolises the love, but that of danger.

Young Naser, Eritean migrant working in a small car wash shop, does not have the means and mind to take vacation like his other friends. The only place he wanted to go is to his mother, back in Eritrea. Whiling away his time, during the long in-active days, by taking a nap under the tree. In one of such days, he finds a piece of paper being dropped by the moving column of black abayas. And that was an invitation to the world that was forbidden. A love letter, from some one unknown. The letter continued to come in various ways, taking him into a world of thrill, excitement and danger.

Against the odds, the restrictions and the omnipresent religious police, lo ve itself find ways to prosper. Through the 'pink shoes', the exchange under the pertext of accompanying the Imam for his weekly sermon at the women's university, taking advanced step of escaping to the  open 'westerner's free zone' and to the extend of disguising as a women wearing 'abaya' and getting into her room. As in every love story, this too has to end. It wasn't long before he was caught, cheated by his close friend whom he seek help for getting forged passport for permanent escape.  The torture and interrogation continued, imminent death by stoning was on the cards, but some timely intervention by his well-wishers got him a relatively lesser punishment of deportation.

A society, where young boys like him are often used for the carnal satisfaction of the men ( 'you be my boy until my marriage), where the migrant workers are exploited by their sponsors and the other powerful men. Naser himself was a victim in his young age. A refugee from the war tron Eritria, brought into Saudi Arabia by his uncle from the refugee camp in Sudan. Sulaiman Addonia, himself had an early life very similar to Naser. Born in Eritrea, he was brought up in Jedda in his early years, before settling in London.

A regular love story, had it been in any other part of the world. But this is Saudi Arabia, and he is a migrant. Addonia, using very controlled language, with out getting into the glorification of the sacrifices manages to tell a story pretty well. The writing and language is good particularly towards the end. He is able to get me beyond the usual 'curiosity factor' and into the shoes of Naser.

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The Consequences of Love ( 2008)

Sulaiman Addonia

Chatto & Windus

346 Pages

Rs 534

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Other Reviews : Independent, Times,  Book Around.

The Body Artist - Don DeLillo

Rey Robles, an unsuccessful film director, dies in his first wife's apartment one morning. He and his current ( third) wife, Lauren HArtke, are living in an isolated house near the coast, away from the New York City. Their day began as routinely as always, with them having the breakfast, he stirring his coffee and the newspaper, she opening and closing cabinets opening and closing taps.

"I want to say something, but what".. he said, "About the house. This is what it is, ..something I meant to tell you".. but she wasn't listening.

That was the last morning of them together. Same morning he committed suicide, in the Manhattan apartment of his first wife, shooting himself.

Alone, in a large house, whose tenure is another couple of months far, Lauren returns back to her life of uncertainties. A celebrated body artist, who defies the limits of the physical body elevate herself to a performance level, Lauren now has to find her way all by herself. Often loosing herself in her thoughts and through the question of her own existence. She consciously isolate herself from the rest of the world and her only interaction with the external world is during her routine shopping trip for essentials.

It does not remain so for long, when she realises a there are noise and footsteps on the top floor. She finds an unusual looking young man, short and skinny, retarded, possibly living there since they have moved in. He seldom speaks and the only sound escape his mouth is those once spoken by Ray himself. Now her existence has a definition, through this unknown creature living with her, often missing and reappearing. Lauren now, re-live her live with Ray, through the recorded conversations on the tape and those spoken by her unknown companion apart from the birds which perks on her window.

Is he real ? Is he a ghost (of Ray , refusing to leave her) ? Is he a creation of Lauren's troubled mind ? There is no definite answer. Was he there long enough hiding from the couple and listening to their conversations , which he now repeats ? Or is he an alien trapped in her house? DeLillo does not give any definite answer, but play the scenes through her mind. Neither does the writer gives us any indications of their life together and the circumstances of their marriage, the only references of her life is through the 2 random notes, one by her friend and an obituary.

A short novella by the master novelist, his first in the new millennium, is surrealistic and tricky. The metaphoric use of birds and the possible symbolism using nature ( the trees, leaves , see along with birds) and covers up for the lack of depth in the story. The narration develops itself, with some tactical use of style and language.

Its a strange and cunning novel, very seductive and moving. This might not represent the best of Don DeLillo, but an interesting work of fiction, nonetheless.

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The Body Artist ( 2001 )

Don DeLillo

Scribner Paperback
126 Pages

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Confessions of a Thug - Philip Meadows Taylor

Thugs, or the Thugge culture was prominent in India for ages. 17th to 19th centuries were the prime time of their activities. India a vast land with very minimal public transportation, made their existence and survival easier. People travelling from one town to the other often taking the village roads, where subjected to their attack and loot, after being killed in a gruesome manner. Vast expanse of land and no means of communication and an absence of a single entity for law and order made it easy for them to escape the rare occasion of control. India having divided into numerous small kingdoms and the local feudal lords, had no way of consolidated efforts to nab them and bring them to justice. The fact that, they often operated underground, and the victims fate reached the concerned relatives( if at all) took too long, did not help in identifying and capturing them. It is also said that most of the small kingdoms fostered and nourished their own thuggees for both military and financial means.

When published in the year 1839, this book supposed to have taken the English reading population by storm. It was considered a huge success, even become a favourite book of the Queen of England. Philip Taylor had come to India as a clerk to a Merchant in Bombay, later joined the services of Nizam of Hyderabad. During the famous hunt for the Thugs, where he was the clerk in the commission of their capture and punishment, Taylor used the knowledge to write them to "to expose, as fully I was able, the practice of the Thugs and make the public more conversant with the subject" and not to "gratify a morbid taste in any one for tales of horror and of crime".

It was in the first half of the 19th century , a formal effort to bring an end to this was organised under the the East india company. The statistics shows that they were largely successful. From the year 1831 to 1837 , a Total number of 3266 thugs were caught and sentenced to various punishments ( transported to Penang, killed, imprisoned etc). While this has reduced the intensity of the attacks, the system continued to live clandestinely into the 20th century. Improvement in the public transport and the increased control over the territory by the British Empire, would have reduced their freedom of operation.

Taylor, writes this books are a recollection of Ameer Ali ( modelled after one notorious Thug, who was captured by the British and later turned himself as an approver and informer), as he goes through his life story to his capturer. Ameer, who boasts of committing 719 murders in his lifetime ( "Ah! sir, if I had not been in prison twelve years, the number would have been a thousand"). Ameer's life begins with the Thuggees after he was rescued in one of the attacks and was brought up in the family of Ismail, the leader of the gang based out of Sheopoor, some where in the central part of India. Brought up away from the Thugee culture until he was ready to take oath, Ameer Ali was trained traditionally on the use of weapons and other means of self protection. His early recall of adventure was killing a tiger attacked his village, and that prompted his father to enroll (!) him into the Thuggee gang. His first expedition after being included into the grand gang, included one murder by himself. The murder performed by thugs has the ritualistic order. It is bloodless, using a 'roomal' (hand kerchief), chocking the prey with their grip, thus preventing any noise being heard. They practice the usage of kerchief on animals as part of their induction, before set to use on their victims. They seldom use spears and swords, unless being attacked, even though they are well trained in their use.

The method of thugs are fairly common and simple. They befriend one of the travelling business man , often joining their expedition( for want of a large team to prevent attack) and on appropriate time and location, kill them and take their booty. The dead bodies are buried deep underground with suitable camouflage and safety and continue their journey until they find their next victim. A good thug, then has to be good at identifying, using his charm and words to lure them into the expedition and be cunning enough to find the time and place to finish them off. Women and children are omitted form the murder , albeit occasionally, this rule is broken. The leader is obeyed and there is no scope for rebel in a group. Most of the time, they survive without any loose of their own men, unless the opponents are equally or adequately equipped.

Thuggees belongs to cross religious and cross linguistic origin. In a group, such as the one headed by Ameer ali, has people of Hindu and Muslim faith. Irrespective, the group follow and worship Goddes Bhavani (a form of Durga, Kali - pronounced as 'bhowanee' in the book ) and takes her blessings before each expedition. They also seek omen and set forth only if the omens are right. The rituals and the proceedings are followed with precision. The way of murder, the selection of place, the way the bodies are buried after they are undressed and ornaments are removed et al. The whole affair is executed with precision and with utmost conviction, as there is no room for any second thoughts or remorse.

Ameer Ali, the protagonist himself was a victim of Thugee attack, though he is not aware of it. His father and mother was brutally murdered by the gang where Ismail, his foster father, was involved. Ismail, married for long and still childless, took pity on the young boy and take his to his family, against the wishes of the others in the gang. It was only during his parting comments to his son, prior to his execution, he reveals that to his son.

545 pages of repeated conning , plotting and executing one murder after another isn't a happy read. Except towards the end, where Ameer Ali looses his own family and his fathers execution, we don't see any humane values or discussion through out his narrative.

Taylor shows absolute clarity of India's vast geography ( the direction, naming places and  kingdoms ) and and the various cultural and class issues. The use of Hindi, Urdu and Arabic phrases, which are common among the Muslims was very impressive (The end of the book provides the glossary and meaning of these words). On the socio - political angle, the book also reveals the increasing influence of the British East India Company in India, as region after regions are turned under their direct control, or through the kingdom, they are able to associate with. We can see the changes through the narrative of Ameer Ali, as he says more and more places they are subjected to inspection by the 'Angrez' (Britishers).

The style and prose are similar to the other nineteen century novels, and notwithstanding the nature of the book and the subject dealt with, it is relatively an easy read. In all, it is an interesting insight to the once prevailed thuggee culture, but not a pleasant reading experience.

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Confessions of a Thug ( 1839 )

Philip Meadows Taylor

Rupa & Co ( reprint )

547 Pages

Rs 295

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Read these for more : Ambiguity and historicism: interpreting Confessions of a Thug, SF Reviews

Grown up digital - Don Tapscott

The way of our living have changed in last couple of decades. It has always been changing, but what is special about last couple of decades would be the question. In a single world, it has turned digital. Look at every business we conduct, every action we perform day to day, every thing is now controlled or effected by Digital Technology. Way back in 1997 ( I think), when Lou Gerstner, then the CEO of IBM announced e-Business, he was forecasting a future where the business is conducted electronically. Even he wouldn't have believed that the changes would be so dramatic.

I am not getting into statistics in detail. But a recent mail received which talked about 'social media revolution' had some interesting statistics.  (See them here : http://socialnomics.net/2010/05/05/social-media-revolution-2-refresh/ ). The popularity of Facebook, twitter and similar social networking sites are not only taking active role in our daily life, but also causing dramatic shift in our social behaviour.

While there may be arguments on the merits and de-merits of this phenomenon substantiated with statistics and reasons, there is no two-way about its ever increasing influence in the present day life. Don Tapscott , in his follow on book to his "growing up digital", revisits these facts in this new book, with some interesting insights.

Calling them the 'Net Generation" , after the baby boomers born between 1946 to 1964 ( post worldwar era), the Gen X born between 1965 to 1976 ( Vietnam war), he looks at the characteristical differences and social changes of these people within the Digital World. Net Generation in this book are considered those who are born post 1977 till 1997. With the exponent growth in the world trade and the ever increasing connectivity, and mobile telephony has made this generation leap frog in the social interactions albeit in the virtual world. Abundance of information and the easy availability has made them more informative ( not necessarily improved knowledge, and less on wisdom), making them better equipped to respond and adjust to the changing world order. Tapscott, looks at various aspect of the social life of the Net-Gens and critically looks at the need for the change.

Education : The earlier model of training ( which he calls 100 years behind), is not what is effective to the new generation. Their ability to multiplex, comprehend different aspect, their ability to search and get what is needed makes the whole education system to be revamped. The 'pre-Gutenburg' model of teaching ( the notes written in the book of the teacher passes on to the notes written by the student without going through either brain - or so is the joke) , in the form of lecture has no place in today's education. 'Instead of focusing on the teacher, the education system should focus on the student'. The one-size-fit-all model of learning is no more relevant.

Workplace: As we see daily in Office, many old timers find it difficult to adjust to the newer generation of work force. They are blamed for not being serious and not career oriented and less loyal to the organisation with respect to the earlier generation. With the improved awareness and confidence, the netgen-ers are more critical to their work place. Hence the management strategy on talent development and employee retention need a re-thinking. As many organisations have tried and failed, locking the mail boxes, preventing the social networking sites etc may not yield results, but could be counter productive. According to Tapscott, the organisation need to appreciate the need for a 'digital break' by its employees.

Consumer: With the lesser and lesser viewing of the young, spending more time online, the world of marketting and consumerism need to adopt to the changing behaviour of the youngsters. It was proven that TV viewing is becoming more and more passive, and the advertisements are not registered as it used to be earlier. The common method used by most of the new advertisements, by having banners at various internet sites, too are not yielding results. Peer reviews have shown significant influence in the buying decision of the Netgen youth and feedback from friends and colleagues seems to have positive impact on their buying behaviour. These days, people do online research on the product they would like to buy and the shop experience has only been reduced to the look and feel and convenience.

Family : The changing social order has the effect in the family order as well. It was observed that more and more youngsters in the US are coming back home after graduation and live with their parents, which was opposite to the earlier generation, who would leave home and build their own family elsewhere. Similarly, the improved 'digital knowledge' of the son or the daughter in the family make them superior to their parents in many ways. The need of going out to freedom is now reduced with the available freedom within the family and in their own private space. This has also resulted in lesser drug addition, alcoholism, sexual assaults and other crimes of similar nature.

The net Generation can also have a huge influence on the social, political and civic order. Citing the Barac Obama election campaign, where the net generation have taken active participation, Tapscott explains the positive influence it can be to the democracy all over the world. Revelution in Social media has also made more and more people to be vocal about the mis-practices around the world. They are able to influence and canvas millions of people for a cause, within a short time. Young people for various social causes are garnering global support for their campaign and often managing to get what they wanted. With blogging being popular every one is now a 'publisher' and through you tube, anyone can be a broadcaster.

We have been discussing the possible advantageous and its possible influence for all along. There are innumerable examples of this being mis-utilised. They are also making people internalised and virtual with less and less personal, face to face interactions ( or the so called social skills). They are also more open and have no concern in sharing their personal and some times intimate data in the public domain. The dark sides can also take a book to describe ( As some of them have already published). the fact however remain that there is no going back. There is no point in being one rowing against the wind. Its for the world in total to make use of this phenomenon to the better use.

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Grown Up Digital ( 2008 )

Don Tapscott

Tata - McGrawHill Pu blications ( Only for India & South Asia )

368 Pages

Rs 650

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Deep River - Shusaku Endo

River Ganges is considered the holiest of all rivers by Hindus. Varanasi, situated on the banks of Ganges is the holy city for both Hindus and Budhists and is one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus. Hindus believe that bathing in Ganges remits sins, and dying and performing last rites here, will release the a persons soul from the cycle of re-incarnation ( or transmigration). Hence, millions and millions from various parts of the country reaches the banks of Ganges at Varanasi, for Moksha ( for getting rid of the sins in this life or for dying at this place to attain eternal salvation). This, forms the backdrop for this amazing book by Shuasaku Endo.

Five Japanese arrive at this holy city, part of a pilgrimage tour. Each battling their own inner turmoil, and of various nature. Isobe, is looking after the re-incarnation of his deceased wife; he was made to promise by her on her death-bed. One research paper by an American scientist and few correspondence with him, gave Isobe a clue that a girl called Rajini, near Varanasi is claiming to be a Japanese in her previous life. Kiguchi, a WW II veteran, now a businessman, is still tormented by the time he had spent fighting for life in the Burmese jungles. He too wish to pay homage to his fellow soldiers in the front as well as the Indian and British troops he fought against. His close friend during the war, the one who rescued him from the clutches of death, which came in the form of Malaria, had succumbed to a prolonged illness as the after effect of war. . Guarding a gruesome secret, unable to open up even to his wife or to his close friend, turning himself to alcohol in order to keep himself sane, but loosing his health. Mitsuko, now middle aged, is looking for her childhood friend Otsu, then a wannabe priest, whom in her youthful arrogance, tried to seduce and move away from the spiritual path. Her own personal life had been in a mess, with an unsuccessful marriage behind her. "I can not love anyone", is her excuse, but even while here she really do not know why is she in this place. Numada, an animal lover, believes that his life was a gift from a Myna, who died on the same day of his 3rd operation, the first two being unsuccessful. A writer of Children's stories, which has the animals and birds as the prime characters, he was drawn towards the bird sanctuaries in an around the area of his visit. These four along with a newly married couple, Sonji, being a photographer, would like to gain fame, by taking few photographs, worthy of mention in the western press.

City of Varanasi to the tourist is one unhealthy, filthy place populated with people of old age abandoned in its shore by relatives, people who travel across the land to die, the holy , dirty river cleansing the millions from their eternal sins, by accepting their dirt and flowing silently through the plains. After the initial cultural shock, each of them had been accustomed to the complex nature of Indian way of life ( and its contradictions) and attracted to the myths associated the River Ganges. It reaches to a level where each wanted to redeem themselves at the banks of the same river in their own way.

This book is of an eternal quest for salvation. The salvation for their own troubled selves. Each of them need to cleanse themselves from their committed or inherited sins ( even perceived). After the initial introduction of his main characters, their moments of truth, Endo chooses to alternate between the present and reminiscent tales to some good effect. A book of profound spiritual and religious journey through the Christian , Buddhist and Hindu philosophy threading through the commonality between all religions. He also goes through some fundamental discussion on the concept of God through the unsuccessful priest Otsu , confronting the European priest with their belief ( Probably Endo's own experience with religion and spirituality) who now live a nomads life in the street of Varanasi, bringing unknown bodies fallen on the streets, to the place of burning, doing the needful.

Endo, writes so beautifully through the initial pages. The language is very touching and unhurried, the imagery is very vivid and dense, the spirituality is strong and open. The last few chapters have been a bit patchy and looses the initial magical touch of writing. However, Deep River, on the whole, become a quest of universal oneness of God among Christian, Hindu and Buddhist believes.

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Deep River

Shusaku Endo ( translated from Japanese by Van C Gessel )

Tuttle Publishing

216 Pages

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Other reviews: Dan Schneider, Three Percent

The Library of Shadows - Mikkel Birkegaard

"Luca Campelli's wish to die surrounded by his beloved books came true late one night in October". But the life of his son, a successful lawyer in a reputed firm in Copenhagen is about to change. Estranged from his father after the tragic death of his mother, grown up hating him for over 20 years, Jon would never have expected to be invited for the funeral function. Luca is running successfully an antiquarian book stall for over half a century and Jon, being the only heir inherit the bookshop as natural choice.

Iverson, the long time companion of his father invites him to discuss the future and a new world is about to open in front of Jon. Slowly, he realises the existence of a bibliophile society, whose own life surround the library and and the is the regular meeting place of the members. It is here that he understand the power of reading, and its effect on human, including some of the extreme possibilities including death of individuals. It is thus possible that his father too , would have died by possible manipulation by some of his enemies.

The story now turns into one of the typical thrillers, albeit with the over cast of the library and literary settings. Jon, get immersed in the activity of finding the truth of the death and the truth about his own life, on the reasons of his mothers death and his obvious (now) alienation from his father. The writer then takes us through the typical thriller settings with every second person being a suspect, the two rebel groups of receivers and transmitters ( of the reading group - one who can influence the listeners by their oral powers are transmitters and those who can influence the reading by controlling the readers mind with the ability to manage their mind remotely) with each group blaming each other. A perceived underground organisation with history tracing back to the time before Christ and to an exotic location at Alexandria.

I am not a great reader of this genre of fiction and thus my excitement after reading this is limited. However, the writer have managed to keep the necessary suspense and maintained a fast paced narrative. I have not found the writing style to be impressive, which could be because of the translation if not for the general style of these type of novels.

A Danish thriller, a la Da Vinci Code, covered under the literally thriller camouflage. If you are a reader of these type of fictions, you most likely are going to go gaga over this as some of the reviews below.

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The Library of Shadows ( 2007 )

Mikkel Birkegaard ( Translated from Danish by Tiina Nunnally)

Black Swan Books

430 Pages

Rs 325

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Other reviews : Fantasy Book Critic , Thriller Fiction Suite

In the Palm of Darkness - Mayra Montero

Victor Grigg, an American Herpetologist goes in quest of an elusive and under the threat of extinction, Eleutherodactylus sanguineus, in the remote hills of Haiti. Thierry Adrien, local guide, with his past experience of supporting such expedition is his company. Alternating two tales, one through the expedition coupled with his personal troubles and the other through the stories narrated by Thierry about his past expeditions, his family , his friends and the Haitian society. Victor is fighting a personal battle, with his continued alienation with his wife, who prefers to travel with her girlfriend to Tibet, and spend more and more time with her. His no so fond childhood memories in his fathers ranch amongst the Ostriches ( he remembers his wife's unhappiness of visiting the place) and his cordial relationship with his parents and colleagues.

Thierry on the other hand has gone through a very harsh childhood. His early childhood memories involve the gala party organised in his house and the unhappiness of his mother over certain visiting aunties. It was only question of time before the un-favoured aunty came into his family ( post his mothers death) , revealing more and more of his fathers un-holy relationship. Young Thierry, doing errands for his father, helping visiting foreigners as their tour guide, helping one to retrieve his lost wife from the mountains. However, the situation in Haiti is not so good, as the lawlessness and killing are rampant. One has no way to escape the turmoil and many of his brothers gets killed.

The expedition did not receive with the same enthusiasm with certain group in Haiti. Their threat was omnipresent and Victor and Thierry had to abandon their search in the Mont des Enfants Perdus ( near Port Au Prince) and move to more remote Casetache mountains. But the situation here too was dangerous, and they had only few days before they were to vacate this place as well.

Alternating narrative between Victor and Thierry , with Victor going through his troubled family life and the expedition diary and Thierry taking us through his life and family is an interesting mix. Victors wife Martha, is on her way out of the marriage often spending time with her girl friend, with Victor immersed in his research activities. Thierry on the other hand is re-living his eventful life to his master, in an attempt to redeem himself. His relationship with his own step-mother and step-sister ( before she was married by his brother), his involvement with the underground organisations, his association with a scientist and his girl friend - the Indian lady Ganesha the eventual fall of status and the turmoil in the country were all very rich, tragic and moving. Mayra Montero also get into giving us the statistical and scientifical detail about the extinction of species in the natural world.

Cuban born Puertorico based author, writing about Haiti. Translation was by Edith Grossman , which prompted me to take this book up. US based herpetologist, coming over to Haiti mountains, in search of an endangered frog, being helped by a local guide. Alternating the narrative between the Scientist and the guide , one going through his domestic troubles and the other telling his life story of survival, violence, the underground society. Very exotic setting, but not delivered beyond that. Pretty weak,overall.

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In the Palm of Darkness ( 1995 )
Mayra Montero ( Translated from Spanish by Edith Grossman )

Harper Flamingo Publications

183 Pages
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Other Reviews : Angel Rivera , Washington Post ,

The Blood of Flowers - Anita Amirrezvani

'In the spring of the year, a comet launched itself over the skies. It was brighter than any comet we had ever seen, and more evil. Night after night, it crawled across our skies spraying its cold white seeds of sorrow".. Villagers have noticed mysterious signs and the misfortunes caused by the comet. Plague had stuck northern Iran, an earthquake rattled the earth, rare insects invaded the fields and destroyed the corps.. '

Our protagonist, a 14 year old girl, un-named, lived happily with her parents this time. As every family in her village, they had a good life, with father working at the fields, and she learning the great art of making the carpet, mixing the paints, and doing errands at the family. The ill-effect of the comet stuck her family too, in the form of death, taking away her father. Sudden demise of her father, toppled her hope of getting married ( as she is already 14) and a decent living. The family left with no one had to move to Isfahan ( the capital city of Shah) to her uncle who is the chief designer of Carpets at Shah's court. Everything wasn't as good for the mother and daughter as they were housed in the servant quarters, and having to work in the kitchen for a living, often eating the left over of the family along with other servants. However, the girls interest in carpet designing got the curiosity of her uncle and he was willing to help her. The uncle-niece relation has now been moved into a guru-disciple relation, she learning the trick of the trade under his guidance.

The luck had taken a positive turn as one wealthy horse trader, recently widowed, seeking her under 'sigheh' ( temporary marriage contract - prevalent in Iran during those time). Compelled into accepting the contract, for the want of money and the commission for a large carpet, she is now had to prepare herself for his summon and surrender to his needs as a wife. The contract , which lasts for three months, had to be extended for the flow of money, and had to be remain a secret for her future. The initial relationship, soon changes into one of the raging sexual and physical encounters between the two, only to be extended by the beneficiary. Unable to conceive and convinced that he will not legalise the contract by marrying her ( as she is from a poor family from north), she discontinues the contract at the end of 3rd season. The fact that he had married again, to her close friend had influenced her decision. The break of contract did not go well with her adopted family, and soon the mother and daughter was thrown out of the house. Nowhere to go, and no money to survive, they moved into the slums with another poor family. The situation get worse with the mother falling ill, to the brink of death, and no money to neither feed her nor to get any medicinal help. She had to turn to the street begging, often returning empty handed. All that begins well ends well, with she finding her midas touches with her carpet being chosen by the ladies of Shah's harem and a reconciliation with her uncle.

Medieval Persia is interesting place with its rich culture and arts. Persia with its age old tradition of oral narrative (Scheherazade), the famous Persian Carpets and the age old custom of 'short term marriage contract' are wedged together into this novel by Iran-American writer Anita Amirrezvani. While the author had done a decent job in combining the 3 facts together with considerable effect, the novel by itself does not deliver beyond the obvious. It remain in the ordinary narrative and does not turn into a tour de force. Average novel.

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The Blood of Flowers ( 2007 )

Anita Amirrezvani

Little Brown & Company

378 Pages

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Other reviews : Popmatters, Persia Mirror ( Interview with the author)

The Book of Chameleons - José Eduardo Agualusa

Félix Ventura , an Albino, living in Angola, has an interesting profession. He make a living by dealing with memory, by fabricating past for people. His clientele , includes the ministers, the neo-rich, the aristocrats, the diamond smugglers and other prominent personalities.  His business card reads : 'Felix Ventura. Guarantee your children a better past’.  He is a thorough professional. The past of his esteemed clients are created with meticulous details, including photographs, references, the family tree, relevant documents, establishing credentials.

There was a whole class, he explained, a whole new bourgeoisie, who sought him out. They were businessmen, ministers, landowners, diamond smugglers, generals -- people, in other words, whose futures are secure. But what these people lack is a good past, a distinguished ancestry, diplomas. In sum, a name that resonates with nobility and culture. He sells them a brand new past.

But all that is going to get a little complicated, with the arrival of a foreigner seeking his service. " I'm a photojournalist. I collect images of wars, of hunger and its ghosts, of natural disasters and terrible misfortunes. You can think of me as a witness."  He is nameless and need Felix to build his past. "I've had many names, but I mean to forget them all. I'd rather you were the one to baptize me."

The foreigner, now named José Buchmann, managed to convince Felix with a tempting offer of money, half in advance and the rest on completion. The task was done as usual with precise details and made up characters. However, the situation turned a bit creepy, as Jose Buchmann, goes in search of his ancestors and seek convincing evidences of their real existence. He travels across the globe, as described in the document prepared, collecting further details and confirmatory documentation to the surprise ( and  shock) of Felix. The fiction is turning into a reality.

A relatively straight forward story now takes a different turn with the arrival of another young lady photographer ( Angela) and an ex-agent of Ministry of State Security (Edmundo Barata dos Reis - "I'm the very last communist south of the equator" ) comes into the scene. The simple tale is now get into a serious political thriller, a murder mystery and a budding love story. Angola, the war-torn former Portuguese colony has a hidden past of turmoil  beneath the relative recent calm. Centuries old oppression and the recent histories of abduction, cheating and torture have to be re-lived once again through the stories and buried forever with appropriate act of redemption.

Interestingly, the narrator here is a gecko. A lizard, Eulálio, an re-incarnation of a human soul, trying to re-live his past through the co-habitation with human, witnessing and recounting everything he sees. The writer tactically, indicates that the lizard is indeed human, by starting with an epigraph by Borges  " If I were born again, I'd like to be something completely different". In an interview which is given in the last pages, he says this book is in tribute to the great writer.  Gecko , not  a silent spectator in this novel, he lives his own past life through the pages ( including a passage about his death), have dreams and also confide with Felix in his lonely life.

Felix on his part also goes through his past of poverty and humble living,  while creating a past for others. His dreams and childhood memories continue to haunt him.

"The priest talked of angels, and I saw chickens. To this day, in fact, of all the things I've seen, chicken are still the ones that most closely resembles angels. He talked of heavenly joy, and I saw chickens scrabbling away in the sun, digging up little nests in the sand, turning their little glass eyes in pure mystical bliss. I can't imagine Paradise without chickens. I can even imagine the Great God, reclining lazily on a fluffy bed of clouds, without his being surrounded by a gentle host of chickens. You know something -- I've never known a bad chicken -- have you? Chickens, like white ants, like butterflies, are altogether immune against evil."

There are umpteen references to living and past writers of word stage. From Marques , Borges, Kafka, Burton, JM Coertzee, Montaigne and  Eça de Queiroz, comes in his discussion. Felix's father was a second hand book dealer. Eca, he said, was my first crib. Having lived with books in his early life and acquainted with characters of various fiction, have helped Felix in his profession.

 "I think what I do is really an advanced kind of literature," he told me conspiratorially. "I create plots, I invent characters, but rather than keeping them trapped in a book I give them life, launching them out into a reality."

A beautiful narration, fantastic use of style and language. A political thriller, a murder mystery all combined in one beautiful exposition by one very talented writer. 

While the translation is of first class, I am not too convinced about the title used for the English translation. I understand that the Portuguese title is called, O vendedor de passados , and a literal translation ( a seller of past histories ?) would have done more justice.

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The Book of Chameleons (2004)

José Eduardo Agualusa (  translated from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn )

Simon & Schuster

185 Pages

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Other Reviews : Guardian , New Int , Quarterly Conversation, Complete Review , Independent

The Quants - Scott Patterson

I had been reading black swan few months ago and admittedly from a very different angle. While there were numerous references to the stock market crash, hardly did I realise that the dig is at the stock market wiz kids and their quantitative analytics and prediction. This book, written by Wall Street journalist Scott Patterson, indeed gave me the clue on what Taleb was hinting at. He was questioning the ability of these people to predict the stock market future, comparing them with the intelligence of taxi driver.

Scott Pattesons book , The Quants, looks at this phenomenon that controlled the stock market during the last few decades. The influx of mathematical and physics wizards entering the arena of trading using complicated algorithm written on super powered computers , making huge profits out of the system, which traditionally relied on the intuition ( to an extend) and limited knowledge of the traders. Scott looks at the tribe in general starting from few trend setters in early days and four wiz-kids in particular ( Morgan Stanley’s Peter Muller, Citadel hedge fund’s Ken Griffin, Cliff Asness of AQR hedge fund, and Boaz Weinstein of Deutsche Bank ).

Their traits are common. High education with PhDs in mathematics or Physics, Excellent computer skills , the ability to use data and analytics to predict the movement of stocks, derivatives or bonds, a quick eye to spot anomalies in the trading system , and to sum it all the thill of beating the system. Most of them started their early days with some thing in common. Curiosity over gambling..the ability to predict Russian Roulettes ( buying a second hand machine to do their research), the black jack table or winning the poker table ( Interestingly Poker become one of their favourite pass time , often spending the entire night among themselves trying to out win the rest. All of them belong to the top 50-100 poker professionals in the world). Some of these had the reputation of being in the watch list of Casinos around the world, for their ability to beat the system regularly. Their hypothesis is interesting and are extremely complex to the common brain. The explosion of internet and the computers and IT had definitely helped them to rule the market for a long time.

It was sort of natural progression that these ended up at the largest gambling arena of the world, the financial market. It took no time, for them to figure out the ways and means of beating the system ( most of them were inspired by the book 'Beat the market" by one of the earlier quants Ed Thorpe). Scott also examines various techniques and principles that become popular over the years for the bankers and those dealing with hedge funds. The Quants weren't welcomed by the traditional traders enthusiastically. those experience of a life time is being questioned by few twenty something, who has no prior knowledge of the system. "You don't know a shit about trading, boy" were the typical reaction. But it took very less time for things to change. These 'inexperienced lads in jeans and T-shirts' started popping large amount of profits for their employers. They were the pets of the bankers often raising billions of money through their hedge funds, constantly beating the market both in good as well as bad times.

While this continued for a long time, there was always a doubt on its capability to extend this to eternity.

"Despite Success, it always seemed ephemeral, as if one day the magic would go away, vanish like a genie into its bottle. As if one day the Truth wouldn't be the Truth anymore."

The traditional big-wigs, like Warren Buffet and others stayed out of this , relying on the traditional means. There are others like Nassim Nicolass Taleb , who himself was a quant ( so to say) , was critical to their approach and was questioning them , often into heated arguments with them.

"Taleb had gained the reputation as a gadfly of the quants, constantly questioning their ability to beat the market. Taleb did not believe in the Truth. He certainly didn't believe it could be quantified."

The later events shows that Taleb had the last laugh. The unprecedented growth had to come down and the final fall of the quantdom was the sub-prime crisis, collapsing the financial systems of the world during Aug 2007.

Scott Patterson writes this book like a thriller. There is no dull moment in reading. While I am not an expert in the subject of the book, as an outsider, I understand a bit better of the important part these mathematical and analytical tools played in the financial market and I believe that it is likely to stay that way ( may be with great sophistication). The book had its own flows, there are undue glorification, the fiction-style of writing of a more journalistic nature of subject and some of the facts which I find difficult to appreciate.

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The Quants

Scott Patterson

Crown Business

337 Pages

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Wall Street Journal

Singing from the Well - Reinaldo Arenas

"There went my mother, she just went running out the door. She was screaming like a crazy woman that she was going to jump down the well. I see my mother at the bottom of the well. I see her floating in the greenish water choked with leaves. So I run for the yard, out to where the well is, that's fenced around with a wellhead of naked-boy saplings so rickety it's almost falling in."

thus starts this wonderful novel by Reinaldo Arenas. Arenas has been in the news for some time after his five day long voyage escapade from Cuba after being prisoned, tortured and abused by the regime. Arenas committed suicide , unable to fight AIDS leaving behind one of the best 'suicide notes' I have ever read. True to the image which I had about this author, this novel, the first of the Pentagonia series ( 'secret history of Cuba', according to the author) depicts a boys life during the pre-revolution days.

Plot consists of the boy and his family ( mother, grand mother , grand father and an aunt) living in poverty under anarchy, isolated from the society. They continuously fought, abused and cursed at each other, often getting into murderous thoughts. The boy constantly live with a hope of murdering his grand father who beat him up regularly and 'split his skull by half' using the hatchet. Grand mother is no different showering him with abuse and anger. Mother, a silent sufferer, blames the boy for his indifference to her struggle and for her misfortune. We understand from the boy that his father had returned to his in-laws one day leaving his mother to their custody, never to return ( he did not look back, even once ). To this scene comes Celestino, a cousin, after his mother ( the boys aunt) committed suicide by hanging, and burning herself. Celestino's arrival only worsened the situation. The already fragile relationship had become worse, but the young boys soon become friends. Young Celestino, scribbled poems on the tree trunks, only to be cut down by the grand father. He then turned to the pineapple leaves, scribbling away, only to face the same fate. The novel concludes with a Christmas Party when the extended family of aunts, cousins ( interestingly no men apart from the grandfather), the dead cousins, the witches and aunts all adding up to the chaos and destruction.

Poignant, lyrical and moving, frustrating at the same time, the prose of Arenas is outstandingly refreshing and clear. While the subject is of pre-revolutionary Cuba and most of the characters are allegory of the republic itself, his writing has maintained an high energy and is brave.

Structurily, he experiments with various forms.. Reality and fantasy are intermixed and at times it is very demanding on the reader. Towards the end, the story is through dialogues ( as in plays). There are pages at odd places with verses taken from different sources ( presumably, scribbled by Celestino on tree trunks). Half way through the book comes to "THE END" , but continuing further gets you the "THE SECOND END" , until the "LAST END". I am not sure, why this ploy as there is no real end or change of course anywhere. Arguably, Celestino himself could be an alter ego of the boy. Celestino never speaks to anyone but to the Boy, never reacts to the beatings or torments, and is referred as dead many a times in the narrative.

Overall a fantastic reading experience.

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Singing From the Well ( 1965)

Reinaldo Arenas ( translated from Spanish by Andrew Hurley )

Penguin Books

206 Pages
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Obituary, Article on Arenas at Moorewatch

Dreams of my Russian Summers - Andrei Makine

"it was not just a radio station that was disappearing but our era itself. All that we had said, written, thought, fought against, defended, all that we had loved, detested, feared - all those things belonged to that era."

Images from your visits to your grand parents and their stories remain with you forever. Some of them will remain as clear as viewing a movie, however insignificant it is. Andrei Makine, one of my relatively late discovery takes us through another fantastic journey of reminiscence of his childhood. This book, received tremendous acclaim and was a huge success, winning two prestigious awards in French upon its publication.

The narrator, recounts his summer holidays, in the house of his grand mother, in the distant town of Sarenza, in the vast Siberian steppe, along with his sister. His grand mother, Charlotte, a French descendant, lived through the eventful history of Russia, takes the children through her stories and the French classics. Supported with the 'old paper cuts' and greying photos from her ' Siberian suitcase', the young boy and his sister pester her to narrate the stories over and over again.

Charlotte is born in 1903 and have witnessed two great wars, the revolution, the rise and fall of Stalin. She was trapped in Russia, during one of her visit to their earlier residence in Siberia and was living in Russia ever since physically, managing to retain her french-ness. We get the story of her life as a young nurse post the revolution, and her marriage to a soldier ( who according to the authorities was killed in the war -twice the letter reached her announcing his death - only to return after the war. The day she was assaulted and raped by a group of turban heads in the deserts, the way she and the kids escaped the frontiers while the Germans advanced, and their miraculous escape, her job as a nurse during the WW2 tending the physically and mentally battered soldiers coming in large numbers by bogies. The images of St.Petersburg where the 'samovars', survived soldiers post the war who have lost their limbs, now begging in the streets... continue to fill in the minds of growing up young kids..

The book is of contrasts, French and Russian ( the boy starts identifying himself as Russian as he grows, against the dreamland France), Old and the new Russia ( his exile to Paris, naturally and his effort to reconcile with his past ), the young and old , the monstrous city and the vast silent steppes.

Images of Tsar and the queen on the Paris Streets, the death of French President in the arms of his mistress, Marcel Proust and other literary figures , the chief if secret police Beria, a serial rapist.. there are many images that remain in the mind of the boy and the reader. For him, escaping the rigid apartment complexes of the Russian life to the 'mysterious french experience' , to the stories of his family on either side of parents, those tales of survival ( against wars, against revolution and new regime, the unbearable Siberian winter, the famine) and hope and some sort of rebellion and reconciliation.

As I have seen in his other books, the imagery, the lyrical language, the eye catching descriptions of ever lasting memories are in abundance. The writing vivid without being flamboyant. This is not a typical coming of age story. The initial awe for every thing French to the later solid thought of Russian-ness and the much later realisation of what the elders have gone through , gives us a growing up of a matured , intelligent man.

Another fantastic book, an autobiographical coming of age tale of a young boy, living in revere of those great summers spent in the company of his grand mother and those memorable stories.

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Dreams of My Russian Summers ( 1995)

Andrei Makine ( translated from French by Geoffrey Strachan )

Arcade Publishing

242 Pages
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Other reviews : January Magazine, Wiki

The Miniaturist - Kunal Basu

The court of Akbar, the third Mughal emperor, supposed to be the best time for arts and culture filled with the best in the field of music, art and painting. It is considered as one of the golden era of medieval India. Set in his period ( 16th Century AD), Kunal Basu's second novel takes us on a journey with Bihzad a painter in the Akbar's court.

Born to the 'khwaja' ( the chief) of Akbars 'kitabkhana' ( the artists workshop), Bihzad was already a child prodigy in line with his fathers tradition. Persian descendent, who moved into India with the Mughals have already made India their home. His father had put him under the tutelage of an elderly painter, to bring some discipline in his drawing, only to be abandoned by the boy stating " I have nothing else to learn from him". Illiterate, he had to listen to the stories being narrated ( for which he uses his step mothers help) to reproduce them with all magnanimity, not to be rivalled. It was only natural, to have his name and fame to reach the royal ears. Soon, he was admitted to the 'kitabkhana' to be the rightful heir to his fathers post, when the father was elated to the post of a courtier. Akbar has moved his capital out of Agra to Sikri and moved his court and the ;kitabkhana' to the new city ,moving his wives and harem to the new place. His step-mother, with whom he now has developed a relation beyond the maternal limitations, has refused to leave Agra to join them in Sikri. Same, is the case with the paint-seller , who frequent kitabkhana feeding him with the raw material for his art as well as the local gossip.

The historians in the court are busy writing the biography of Akbar, and Bihzad was busy painting the corresponding sketches for the great book. While this is on there is a parallel life of Akbar the Great is being prepared, this time not as an all conquering Emperor, but in a human form. The admiration to the great ruler soon becomes infatuation from the painter. The pictures of Akbar, the lover boy with Bizhad has been stolen and was produced in the royal court by the detractors . Bihzad was promptly expelled ( the magic of the pictures have spared him his life).

Now in exile, Bihzad ends up in the deserts outside the hindukush , run by another exile , a eunuch fallen out of grace from the royal harems of Akbar. Agreeing upon not revealing their identity, Bihzad spents his exile days doing errands, listening to Sufi poets, Christian missionaries and other religions sects leaders. The luck takes his turn again as one of his paintings changes his life again, this time ending up in the courts of the local king, marrying his daughter. Forced to spent the time in the harems unable to win the trust of his wife, he escape the place. Tormented by his art and destroyed by his skill, he decides to put an end to this, blindfolding himself spending his life under a tree in the market. Abused, insulted and ragged, he was later rescued by some nomads selling eggs in the market. But the art, does not leave him.

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Kunal Basu, true to the book, paints the picture of Akbars court amazingly. The palace, the ministers courtiers, his royal entourage and the hunting trips, the harems filled innumerous wives and other concubines each trying to win his attention and to be the first to produce the next emperor of the kingdom, the royal eunuchs guarding and taking care of the harem, the in-court rivalry .. each were produced to the magnificent effect. The omnipresence of the emperor was through out the initial pages.

The torments of the painter, famed and destroyed by the art he know and love, is painted pretty well by the author.

" Your gift is your curse. Your defect. It'll make you suffer. Even if you wanted to escape, it wouldn't spare you. It'll cripple you, even if you flee, it'll seek its revenge."

So was the admiration turned fantasy of a teenager, falling in love with his creation ( the emperor in this case). His effort to meet his sweet-heart was denied, so was his elevation to the post of 'khwaja' by the rivals leaving him further disturbed, the only solace being alcohol and the local whorehouse.

However, to me the book did not deliver to the expectation set in the initial pages. Kunal Basu is a good writer and has very good command on the language and the subject he in his treatment. The second half of the book takes an un-convincing turn, ending with a cliched cinematic finish.

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The Miniaturist ( 2003 )

Kunal Basu

Phoenix

248 Pages

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Other Reviews: Independent , Guardian

A Single Man - Christopher Isherwood

With the recent release of the film adaptation of this book, it surged again in the circulation and discussion in the literary world. Christopher Isherwood's tale of a gay College Professor  in California, through one of his usual days in existence.  In an interestingly mixed narrative, shifting between first person and third person , also into his alter ego , the reader goes through sympathetically through his daily motions..

"Waking up begins with saying am and now. That which has awoken , then lies for a while staring up at the ceiling and down into itself until it has recognised. I, and therefrom deduced I am, I am now".

"Staring and staring into the mirror, it sees many faces within its face - the face of the child, the boy, the young man, the not-so-young-man all present still, preserved like fossils on superimposed layers, and like fossils dead. Their message to this live dying creature is: Look at us- we have died- what is there to be afraid of ?
.
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Obediently, it washes, shaves, brushes its hair; for it accepts its responsibilities to the others. It is even glad that it has its place among them.. it knows its name. It is called George"

Living an isolated life for eight months, after the death of his mate Jim , who died in a car crash, George is a lone soul in every sense. His alternate sexual preferences which he does not hide, makes him aloof from the neighbours, his students and colleagues to a large extent. We follow him from his daily motion from being awake in the morning , brushing and getting ready for his teaching assignments, his visits to the friend of Jim, who is in her deathbed, a dinner meeting with friend Charlotte , before having another boozy evening where he is accompanied by Kenny , one of his student, whom he invites to his house.

His life is transparent. There is no pretentious self in motion. Be his sexuality, his admiration for good looking men ( those playing tennis in body tight attire, those in the Gym which he frequent) , his love and loss of his friend Jim, his open and frank discussion with Charlie and Kenny.  There is always a longing for a company, and though he likes the company of Charlie, and given the fact that she has been desiring for him despite his known orientation, he rejects her advances. ( It is not that she does not know his preferences, but as he says "Do women ever stop trying? No. But, because they never stop, they learn to be good losers.").  But it was in the evening when Kenny comes in to the Gay Bar which George frequent, his hidden desire and lust came out in the open. Guided by the alcohol, he looses himself and flirts with the young boy, goes for a swim in the sea, invites him home, provide him with dress before he himself fall into dreamy sleeps and hallucinations of death amidst his desire for a new company

Though the theme and sequence looks simple, the book is fabulous for the way Isherwood had treated the subject. The use of outstanding prose,  while on the edge of intellectually stimulating, but retaining the simplicity. The portrayal of character George, in its true sense, and all humility. He is very open in every engagement.

Proud of his European origins, his take on the cold war era with the Cuban Missile crisis at its peak, there is discussion on potential war with USSR at the academic circles, George is pre-occupied with his on fights for survival. He is a British living in America, a homo sexual in a heterosexual world, intellect to the dull academics and neighbours, man with exquisite tastes to the dull and stupid surroundings.

There is melancholy in the reading, without any written words. He on his part is witty, and flirtatious ( at times) and intelligent but you cant but sympathise with George.

One outstanding work of literature in 152 pages. Stunning prose, beautifully formed sentences, appropriate tonal and lyrical shifts .The more you read, your admiration grow for this brilliant writer. I have to watch the adaptation soon.  Also, to find out other books and get hold of them.

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A Single Man  ( 1964 )

Christopher Isherwood

Vintage Classic

152 Pages

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Here are some brilliant reviews of this book : Asylum , The Guardian , Speakitsname, shigekuni