short stories - Comfortably Numb

Book review: Left From the Nameless Shop by Adithi Rao

Heart-warming tales of small-town life These are stories suffused with nostalgia for a quieter way of life. Lives intersect in manifold ways in Adithi Rao’s debut book of short stories, lives lived in the fictional small town of Rudrapura in Karnataka. And a leitmotif runs all through the narrative: a sense of nostalgia for a…

Book review: A Faceless Evening by Gangadhar Gadgil

Of the human condition… Fourteen evocative short stories by the Marathi master. Gangadhar Gadgil carved a niche for himself in Marathi literature decades ago, and is a known name to those who read translations but alas, not to scores of other readers. Now, Ratna Books and translator Keerti Ramachandra have rectified that omission with this…

Book review: Loyal Stalkers by Chhimi Tenduf-La

Observing the undertow These stories zoom in on what lurks just beneath; sometimes it`s sweet, sometimes it`s seedy. Chhimi Tenduf-La follows his well-received books, The Amazing Racist and Panther, with this collection of short stories that strap you into the carousel seat, then takes you on a rapid-paced ride through the suburbs of…

Book review: Turtle Dove by Divya Dubey

Turtle Dove, A collection of Bizarre tales by Divya Dubey, Readomania Publications It is indeed a rare soul who does not pick up a book that promises to explore bizarre matters between its pages. Turtle Dove, Divya Dubey`s slim but interesting offering, takes us on a walk alongside the undertow of life, lets us…

Book review: A Cat, A Hat and a Piece of String by Joanne Harris

Just finished an old (well, of 2012 vintage) Joanne Harris and it was like finding a stash of one’s favourite candy, carefully kept in some super-secret hiding place and then, completely and totally forgotten. A Cat, A Hat and a Piece of String is a short story collection comprising the usual J Harris bouquet: something…

Book review: This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

This is more a brief take than review. I had been wanting to get my hands on this book for a while now, especially after hearing Junot Diaz at the Jaipur Lit Festival in 2011. And when I finally picked up This Is How You Lose Her, I was not disappointed. Playing to the theme referred to…

Book review: A Clutch of Indian Masterpieces

Briefly, but with feeling First, the good news. They are all here: Tagore, Premchand, Manto, Chughtai. R K Narayan, Amrita Pritam, Ruskin Bond, Gulzar, Anita Desai. Thakazhi, Basheer, Paul Zacharia, Mahasweta Devi, Ambai, U R Ananthamurthy. Vikram Seth, Irwin Allan Sealy, Cyrus Mistry, Shashi Tharoor, Vikram Chandra. And the cherry on the icing? This compilation…

Book review: Land Where I Flee by Prajwal Parajuly

Reunion rites In his second book, this time a full-fledged novel, acclaimed author Prajwal Parajuly brings to readers the tale of a family reunion with all the pleasant and less than pleasant emotions attendant on such events. Land Where I Flee is peopled by the dysfunctional family of Chitralekha Nepauney, Aamaa to her not too…