Book Review: Those Women of the Coromandel

Ranga Rao's Those Women of the Coromandel provides a peep into the 19th century, flourishing colonial world in the southeastern coastal region of India. This world is presented through the lives of the three eponymous women- Miss Beston, an English trader settled in India, the mystical Granny Appachchi and her equally interesting sister-in-law, Worker Aunt. …

Book Review: Adam

Adam is a collection of 9 short stories by JCB Prize winning author, S. Hareesh. Originally translated from Malayalam, these stories feature a range of human emotions that tinge at the reader's heart. The characters- both human and non-human, are complex and alive in a way that one can almost visualise them. These characters are …

Book Review: Six And A Third Acres

Hailed as the first modern Odia novel, Six and a Third Acres is a gem of a work that resonates well with the readers even after more than 100 years of its original publication. I, first, came across this novel about 2 years ago, as part of the course for my paper on Indian Writing …

Book Review: Quichotte

Title: Quichotte Author: Salman Rushdie Publisher: Hamish Hamilton- Penguin Pages: 390 ISBN: 978-0670092796 Source: Publisher Salman Rushdie's Quichotte is an account of a postmodern man standing at the brink of the collapse of civilization staring at his own reflection. The man is the author Sam DuChamp and his reflection is the character that he creates, …

Book Review: You will be Safe here

Title: You will be Safe here Author: Damian Barr Publisher: Bloomsbury Pages: 346 ISBN: 978-1526608734 Source: Publsiher You will be Safe here tells two stirring and connected stories spanning over a century.  Set in South Africa and told in three parts, the events in the novel take place in 1901 during the second Boer War …

Book Review: Missing

Title: Missing Author: Sumana Roy Publisher: Aleph Book Company Pages: 265 ISBN: 978-9386021991 Source: Publisher Missing is an account of 7 days in the life of a blind poet, named Nayan, while his wife goes missing. Set in Bengal, Missing is a study of the relationships and the society that is constituted of these relationships. …

Book Review: Strange Heart Beating

Title: Strange Heart Beating Author: Eli Goldstone Publisher: Granta Books Pages: 196 ISBN: 978-1783783502 Source: Publisher Strange Heart Beating is about a man called Seb and his attempts to find out more about his wife after her death. In his quest for the past life of his late wife, Leda, Seb encounters such aspects of …

Book Review: Census

Title: Census Author: Jesse Ball Publisher: Granta Books Pages: 256 ISBN: 978-1783783755 Source: Publisher 'Census' by Jesse Ball is a novel about life. It follows the journey of a father, as a census taker, along with his son from the town of A to the town of Z. As they move towards the town of …

Book Review: Sing, Unburied, Sing

Title: Sing, Unburied, Sing Author: Jesmyn Ward Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus Pages: 285 ISBN: 978-1408891032 Source: Publisher "Sing, Unburied, Sing" is a family saga set in Mississippi. It is the story of a thirteen year old boy, Jojo and his baby sister, Kayla. It is the story of their nigger mother, Leonie and her white husband, …

Book Review: The Gospel of Yudas

Title: The Gospel of Yudas Author: K.R. Meera (Translated by: Rajesh Rajamohan) Publisher: Hamish Hamilton- Penguin Books Pages: 158 ISBN: 978-0670088584 Source: Personal Copy 'The Gospel of Yudas' is a tale of longing and redemption. Set in Kerala, the book presents the curious story of a young girl, Prema and the enigmatic, Das aka Yudas- …