Everyone talks about falling in love like it’s the most miraculous, life-changing thing in the world. Something happens, they say, and you know …
That’s what happened when I met Kit Godden.
I looked into his eyes and I knew.
Only everyone else knew too. Everyone else felt exactly the same way.
This is the story of one family, one dreamy summer – the summer when everything changes. In a holiday house by the sea, our watchful narrator sees everything, including many things they shouldn’t, as their brother and sisters, parents and older cousins fill hot days with wine and games and planning a wedding. Enter two brothers – irresistible, charming, languidly sexy Kit and surly, silent Hugo. Suddenly there’s a serpent in this paradise – and the consequences will be devastating.
Review:
This book has a captivating first half that got me really hooked. The idea of a lazy summer with your family at the beach, which happens to be a family tradition, is something I absolutely loved. The book has some fascinating lines that are the thoughts that run through the protagonist’s mind. The book is narrated in the first person by a character who is not named and pretty much left to our imagination. In some parts, the author has tried to touch upon how most of us are unknowingly biased towards outer beauty and how people who do not fit into the conventional definitions of beauty perceive others who do not. I would have definitely given this book a 5 on 5 if not for its ending, which was a massive let down. All the tension fizzled into nothing at the end and really destroyed the book for me. It is a breezy light read for a holiday on the beach or for a bad day when you want to escape from the real world and be transported into the blue beaches on a sunny day.
A woman is killed in an accident. A scientist is murdered in broad daylight. Yet no murderer was seen. One by one, a team of scientists on the verge of an important discovery die under mysterious circumstances. Superintendent Vijay is an ace detective who has solved many cases in the past. But this time it’s more than an ordinary investigation as he falls prey to the evil schemes of his rivals in the force. He cannot trust anyone anymore till a journalist, Padmini, walks into his life. Vijay’s skills as a detective along with Padmini’s creative intuition and imagination are pitted against a genius who is eliminating every possible lead, right under their nose. As fear and distrust spread through the city, Vijay, his trusted aide Dalvi, and Padmini have just one week to nab the murderer, if there is one!
Review:
The book begins with the murder of a scientist, and we are taken through the investigation by the protagonist Vijay. There is also a parallel story going on of the villains. The book is interesting enough to hold your attention but has quite a lot of flaws. The writing is very amateurish, and the editors have also done a poor job. In a short period, the story also becomes quite evident. At the end of the book, I was left with many questions and found some loopholes in the story. The character of Vijay is just another alpha male who is magically able to solve everything. The female protagonist is a major disappointment, and her personality is incredibly unbelievable. She has been written into the book only to play the love interest of Vijay. Care has been taken to show her as smart but not too smart in case she outshone Vijay. Overall, it could be a decent read for beginners looking for thrillers by Indian authors with a simple plot and easy-to-read language.
The Sixth Finger by Malayatoor Ramakrishnan (translated by Prema Jayakumar)
Book Review 148
Name of the Book: The Sixth Finger
Author: Malayatoor Ramakrishnan (translated by Prema Jayakumar)
Publisher: Ratna Books
Year: 2017
Category: Fiction
Blurb:
Set in the 1970s and 1980s, this novel traces the story of the young uruli thief, Vedaraman. When the head constable takes his fingerprints, he realizes that the boy has six fingers on his left hand. Shamed by his involvement in the theft case and the whispered scandal about him and the maid Kozhukatta Paru who had both breastfed him and slept with him, Vedaraman leaves home and village. Adrift in the wide world, he meets a series of well-wishers who not only help him in deepening his knowledge, but also expose him to the realities of life. He finds that his sixth finger glows by itself and he possesses supernatural powers of predicting future events. Ministers and businessmen are quick to recognize his yogic qualities. Vedaraman becomes Vedanji and then Vedan Baba with a god-like aura and is installed in an ashram. Amidst this fame and glory, Vedan Baba finds himself a prisoner of a web of machinations. Will he be able to break the shackles and become a free man again?
Review:
The book is set in the 1970s and 1980s, and it captures the contrasts in the lives of villagers and city dwellers. The major political and social events that take place in that period is also extensively described. The first half of the book is about the protagonist Vedaraman’s childhood. The village setting and its characters are beautifully described. The author has carefully captured the caste system, which was deep-rooted during that period in Kerala. This book is a political fiction which has a satirical take on politicians, businessmen and godmen. He also mocks the fake sense of morality that exists in society at large. Throughout the book, the author has tried to make the reader uncomfortable with varying ideas of right and wrong. The transformation of the character of Vedaraman who later becomes Vedan Baba is fantastic. We can very well appreciate how he evolves from a naïve young lad who was exploited by the maid Kozhukatta Paru to the powerful and crafty yet well-intentioned Vedan Baba. The book becomes slightly slow-paced in between but picks up speed towards the end. I came across some reviews that the end of the book was predictable, but honestly, I had not anticipated that ending. The translation was able to capture the overall feel of the book, but I would have liked a glossary to explain some of the terms which were used in Malayalam itself for non-Malayalis to get a better sense of the context.
Name of the Book: Pandemic (The Extinction Files #1)
Author: A.G. Riddle
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Year: 2018
Category: Fiction
Blurb:
A hundred miles north of Alaska, a US Coast Guard vessel discovers a sunken submarine at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. It has no national identification and doesn’t match the records of any known vessel. Deep within, researchers find evidence of a scientific experiment that will rewrite our basic understanding of the human race.
In Atlanta, Dr. Peyton Shaw is awakened by the phone call she has dreaded for years. As the CDC’s leading epidemiologist, she’s among the first responders to outbreaks around the world. It’s a lonely and dangerous job, but it’s her life—and she’s good at it. This time, she may have met her match.
In Kenya, an Ebola-like pathogen has infected two Americans. One lies at death’s door. With the clock ticking, Peyton assembles her team and joins personnel from the Kenyan Ministry of Health and the WHO. What they find in the remote village is beyond their worst fears. As she traces the origin of the pathogen, Peyton begins to believe that there is more to this outbreak—that it may be merely the opening act in a conspiracy with far reaching consequences.
In Berlin, Desmond Hughes awakens in a hotel room with no memory of how he got there or who he is. On the floor, he finds a dead security guard from an international pharmaceutical company. His only clue leads him to Peyton Shaw—a woman who seems to know him, but refuses to tell him how. With the police searching the city for him, Desmond desperately tries to piece together what happened to him. To his shock and horror, he learns that he may be involved in causing the outbreak—and could hold the only key to stopping it.
As the pathogen spreads around the world, Peyton and Desmond race to unravel the conspiracy behind the pandemic—and uncover secrets some want to keep buried. With time running out, they face an unimaginable decision.
The CDC and WHO race to stop it, but they soon learn that this pandemic hides a dark secret. It may be the start of a scientific experiment that could alter the human race forever – and reveal a shocking truth about our future.
Review:
The story begins with the onset of an unknown disease in a remote village in Kenya. It soon turns into a pandemic, and countries and organizations worldwide set out to identify the disease and find a cure. This unveils dark secrets that put humanity in danger. The book was able to keep me hooked with suspense till the end. All the characters are well written and have consistent personalities and backstories. This book was a work of fiction when it was published, but the year 2020 showed how close to reality it was. It is highly commendable that the author was very close to what reality would look like when the world faced a pandemic. The author has researched exceptionally well and gave just the right amount of details without boring the readers. I liked how there were right parts of drama and science fiction in the book. The plot has a lot of unexpected twists and turns, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The author has written the book in such a way that the reader can visualize easily. I can easily picture this book being turned into a movie if it does not already exist. When we look at the book characters, almost an equal number of men and women in the book play powerful and significant characters, which is usually rare. The backstories are integrated with the current events in a smooth manner. I also loved the facts from history that were part of the story and incorporated beautifully. When I read the book, I did not know that it was part of a series, so I did not expect it to end in a cliffhanger. The only problem that I found was that the book was a little too long. However, that did not affect my experience as I was immersed in the book till the end. I am looking forward to reading the second part.
Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers by Bridget Brennan
Book Review 146
Name of the Book: Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers
Author: Bridget Brennan
Publisher: Crown Business (imprint of Crown Publishing Group; subsidiary of Penguin Random House)
Year: 2011
Category: Non-Fiction
Blurb:
If the consumer economy had a sex, it would be female.
If the business world had a sex, it would be male.
And therein lies the pickle.
Women are the engine of the global economy, driving 80 percent of consumer spending in the United States alone. They hold the purse strings, and when they’ve got a tight grip on them as they do now, companies must be shrewder than ever to win them over. Just when executives have mastered becoming technology literate, they find there’s another skill they need: becoming female literate.
This isn’t always easy. Gender is the most powerful determinant of how a person views the world and everything in it. It’s stronger than age, income, or race. While there are mountains of research done every year segmenting consumers and analyzing why they buy, more often than not it doesn’t factor in the one piece of information that trumps them all: the sex of the buyer. It’s stunning how many companies overlook the psychology of gender when we all know that men and women look at the world so differently.
Bridget Brennan’s Why She Buys shows decision makers how to bridge this divide and capture the business of the world’s most powerful consumers just when they need it most.
• No Matter Where You Live, Women Are a Foreign Country: You’ll discover the value in studying women with the same intensity that you would a foreign market. Women grow up within a culture of their own gender, which is often invisible to men. Brennan dissects this female culture and explains the important brain differences between men and women that may cause your female customers to notice things about your products, marketing campaigns, or sales environment that you might have overlooked.
• The High Fives: There are five major trends driving the global female population that are key to determining their wants and needs. These global shifts are just beginning to be tapped by businesses, and learning about them can provide you with an invaluable blueprint for long-range planning.
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Find out how the best and brightest companies have cracked the female code, and hear horror stories about those that haven’t. Through instructive case studies and interviews, Why She Buys provides practical, field-proven techniques that you can apply to your business immediately, from giants like Procter & Gamble and Toyota to upstarts like Method home-care products and lululemon athletica apparel.
At a time when every company is looking for a competitive advantage, Bridget Brennan offers a new and effective lens for capturing market share.
Review:
The blurb of this book was exciting since I am aware of how women as a consumer segment are not given importance by many organizations and industries. The author tries to tell us how female consumers think differently as opposed to male consumers with the help of many examples of successes and failures of various products. It also tries to make us understand how this can be used as a competitive advantage for firms. The book also brought to spotlight the pressing issue of lack of gender perspective in consumer insights and was able to garner public interest in this matter. What I really enjoyed were the examples from various brands and how the insights were simple yet powerful. However, what I did not enjoy was the repetition throughout the book. The book could have been cut short by many pages. A lot of ideas were over-explained that I felt like I had read this before. Moreover, I read this book more than 5 years after it was published, so I felt that many of these have now been implemented, so it was not as relevant as when it was published. Overall, it is a great page-turner, and the tone is very engaging. If you are looking to start reading business books, this book is a great one to start with before you move to more complex ones.
The Secret Life of Debbie G. by Vibha Batra; Illustrated by Kalyani Ganapathy
Book Review 145
Name of the Book: The Secret Life of Debbie G.
Author: Vibha Batra; illustrated by Kalyani Ganapathy
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Year: 2020
Category: Fiction /Graphic Novel
Blurb:
It all started cos I wanted to mess with the Invincibles (the superbrats). #SorryNotSorry. But one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was hitting out at everyone, even the Incredibles (the geeks) and the Invisibles (the losers). Seriously, my online persona is starting to mess with my head.
The Secret Life of Debbie G. is the story of a sixteen-year-old who becomes an online sensation overnight. Except, it’s her online persona that hits big time. Set in contemporary times, where the number of likes, comments, shares, DMs and followers determine a teenager’s sense of self-worth, the story takes a close look at how social media influences their behaviour and affects their emotional health.
Equal parts poignant and fun, this is a bittersweet coming-of-age story.
Review:
I absolutely love reading graphic novels and the theme of this book was very interesting. It is the coming-of-age story of Soundarya, an outspoken and feisty teenager. The book covers a small part of her life which includes her family, school and friends. From the beginning, I loved the Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls references. I was so thrilled to see Soundarya describe her relationship with her mom like they were Rory and Lorelai. Technology and social media play a massive role in this book, as is the case with most teenagers today. The book has tried to address some critical issues like body shaming, homophobia, cyberbullying, etc., and I felt that the themes were handled well. The message was conveyed without being preachy, and the characters of this book face the consequences of their actions. That is something I really liked because usually, everything falls in place at the end for protagonists of books and movies. I was fully immersed in the book, and I finished it in one go. I especially loved the illustrations of the comics made by Debbie G. The language used in the book was also on point. It felt very natural and did not feel forced. Few of the things that I felt did not work were – the relationship between mother and daughter, which was later wholly forgotten, and the book ends very abruptly. I would have loved for the book to end with the same clarity as it had in the beginning. Overall, it is an enjoyable read and an excellent choice of gift for the teenagers in your life.
How To Pronounce Knife: Stories by Souvankham Thammavongsa
Book Review 144
Name of the Book: How To Pronounce Knife: Stories
Author: Souvankham Thammavongsa
Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus
Year: 2020
Category: Fiction (Stories)
Blurb:
A young man painting nails at the local salon. A woman plucking feathers at a chicken processing plant. A father who packs furniture to move into homes he’ll never afford. A housewife learning English from daytime soap operas. In her stunning debut book of fiction, O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa focuses on characters struggling to make a living, illuminating their hopes, disappointments, love affairs, acts of defiance, and above all their pursuit of a place to belong. In spare, intimate prose charged with emotional power and a sly wit, she paints an indelible portrait of watchful children, wounded men, and restless women caught between cultures, languages, and values. As one of Thammavongsa’s characters says, “All we wanted was to live.” And in these stories, they do – brightly, ferociously, unforgettably.
A daughter becomes an unwilling accomplice in her mother’s growing infatuation with country singer Randy Travis. A boxer finds an unexpected chance at redemption while working at his sister’s nail salon. An older woman finds her assumptions about the limits of love unravelling when she begins a relationship with her much younger neighbour. A school bus driver must grapple with how much he’s willing to give up in order to belong. And in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize-shortlisted title story, a young girl’s unconditional love for her father transcends language.
Review:
In this anthology of thirteen short stories, the author takes us through the lives of Lao refugees who are struggling to make ends meet. When I picked up this book, I did not have any idea about Lao refugees. I would have really liked the book to have a foreword to explain about the Lao refugees as it would have helped to set the context. I had to first read about them so that I could understand the book better. For those of you like me, Laotian immigration to the US started shortly after the Vietnam War. Refugees began arriving in the US after a Communist government came to power in Laos in 1975 and by 1980. Laotian Americans are included in the broader category of Asian Americans. The major immigrant generation were generally refugees who escaped Laos during the warfare and disruption of the 1970s and entered refugee camps in Thailand across the Mekong River. They emigrated to the US during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. The category of ‘Laotian American’, includes all ethnic groups who lived within the borders of Laos, and does not include the Hmong community.
The author herself was born in a Lao refugee camp in Thailand which must have inspired her to write about the experiences of those around her. Even if you are unfamiliar with the Lao refugees, there is something familiar that connects refugees around the world. They are mostly living in dire conditions of poverty and neglect, often trying to battle social isolation and cultural shock. These themes are seen throughout the book. I loved the level of detail and some very heart touching everyday moments that usually don’t make it into books. There are some memorable stories, but many of them missed their mark too. I felt that many of the stories were incomplete and lacked a structure. The author’s style of writing or choice of words did not appeal much to me. I felt like they lacked depth. Overall, it is an excellent book to draw attention to the plight of refugees in general and Lao refugees in particular with a few exceptionally well-written stories.
The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Name of the Book: Heroines: The Forest of Enchantments
Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Publisher: Harper Collins India
Year: 2019
Category: Fiction
Blurb:
The Ramayana, one of the world’s greatest epics, is also a tragic love story. In this brilliant retelling, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places Sita at the centre of the novel: this is Sita’s version. The Forest of Enchantments is also a very human story of some of the other women in the epic, often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Mandodari. A powerful comment on duty, betrayal, infidelity and honour, it is also about women’s struggle to retain autonomy in a world that privileges men, as Chitra transforms an ancient story into a gripping, contemporary battle of wills. While the Ramayana resonates even today, she makes it more relevant than ever, in the underlying questions in the novel: How should women be treated by their loved ones? What are their rights in a relationship? When does a woman need to stand up and say, ‘Enough!’
Review:
Being a huge fan of the author and her books, especially ‘The Palace of Illusions’, I was very excited about this book. Even though many who read the book expressed their disappointment that it did not live up to its expectations, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Once I started reading, I could not put it down until I completed it. The author is not at liberty to change the incidents that are written in the epic. So she has taken us through Sita’s thoughts and her point of view. The use of the colour red and its symbolism throughout the book was excellent. The other women like Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Mandodari also get a fair part to play in this book. One of the most debated scenes from the Ramayana is the ‘agnipariksha’, where Sita had to prove her chastity by walking through fire. I have always wondered how Chitra Banerjee would portray this and I have to say that the author did justice to this scene. The nuances were taken care of and I think nobody else could do a better job. There is always a constant comparison between this book and ‘The Palace of Illusions’, but both are poles apart because Draupadi and Sita are completely different characters. So there is no comparison between them. We can only try to understand what went through their minds and find reasons behind what and how they did what they did. If you are looking for a Sitayana, this book is a must read.
Heroines: Powerful Indian Women of Myth and History by Ira Mukhoty
Book Review 142
Name of the Book: Heroines: Powerful Indian Women of Myth and History
Author: Ira Mukhoty
Publisher: Aleph Book Company
Year: 2017
Category: Non Fiction
Blurb:
The idea of heroism in women is not easily defined. In men the notion is often associated with physical strength and extravagant bravery. Women’s heroism has tended to be of a very different nature, less easily categorized. All the women portrayed – Draupadi, Radha, Ambapali, Raziya Sultan, Meerabai, Jahanara, Laxmibai and Hazrat Mahal – share an unassailable belief in a cause, for which they are willing to fight to the death if need be. In every case this belief leads them to confrontation with a horrified patriarchy.
In the book we meet lotus-eyed, dark-skinned Draupadi, dharma queen, whose story emerges almost three millennia ago; the goddess Radha who sacrificed societal respectability for a love that transgressed convention; Ambapali, a courtesan, who stepped out of the luxurious trappings of Vaishali to follow the Buddha and wrote a single, haunting poem on the evanescence of beauty and youth. Raziya, the battle-scarred warrior, who proudly claimed the title of Sultan, refusing its fragile feminine counterpart, Sultana; the courageous Meerabai who repudiated her patriarchal destiny as cloistered daughter-in-law of a Rajput clan; the gentle Mughal princess Jahanara: who claims the blessings of both Allah and the Prophet Muhammad and wishes ‘never to be forgotten’; Laxmibai, widow, patriot and martyr, who rides into legend and immortality fighting for her adopted son’s birthright; and Hazrat Mahal, courtesan, begum, and rebel queen, resolute till the very end in defying British attempts to seize her ex-husband’s kingdom.
In these engrossing portraits, mythological characters from thousands of years ago walk companionably besides historical figures from more recent times. They rise to reclaim their rightful place in history. Daughters, wives, courtesans, mothers, queens, goddesses, warriors – heroines.
Review:
The book started off very well. The name and the blurb had caught my attention and I have always loved reading and knowing about strong women characters; be it from mythology or history. Draupadi and Radha were two women I really enjoyed reading about as they are refreshingly portrayed for their own achievement. This is in stark contrast to the usual books where they are the epitome of fragile womanhood and need to be saved from the worldly evil by their male counterparts. However, when it comes to the other women, their parts had too many facts and not enough story-telling. It feels more like history book which just states the facts which are not usually known or taught in schools. There were some interesting women like Ambapali, Raziya and Hazrat Mahal whom I did know previously know about. It could have been more engaging had their version of the story been incorporated into the book. This is a great book to pick up if you are more interested in the historical facts about these women and not looking for their story.
Book Review 141
Name of the Book: Skin Deep
Author: Ajay Monga
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Year: 2019
Category: Fiction
Blurb:
A fiery news reporter, Simran went undercover as a contestant in a pageant to expose the dark underbelly of the beauty business. But little did she know that she was being used as a pawn in a much bigger game. A seemingly acquiescent girl, Sania fought against patriarchal forces within her family and community to fulfil her dream of becoming a model. A media baron’s daughter, Sunidhi was at a vantage point in life but she frittered it all away with her entitlement. On the other hand, Shikha, who came from a humble background, used her body as a currency to get ahead. In a world that has commoditized femininity and idealized only one body type, Skin Deep is the story of four girls with diametrically different views about beauty and how their lives get inextricably enmeshed. They all get a rude awakening when a shocking incident reveals how the big bad world of ‘glamour in the buds’ breeds cradle snatchers, who are ready to devour anything. Inspired by true incidents, Skin Deep shines a light on the ugly truth behind the facade of beauty and glamour…
Review:
This book very closely resembles the movie Fashion, whose script was written by the same author. The book once again uses the cliché of women being exploited in the glamour industry. Since the movie Fashion, many movies and TV shows have been made, and books have been written on the same topic, and the plotline remains quite similar. While it is great that the author wants the readers to understand the dark side of the industry, it gets a little too much with no characters worth rooting for. The objectification of women in this book has not been handled sensitively, and we get a feeling that the author himself has tried to include it to lure the audience based purely on this. Overall, this book does not anything new to offer besides the usual women hating each other and being exploited by those around them and manipulating everyone for their selfish needs.
Shades Of Lavender 