Review of Book "Interpreter of maladies"

The stories of immigrants are what Jhumpa Lahiri has presented to us in her compilation of short stories, “Interpreter of Maladies”. Originating from India and its subcontinent and lasting in continents of west is highlight of her writing. The conflicting cultures, lost relations, effluent in home away from away and other challenges faced are what we see in this book. Being an immigrant herself, the pains and gains of their life are not alien to her, thus well presented by the author.
The ups and downs of housewives, the generation gap, the fatal attractions and much better interpreted.
The nine story book is sewn together with story of an American born Indian couple offering condolences to each other every night and dealing with loss of their unborn child. Another story set in 1960s when East Pakistan was at unrest to form a new state as Bangladesh, a resident on work in USA experiences and dilemmas of its family in region of tension and war. Narrated by a small girl, one can experience the insecurity of Mr Pirazada, while eating his meals each day he faces for his welfare of daughters in their homeland. Then comes a story of American born Indian family on holiday in India for first time. The tour guide is stunned by revelation by the lady of house, an astonishing secret which cannot be let out. An old Bengali woman safeguards a building while speaking of her past fortune she left on other side of border. The complicated and controversial affair between a Bengali married man and American is what we read in another chapter. Also, Story of a newly wed Bengali woman coping up with her loneliness in America by child sitting job is what we read. An Indian bred husband trying to adjust with norms of his American bred wife and a Bibi Haldar longing to marry, but her illness came in way. The last story traverses three continents through life of an Indian who travels from India to London to Boston.
The stories may not be page ripping or page turner, but they give sense of elation on read. The couplets may feel as read and heard, but the author has given fresh look to the stories. The grammatical exploration f relationships make this book pleasant read. The deeper hidden meaning to stories is what Jhumpa Lahiri famous for. The book with its flow is definitely must read for all book lovers. The page by page, life and relationships are unveiled by Jhumpa in this one. So just by one copy and give it read.
Rating***1/2


Rating Chart
*- Don’t even look at Cover
** Read it only if you desire, otherwise don spend on it
*** Good Buy and better read
**** Splendid for your collection
*****- Must read and buy Dare you miss it

Review of the book Blasphemy by Tehmina Durani

Blasted Femme
Tehmina Durani had stirred controversies and questions in her autobiographical account My Feudal Lord. Now, she is back with her new book with new fable to reveal deep hidden truth. Blasphemy, inspired on a true story is set in Southern Pakistan. Tehmina approaches our hearts and held them with journey of teenage girl through rough times to attain happiness in her later life. She exposes brutality in name of religion and ignorance making faith a weapon to destroy mankind. A serious scavenger eating up world trade centers, trains and hotels these days.
Set in some bizarre small town of Pakistan is 15 year old Heer, daughter of a low class widow dreams about a vivid future with a friend’s brother who loves her flawless beauty. Her dreams crash when her widow mother arranges a match for her with a renowned spiritual person who was awed by her one glance somewhere in past. On denial to offer, a mother pleads of her poverty, class and upbringing of her 3 siblings 2 sisters and a possessive loving brother. Sacrifice is made and goat is cut to a high class family with name attached to a Shrine. A dowry is paid enough to maintain the class and daughter is wed off with ample of money, jewel and gift and fame, which bring lost relatives back in return. The pretty teenager with all new hopes and dreams enters a Haveli (Traditional one or two storey house with big courtyard and no backyard) fill with maids, spies and horrendous secrets. The nuptial night with butterflies in her stomach turns into most painful abuse of her life. The physical torture that followed every night didn’t need words to explain. The sexual abuse wasn’t enough torment for the girl that the slapping, trashing and beating started. The most bewildering and flabbergasting fact for Heer was the man Pir Sain who ill behaved with her in darkness of their room was a walking God outside that four walls who people worshipped and were scared of. The devil was caretaker and owner of Shrine and Allah’s child for all people. They sought his blessings for their sorrows, thanked him for all good deeds and asked remedies for their ill fates. The double standards of Haveli and its residents shocked Heer. She knew her fate was decided and written to be subservient to holy monster, whose monstrous acts were even lashed on maids that reside in his home. His mother Amma Sain mistress of house was like 3 blind monkeys that couldn’t see, talk or hear anything. Her duties were to bless who came in Haveli act as hostess and bend to her son’s wishes. The physical torture led to a miscarriage of his child in Heer’s womb. But, that didn’t stop Pir Sain from his pleasures for he repented nothing on what happened. Heer’s life was same she received company from a maid, an old caretaker of Pir Sain during his childhood days. The maid was raped and married off and later murdered in suspicious way. The heights of all agony were reached when Pir Sain tried to molest his elder daughter. To save her daughter, Heer fed other young maids to him. Torn between religion and duty she was forced to drink whisky, erotic drinks, engage in orgies, enjoy lubricious porn videos and feature in them. As if all this wasn’t enough, He forced her to have sex with other men and enjoy watching it. Behind the purdah was carried out unspeakable sexual abuse and unbearable physical abuse. A son was murdered by father on learning that son has loved his father’s mistress. Unable to bear more secrets, tortures, abuse Heer sought Allah’s help each day till a day a robed figure appears and offers her to kill the Devil. But even his deathleaves some ghosts behind in form of his trained son. Aimed to reveal true facts of Shrine and acknowledging those ignorant to brutal truth, Heer tries and falls in trap of fate till death being her only escape. But, a framed death turns her life to living mode.
As you see, a book that crunches you, clenches your fist and forces you to shut eyes of horror is what Blasphemy brings to us. The well narrated book keeps us praying for protagonist Heer’s torment to end. The words have effect on our souls and stories within story cringes our heart. An eye opener and brutal reality is well interwoven by Tehmina. An unstoppable book by a great writer is what Blasphemy has to offer. Thus, read it at your own risk of bearing the abuse of protagonist.

Rating ***

Rating Chart
*- Don’t even look at Cover
** Read it only if you desire, otherwise don spend on it
*** Good Buy and better read
**** Splendid for your collection
*****- Must read and buy Dare you miss it

Review of The Namesake

Read This for your (Name) Sake
Bengalis are known for their excellence in Indian English literature. Be it Shobhaa De or Mahashweta Devi or Jhumpa Lahiri. So, it wasn’t total surprise when Jhumpa Lahiri won Pulitzer’s prize for collection of short stories’ Interpreter of Maladies’. The day she finished her next book, ‘The Namesake’, the eager of her fans knew no bounds to grab a copy and turn pages. The lady didn’t turn them down and lived up to expectations.
The book spans around world tracking us from Calcutta to Cambridge to New York in 1960s and onwards. It traces journey of life of a Bengali family. The head of family, Ashoke Ganguly, a Calcutta resident decides to leave India permanently when he is stuck in near to death experience in a train accident. He leaves for Cambridge where he pursues his higher education and after achieving a master degree takes job as lecturer and joins for research study. The urge for marriage arises which brings him back to Calcutta and searches a bride for himself, Ashima Ganguly. The couple leaves for States immediately after marriage where the lady of house finds herself in truce. Away from motherland she yearns for her mother, her father, her friends a person to talk for. In her rented apartment she searches place for herself, her identity. A year later, she comes to know she is going to have company in her cramped apartment but she is glad to have the company and to add her joy it’s her own blood one that she has given her blood to enrich. The happiness knew no boundaries when a son is born in foreign land for two Indians. But, the boy loses his name when the grandmother who has to name the child dies. The joy of birth replaces with dilemma of naming the baby. And a name of author whose book saved Ashoke from the train accident is chosen, Nikolai Gogol. The baby is named Gogol for time being, only to much later realization to parents that once registered in birth certificate is a permanent name in United States. The pet name or an Indian name ‘Nikhil’ is plastered for him on first day of school, much to dismay of son. He just responds to Gogol. As the years pass by he grows in American culture in traditional Indian family often finding conflicted between cultures in 1 life. Living a dual life one day he realizes he has younger sister to share parents love with. The seasons race along with growth of children that live a dual life. Often drawing them to western lifestyle and prejudicing their own culture. In this dwindling personality, a day comes when he realizes biography of author Gogol and starts despising his name. All through out school and college he hated being called by his name. Once out of home in university in a different city, he amends his name to Nikhil and begins life he was drawn too. Living in hostel he enjoys pleasures of pot, drinks, smoke, girls etc. Life gives him everything he dreamt of. He falls into love with American girls but only to end up alone. After study he moves to New York for job and back home his sister also moves to California for study. On of his low frequent visits to his home, a horror is unleashed by Ashoke. He explains his importance of his name Gogol and the incident from which he was saved yet paralyzed and suffered but the book by Gogol was his savior. Nikhil shudders hearing it and also learns that Ashima is going to be alone for awhile as his father is taking up job in different state for sometime. Back in New York, Nikhil falls in love again with a white girl and moves to her place shared by her parents. Life changes again for him again and to his own surprise he enjoys a life finds whole new lifestyle. Ashima has learnt to adjust herself alone despite initial fears and trials.
Then one day phone rings three places and they learnt their sole protector is no more. Ashoke dies in a hospital at different state. When, Nikhil goes for last rituals of father and collecting his remains, a vague emptiness and sense of loss grips him. In this grief, he loses his girl friend and gets responsible for his mother and sister. His sister moves in with Ashima, whose grief is beyond any limits. The life and the author give a twist which changes them forever. Nikhil now meets a Bengal girl on insistence of his mother. Its something about her that strikes him and indulges him to marry her. They get married with loads of blessings from their families. A year down marriage the touch has been lost and marriage crumbles down, Its as if he is destined to live alone. Another year passes buy his sister Sonia has found a guy for marriage and his mother Ashima wants to move to India for sometime. She decides to spend 6 months in Calcutta and 6 months in America. Another grief that makes Nikhil realizes his emptiness and change in his life forever.
The author has described journey in a delightful manner that pleases reader. The language used is superlative with good continuation. Though the book is definitely not a not put down able but it’s gripping and interesting. The descriptive capability of writer is excellent along with capability to web the story. It is a book which I suggest a reader shouldn’t miss.

Review of 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho

GOLD INTO BOOK

Gold, treasure hunting is often dream of all. But few realize their dream and want to achieve their goals. Books often change lives of many have just heard this cliché in marketing rooms of publishing offices. But everyone would definitely believe it after reading Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’. Gold diggers are always considered as evil conniving, false scheming people, rarely it is so. To dream big is easy, but to fulfill one’s dreams is step which not everybody dares to talk. The book opens our most locked desires and stimulates our hormones to enrage the body to get going.
The story is brought to us by a shepherd boy who travels along fields of Andalusia to
Get food and water for his flock of sheep. He has desire and hobby of traveling, which makes him chose shepherd business for exploring the unexplored. The journey is affected when he has a weird dream about some treasure. To interpret his dreams he lands up at a gypsy fortune teller woman’s place and acknowledges that his dreams are linking him to Egypt, where a treasure awaits to be found by his hand. Denying the prediction, he wanders around just to run into a Arab who claims to be king and reconfirms lady’s take of boy finding the treasure. The boy faces state of shock and dilemma to believe or not to believe in his dreams and people who have realized his dreams. But, finally after selling half of his sheep to the king and other half to a friend, he is off to search his destiny on a boat to another continent, with some gold coins and two stones of omens, given by the King in his pocket. He lands in town of Egypt only to get looted of his treasure on very first evening by a person claiming to be his friend. Dismayed, disappointed he wants to go back to Andalusia to be a shepherd again, but his omens defy him against it. And there he is back on road to search his destiny landing him to a crystal merchant whose business is going through a slag phase. Then tables turn and winds change their direction, the counter at crystal merchant get filled up with currencies due to innovative ideas by the boy. The boy realizes by merchant that pyramids at this stage is impossible so decides to drop the whole hunt and go back home. So, he is busy working at his shop to collect money for his return. Year passes by and when sufficient funds are collected, he is way back to port to disembark this country. But then again, omens strike back leading him to belief that his decision to retreat on fear of defeat is wrong and preposterous. Now again he is off to journey in desert, on a camel with caravan making a companion with an Englishman off to same destination with similar intentions. The journey through desert teaches him ample of things of bitter truth and brutal reality. They have to stop at an oasis, unavoidably where he encounters his true love and reason for existence. Not just that but an encounter awaits him, that changes his life. It is no one but Alchemist who knows that a boy is going to arrive for changing his fate. Then there is a penultimate journey to goal that teaches boy a valuable lesson alongwith readers learning patience. The conclusion of story is finesse touch of author bringing us to horizon of our lives.

The author has mastered talent of story telling and gripping audience to a tale that mesmerizes readers. Unfolding of events leads to unraveling of mysteries hid deep within our hearts. The book definitely makes an impact on peoples thoughts. The words have power to change the course of many lives. Paulo Coelho is know to create ripples in book world and he has managed to keep up the hype and expectations by turning book in gold.

Review of Paulo Coelho's The Valkyires

Where Are thou Angel?
Twenty first century brought globalization and shrinkage of world due to progress all over. But along with this, they brought inflation, terrorism and threat for survival. Thus, in this fast paced techno world, often one wonders if there is that super power that gets them going along with the world. The answer to this question was found in the Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Valkyires’. The autobiographical incident narrated by author makes us believe in existence of a world that is full of our guardian angels instructed by almighty to take care of us. When the trains are exploded, riots are broken, planes are crashed into building with n number of people and innocent children instead of cattle are slaughtered the soul shivers up, but the book calms us and shows us there is going to be a tomor

row.
Paulo has taken an incident of his life, in which he decides to take up an expedition to a desert in America, with his beloved wife, Chris, to search his angel upon insistence of his teacher. There, they are on journey in desert of Los Angeles searching their destiny. The marriage which was on the rocky stage gets rediscovered and rekindles their love for each other. They start searching for strangely dressed warrior women who ride on bikes in desert upon insistence of a scholar. Upon discovering them after series of incidents due to which even Chris who initially doesn’t believe in second world starts believing in it, there is display of emotions, range of rituals and variety of contests which gets them closer and closer to angel. The past flashed in present showing the path of future. Emotions are played with, souls are touched and thoughts are changed in this journey to rebirth their lives. Finally, angels are confronted upon and lessons are learnt and importance of loved ones is realized.
The book is set superbly in terms of a journey that summarizes life and its meaning. The narrator has explored and touched a sensitive note in relationships. The common fact of losing loved ones and hurting them in today is emphasized and solution to that is obtained. The prose of book is a la carte and language used is simple to understand. To conclude, the experiences shared by author are path leading to a good life and belief of a better and peaceful world.

Review of one night@ call centre by Chetan Bhagat

One night at call centre by Chetan Bhagat

The buzz was on about a book which is soon going to see the lights of cinema halls from the book shelves. Being inquisitive, curiosity gripped me about the book as not much authors can awe struck our melodramatic fictional Bollywood. This temptation negated my monthly budget to buy much hyped Chetan Bhagat’s latest “One night at call centre”
Here, I am turning pages of an autobiographical chapter of a much depressed and low call centre team leader. The great expectations from IITian author brought me a major setback. The plot travels only in a span of night at bay of call centre. The night in which six peoples fate working in that bay are twisted to downzone of their live and a call which brings climax of story and their lives at sawn of happiness and new beginning. The narrator uses a too phony incident for readers to accept and digest even with Hajmola. The protagonist (Shyam) is self reviewing, eccentric, hypochondriac, paranoid and constant complaining unhappy freak.
The book travels in past quite a number of times to dates between the protagonist and his ex-girl friend who also co-incidentally is his co-worker (Priyanka) . The dates are too amateurishly and feverishly explained with frequent bouts of male chauvinism. The couple has broken up and have a cold war between them and too add to woe of Shyam, its night when He and other colleagues learn about wonder boy from U.S.A. to whom Priyanka is getting engaged. Now, as if this wasn’t enough, the other 4 colleagues have major drift downward in their personal lives on same night leading to a depressed bay at call centre. The sorrow doesn’t end here, to aggravate the state of depression at bay all six learnt from their no good opportunistic manager Bakshi that they are all part of gang going to get sacked for cost cutting procedure. To break free they all decide to take trip outside call centre to pub in order to get high in alcohol to forget all lows in their life. On way back to call centre they are struck by a life taking incident and then the phone rings which saves their lives and changes their paths of lives, and call is from……..God.
The book may be just another readable. The language used is poor and book lacks page turning effect. The story is too drugged and dragged upon. Though it reveals quite a lot truth about recent effects of urbanization but it lacks an eye opening effect. I was longing to finish book as soon as possible to jump on other interesting book. The author should try a different approach with good language to make books gripped to reader. In conclusion, just worth a read if you have time otherwise you haven’t missed somethin