Mister Pip

     Author                        Lloyd Jones

     Country                      New Zealand

     Genre                          Historical Fiction

     Publication Date        2006

     Pages                           256






This is an intriguing and enthralling story to say the least. Set in Papa New Guinea, on the island of Bougainville; against the backdrop of the nation’s historic civil war in 1991, this is the story of the 13 year old Matilda who lives on the island with her mother and hopes to have a better life in the future.

Through this short and poignant story, Lloyd Jones very artistically portrays the everyday struggles of the ordinary man, the desperate need for survival against all odds and the constant hope that the future will be better than the present. At the heart of the story, is the book “Great Expectations” and Mr Watts' deep urge to share his love for the book with the children on the island. And this is what particularly stands out for me about the book. The love for reading or rather for an unexplored world that Mr Watts creates in these children who have nothing better to do with their time, is exemplary. The below quotes are a true testimony to this:

“No one had ever told us kids to look there for a friend.”

“Mr Watts had given us another piece of the world. I found I could go back in as often as I liked.”

Matilda’s love for Pip (the central character of Great Expectations) and for the book in general is endearing.  She starts associating with Pip and with that harbours the hope that one day, things will change for her, just as they had changed for Pip.

“What did I hope for? Just hope itself, really, but in a particular way. I knew things could change because they had for Pip.”

The two characters that stand out for me in the book are that of Mr Watts and of Matilda’s mother. Mr Watts is shown as a simpleton, but a man of true character. Despite what the villagers hold against him, he doesn’t budge from teaching the children or from protecting them and the village. Matilda’s mother is a slightly more complex character. A huge believer in religion, she constantly misunderstands Mr Watts and his teachings, to the extent that she puts the entire village in jeopardy due to that. While on one hand, one would detest her for this, on the other hand, her true strength of character comes to life in the end when she ferociously protects her daughter at the cost of her own life.

“He said to be human is to be moral, and you cannot have a day off when it suits. My brave mum had known this when she stepped forward to proclaim herself God's witness to the cold blooded butchery of her old enemy, Mr Watts.”

This quote, for me, has a very deep meaning as it right says that being human means being moral and there cannot and should not be even one instant when one is not so.

The end of the book, as Matilda moves to join her dad in Australia signals the new life, the better life that she used to always hope for. As she matures and learns more about the world around her, she falls in love with Dickens and for her Dickens is the same as Mr Watts.

“My Mr Dickens has taught every one of us kids that our voice was special.”

“Pip is my story and the next day I would try where Pip had failed. I would try to return home.”




 

A Strangeness in my Mind

     Author                       Orhan Pamuk

     Country                     Turkey

     Genre                         Fiction

     Publication Date       Dec 2014

     Pages                          624

This is my first book by this award winning author and I can’t say anything more than the fact that I have enjoyed this immensely. The simplicity of his writing, the depth of his messages and the strengths of his characters will stay with me for a long time.

Set in Istanbul, against the backdrop of the wave of communism, this is the story of Mevlut and his life as a boza seller. Through the book, Orhan Pamuk very skilfully traces Mevlut’s transition from a young man who migrates to the city with his father to an old and mature Mevlut who relies on his boza selling walks as a means of calming his mind after his wife’s death. The simplicity of Mevlut’s life, his true love for his wife, Rahiya and his daughters is truly enchanting and endearing.

One of the central tenets of the book is boza selling.  On one side it reflects Turkish traditions which are being kept alive by boza sellers like Mevlut. On the other hand, the walks associated with selling boza give us a peek into Mevlut’s soul. These walks are nothing less than meditation for him: they are his windows to the world.

“Walking fuelled his imagination and reminded him that there was another realm within our world, hidden away behind the walls of a mosque, in a collapsing wooden mansion, or inside a cemetery.”

The purity of Mevlut’s soul and the simplicity of his life are truly appealing. Despite eloping with the wrong woman, the fact that Mevlut never lets Rahiya even get an inkling of that, is a true reflection of his character. He grows to become extremely fond of Rahiya and looks towards the time spent with her and his two daughters as the highest points of his life! When asked what he would do if he won the lottery, Mevlut simply responds: “I'd just sit at home with my daughter's and watch TV, nothing more.”

My most favourite part of the book is the ending; which is all encompassing and brings the story back to complete the full circle.  Mevlut does what he does best in the last chapter – walks around the city and sells boza. His reflections on life as he does this and the comments from passer-by’s congratulating him on keeping up an old tradition wind the story up beautifully. And no ending would have been perfect without Mevlut’s thoughts turning to Rahiya;

“I have loved Rahiya more than anything in this world”

These are the words that the book ends with and nothing could have done more justice to the ending that these words.

In summary, I have greatly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend this to one & all!

 

 

 

 

A Golden Age

     Author                         Tahmima Anam

     Country                       United Kingdom

     Genre                           Historical Fiction

     Publication Date         January 2009

     Pages                           276

    





A very interesting read - that is how I would define this book.

When I picked up this book, I was merely intrigued by the fact that being from the same sub continent, I had never really read about Bangaldesh's struggle for freedom. But it clearly proved to be much more than that! Against the backdrop of a new nation coming to life, this is a story that is packed with history, emotions and the beauty of relationships.

Rehana Haque is a young widow and "A Golden Age" portrays the story of her life and her family. As she is celebrating the coming of home for her two children, the country breaks into a war, sparked by Bangladesh's struggle for freedom. Being disconnected from politics and too involved in her own world, Rehana does not foresee how the war will change her and her children for ever! From someone whose world is limited to ensuring safety for her family, she soon evolves into a tiger mom who would go to any extent to protect her children. And this stands her in great stead throughout the book and particularly in the end!

Tahmima has done a tremendous job in capturing a variety of human relationships: relationship with one's child, siblings, friends and finally a romantic relationship. One of my best parts of the book is Rehana's growing maturity and coming of age; which brings her at the centre stage of the war. During this time, Rehnana also passionately battles with her romantic feelings when she comes in real close contact with someone other than her husband for the first time. And this is best captured through the following quote which truly portrays the hunger, pain and loneliness of her soul:

"In the midst of all the madness, I found the world seemed right for the first time in a very long time. I heard the song of a woman whose voice held a thousand years of sorrow."

What has touched me the most is the end of the book and how Rehana and her love for her children can go to any extent to protect them. What she does in the end left me bewildered and touched; to the extent that I had to go over the same page once twice! Rehana's closing line in the book is a true reflection of this and of the strength of her character:

"This war that has taken so many sons had spared mine. This age that has burned so many daughters had not burned mine. I have not let it."

In short, I will just say that this is a great read and you should surely add this to your bookshelf!











 

Purple Hibiscus

     Author                    Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie

     Genre                     Historical Fiction

     Country                  Nigeria

     Publication Date    October 2003

     Pages                      307






I have this amazing long distance book club with a group of really close college friends and last month was the month of "Purple Hibiscus"; Chimimanda's debut novel.

Set against the backdrop of Nigeria and its military coup, this book explores domestic violence, religion, the urge for freedom and independence and the coming of age of the young 15 year old narrator and protagonist: Kambili.

Kambili and her elder brother, Jaja live a life of utmost discipline and schedule under the strict supervision of their father; who is a highly respected Catholic leader. To the outside world, he is a great man who helps one and all, but for his family he is a strict disciplinarian who very often uses physical violence against his wife and children. In this environment, Kambili has never known freedom, laughter, fun or even the ability to think for herself and make her own decisions.

Life then takes a somersault when the two siblings go to live with their aunt, Aunty Ifeoma and their stay there gets extended due to the precarious military situation in  the country. The contrast in Aunty Ifeoma's home environment from that of her own; is best reflected through the following quotes by Kambili:

"I was just observing a table where you could say anything at any time to anyone, where the air was free for you to breathe as you wished."

"Laughter always rang in Aunty Ifeoma's house, and no matter where the laughter came from, it bounced around all the walls, all the rooms."

Experiencing a life of freedom for the first time, Kambili doesn't know how to behave and she struggles to find her words. Over a period of time, she and Jaja both build warm relationships with their Aunty and cousins and start experiencing a completely new life.

To my mind, some of the key themes of the book are religion and its mask under which "Papa" disciplines his children, the impact of family environment on one's upbringing and more specifically, the impact of domestic violence and the role not just of the perpetrator but also of those around him who allow this to continue. And while its easy to judge the behaviours of others from a distance, its important to note that Jaja and mother's silence did have a significant role in all of this. And what is impressive and worth a mention is the fact that both realised this to a certain extent.

"His eyes are too full of guilt to really see me, to see his reflection in my eyes, the reflection of my hero, the brother who tried always to protect me the best he could. He will never think that he did enough, and he will never understand that I do not think he should have done more."

Silence is also widely used in the book and at some places, it breaks my heart to observe silence where one would wish someone spoke up and spoke against Papa.

The ending of the book with the following quote symbolises the longing for freedom and independence in Papa's absence:

"We'll plant new orange trees in Abba when we come back, and Jaja will plant purple hibuscus, too, and I'll plant ixora so we can suck the juices of the flowers."

In summary, this is a real fast paced book with some great messages at both an intellectual and an emotional level. Chimimanda has done a great job with this, inspiring readers like us and inviting us into her Nigeria!




 

Gone with the Wind

     Author                      Margaret Mitchell

     Country                    United States

     Genre                        Historical Fiction

     Publication Date      May 1940

     Pages                        1031







'Gone with the Wind' has been on my 'to read' list for the longest time; but it is only recently that I finally found the courage and the passion to pick up this 1000 pages plus classic! And it was truly classic! One of my best books of all times...truly enchanting, engrossing and surprisingly fast paced for a classic!

Set in the American civil war of the 1860s, Gone with the Wind traces the life of Scarlett O'Hara, a bold and progressive protagonist. Scarlett is shown as a young girl, obsessed with her looks, boyfriends and having a good time but she soon matures into an aggressive and determined woman, hardened by the challenges that life has thrown at her. In the face of the war and its ensuing hardships, she effortlessly comes out of the shell of her protected life and dons an infallible persona, not just for herself, but also to protect her family and friends.

Being strong willed and determined, Scarlett unknowingly explores domains that have traditionally been reserved for men and by doing so, she challenges the very social fabric of the 19th century society. Establishing and running a business independently, working during her pregnancy are only some of the examples of what she does. And interestingly, none of her actions are an attempt to prove her worth as a woman but are merely an effort to earn money and never to be hungry again.

The below quote related to her by Rhett Butler, her friend and foe is quite apt in capturing the essence of Scarlett O'Hara and her personality.

"All you've done is to be different from other women and you've made a little success at it. That is the one unforgivable sin in any society. Be different and be damned ! The mere fact that you've made a success of your mill is an insult to every man who hasnt succeeded. A well bred female's place is in the home and she should know nothing about this busy, brutal world."

Scarlett's relationship with Rhett Butler, a rich but offensive middle aged man is both annoying and endearing. As the book evolves, this relationship matures from one of hatred, to interest, to indifference and finally to love and then to indifference once again. They are both unscrupulous and hence, relate very well to each other. Their ability to be honest with each other without a fear of judgement is the brightest spark of their relationship but unfortunately (to my romantic heart atleast), their love for each other wanes out towards the end of the book; leaving them both alone.

In short, Margaret Mitchell has done a great job in capturing not just the life and travails of Scarlett, the complexity of relationships, the beauty of human emotions but also the history, the war, its impact on civilisation and the desperation of times. One of the purest and most human emotions captured brilliantly through the book is the basic human need for survival and the courage that desire pumps into each of us. Scarlett's recurring quote "I do not ever want to be hungry again" is a great reminder of the same.

I will finally close by saying that reading 'Gone with the Wind' has been a treat like none other. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story packed with history, human emotions and impressive personalities..pick this up and you will not regret it!










 

Being Mortal

     Author                        Atul Gawande

     Country                      United States

     Genre                          Non Fiction

     Publication Date        October, 2014

     Pages                           263





I have recently started a book club with my college friends and this was our first picks. Hence, it was very special to me! Having vaguely heard about this book before, I had never found the courage to pick this up (yes - you need courage to read a book!). But I am delighted to share that this was not only a great read, but also very enlightening and enriching.

 

Written by a medicine professional, "Being Mortal" is an interesting take on Medicine and Mortality. Through his book, Atul Gawande explores the fact that while the scientific advancements in medicine have done a great service by extending human longevity, they tend to make us forget that we are all mortal and life has to come to an end finally. There is a fine line between "fixing" issues, pushing limits and accepting the reality.

"Decline remains our fate, death will someday come" brings this to life very aptly.

Atul further explores the concept of independence and how a debilitating life, one which starts to lose independence is very hard for the aged. The idea of being dependent and losing your freedom is the very premise on which nursing homes are built and there is nothing more depressing than this for the aged.

 

The other key aspect of the book which rings a bell personally for me is that, even in old age, all humans are keen to have a purpose larger than themselves. As life debilitates through age, clinging on to a purpose and a meaning is very important to most, but the constant need of medicine and of old age care to focus solely on safety and health takes away from this purpose. What matters in life changes significantly as one nears the end, but the need for a "purpose" remains equally important or rather, to a certain extent, becomes more important.

Some of my best quotes from the book are:

 

"Medical professionals concentrate on repair of health,  not sustenance of the soul."

 

"We think our job in medicine is to ensure health and survival. But really it is larger than that. It is to enable well being. And well being is about the reasons one wishes to be alive."

In summary, this is a great book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is up for a new and unique challenge!