'The Bookshelf'

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Never Let Me Go

     Author                              Kazuo Ishiguro

     Country                            United Kingdom

     Genre                               Science Fiction

     Publication Date              2005

     Pages                                288

It's no surprise that this book was on the Man Booker Prize shortlist. And the fact that the author is none other than the Booker prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro himself. My love for Kazuo Ishiguro started with his short story collection 'Nocturnes' and has only intensified since then.

'Never Let Me Go', in typical Ishiguro style is marked by abolsutely beautiful and endearing writing. The narrative is soft and warm like a hot cup of coffee on a particularly cold day. This is a first person narrative by Kathy as she is reminiscing snippets of her past life. The fact that the narration does not follow a strict chronological order but Kathy comes up with stories as and when she remembers them make the book real and uniquely conversational.

While being conscious to not reveal too much of the plot, I would suffice by saying that this book is both a science fiction and a realistic fiction. Through 3 different stages in the lives of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, Ishiguro builds their friendship, relationship and what binds them together in their unquie circumstances. Brought up in a secluded boarding house with mysterious rules, the three of them struggle to truly fathom their 'special status' and what life has in store for them.

The book raises some relevant medical and ethical questions while subtly touching upon the purpose of human existence, the importance of an innocent childhood and the inevitable end of life.

I would highly recommend this book to one and all. It's innovative, perceptive and plain lovely!

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You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading!

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

     Author                         Mark Haddon

     Country                       United Kingdom

     Genre                          Mystery

     Publication Date         2003

     Pages                           221

This is mostly described as a mystery novel but honestly, there is so much more to it than just that. This award winning book is more appropriately a children's fiction but I guess reading it a little later in life allows one to form a slightly evolved and mature perspective.

Narrated in the first person by the 15 year old Christopher; this is a story through which he investigates the murder of Wellington, his neighbor's dog. Interspersed with this investigation is a peek into Christphers life, his thinking process and his relationships with his mom and dad.

Without making a direct reference, Mark has implied through the book that Christopher has a well developed Asperger's syndrome. And that's what makes the book unique. Christpher's character is portrayed as someone who is extremely smart, uncomfortable with feelings/emotions/human touch, likes structure, is afraid of strangers and hence is a typical case of autism.

It is this understanding of autism offered to the readers subtly through the protagonist that makes the book special. Christopher's fears, his urge to overcome his fears, his innocence and his brilliance are heart wrenching.

In one sentence, I would describe this book as worth your read!

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading!

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Love in the time of Cholera

     Author                         Gabriel Garcia Marquez

     Country                       Colombia

     Genre                          Fiction

     Publication Date        1985

     Pages                           422

This book by the noble prize winning author has always received raving reviews. Gabriel is someone who is highly respected in the literary society. As an obvious consequence of this, 'Love in the time of cholera' came into my life with an immense history and sky rocketing expectations. I totally appreciate that that is an unfair starting point for anything but, unfortunately, life is full of choices and expectations and any form of art has to rage an unavoidable battle against these.

This is the story of Florentino Ariza, an ordinary looking young man who falls in love with the elegant and beautiful Fermina Daza and establishes a successful relationship of exchanging passionate love letters with her. This innocent relationship comes to an abrupt end when Fermina in the flash of a moment refuses his proposal of marriage and goes on to marry another more respectable individual. Thus rejected but not disheartened, Florentino spends his entire life waiting for a reunion with his love. He works hard and has innumerable sexual relations with different women but none can match up to the love he is waiting for.

While the book aspires to emotionally move it's readers with love, passion and desperation, to me the book is nothing more than a 'let down'. While the writing is different and in some ways endearing, the story line is not very different from a Bollywood love flick. Florentino's character annoys me to no end. The fact that he passes his entire life hoping and waiting for a reunion with Fermina reeks of passivity and waste of a life in my opinion. Maybe I am too unromantic for this but the fact is that I would rather have had him move on with his life than indulge in mindless sexual encounters to fill the gap left by someone he hardly knew.

I know that this may be too harsh a judgement on someone's character but that's the idea of a review, isn't it? I didn't enjoy the book at all and wouldn't recommend it to others. If there are others out there who don't share my views, I would love to hear from you!

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading!

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Rebecca

     Author                          Daphne Du Maurier

     Country                        United Kingdom

     Genre                           Fiction

     Publication Date         1938

     Pages                            380

This is a gripping book that made me stay up late. Effortlessly written, it has all the characteristics of a typical Jane Austen classic with an elegant touch of modernity.

The story starts in Monte Carle where the heroine meets the handsome and recently widowed Maxim De Winter. With humble beginnings and working as a paid companion to an almost detestable lady, her joy knows no bounds when she is proposed to by Max. Full of innocent excitement, she gives up her current occupation to accompany Max to his gigantic estate and build a new life as Mrs De Winter.

Life, however, had other plans in store for her. Being young, innocent and naive, she is overwhelmed by the shadow of Max's first wife, Rebecca that still seems to rule the house and all her loyal servants. She finds it hard and harrowing to establish her feet as both the mistress of the house and as Max's wife. The fact that the book is titled 'Rebecca' and the heroine isn't even given a name other than Mrs. De Winter is a telling reflection on how Rebecca's shadow is the protagonist and our heroine who is supposedly a 'nothing' in front of her has to battle against it to find her ground.

Her constant struggle, self doubt, desire to prove herself, the knowledge that Max probably loves her - but more as a kid than as an equal - make the novel heart wrenching. The readers in a subtle way are made to reflect on the parity in a marriage. While in some way she is a companion to Max (providing him the much needed company after Rebecca's death), is he truly a companion to her? The fact that she could not openly discuss her insecurities with Max or lean on him for emotional support point to the contrary. But then, to be fair to Max, did she demand that out of him? Not till late for sure. And that in some way is reflected in her own thoughts when she wonders how many people are there in the world like her who suffer because they cannot break away from their own shyness and garner the courage to demand the truth.

In a snapshot, this truly is a coming of age story for our heroine, Mrs De Winter; besides being a gripping romance mystery. Married to a much elder and mature man, she takes her time getting over her own inhibitions and demanding that she be treated as an equal in their marriage. Luckily for her, this happens sooner than later and she finds in Max a loving husband.

Unfortunately, most of us spend too much of our life time before we gain this courage!

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading!

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Flight Behaviour

     Author                            Barbara Kingsolver

     Country                          United States

     Genre                             Realistic Fiction

     Publication Date            2012

     Pages                              436

An interesting contemporary read is how I would describe this book.

Through this book, Barbara builds the story of Dellarobia - a farm wife, mother of two who finds herself giving up her aspirations when she accidentally gets pregnant at the age of seventeen. Now, many years hence, trapped in a bored, loveless marriage with a husband who refuses to stand up for her or for himself against his overbearing and judgemental mom, Dellarobia desperately seeks reprieve. She wants to find a larger meaning to her existence and the sudden appearance of the magical butterflies on the family farmland provide her this reprieve. She ends up getting a job with the scientist who works on this and is amazed at how much she was losing out in life by not stepping beyond her home to explore the world outside. One thing leads to the other till Dellaboria finds the courage to stand up for herself and do what is best for her.

Interspersed with the story of Dellaboria is the story of the magical butterflies which is due to a possible climate change. The scientists view on global warming and the refusal of the soceity to believe that it bodes any ill are an interesting backdrop to the story.

In conclusion, I would say that is is an interesting read where Dellaboria's character is built as a classic case of a woman who loses herself and her innate desires in the demanding world of marriage and motherhood. And her struggle to get out of it is a lesson to many who find themselves in her position.

While the story is compelling and relevant to our times, unfortunately, for me the book did not build as much an emotional connect as I had expected. Its one of those situations where its hard to exactly verbalise what was missing. Guess thats why books are as much about feelings as they are about cognizance and I wouldnt be inaacurate in saying that while this book had everything to make it an emotionally moving story, for me, it didnt go beyond being just an 'interesting read'.

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading!

Thursday, 18 September 2014

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

     Author                            Ken Kesey

     Country                          United States

     Genre                             Fiction

     Publication Date           1962

     Pages                             320

Set in the 1960s, this book gives the readers an interesting insight into the life at a mental asylum. The main plot of the the book is built around an ongoing and irresolvable conflict between the two protagonists: Nurse Ratched who likes order and control and the patient McMurphy who is a fun loving, spirited and boisterous rebel. McMurphy's refusal to bow down to the almost tyrannical nurse reflects his streak of non conformity and individualism in a world that is mostly defined by rules and authority.

Ken has done a fine job of showcasing the human dynamics that come to play in any organizational set up. The willingness of the other patients to succumb to the nurse (for fear of consequences), the refusal to support McMurphy in his crazy expeditions and finally the consequent uprising against authority once they see in McMurphy a leader of their cause, reflects how human psyche works. We are all vulnerable and are willing to bow down to authority to protect our selfish interests; unless there is someone who can lead us to believe otherwise.

While I enjoyed reading the book, my honest submission is that this is a little over rated. I admire McMurphy's spirit and his courage to stand his own but am confused on the final message that the book wanted to convey.

McMurphy's tragic end to me signifies the crushing of human spirit in the favour of authority. But am not convinced that that is what Ken wanted to leave us with. Thus, I am left wondering whether the sole idea of the book was to convey the struggle between authority and individualism rather than selecting a winner between the two!

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading!

Thursday, 11 September 2014

Sounder

     Author                        William H Armstrong

     County                        Canada

     Genre                          Fiction

     Publication Date        1969

     Pages 83


I happened to chance upon this book at the library and ended up picking it up more on impulse than design. And really, what makes life captivating is these seemingly insignificant impulse 'purchases'; which start with no expectations and then delight you like rain shower on a particularly hot day!

Honestly, I am not too much of a 'short story' or 'novella' person since I like books to grow on me through their many pages. Thus, my love for this book is limited in that sense. It can never end up featured on my list of favourite books but within it's established limitations, it did a fine job.

This is the story of a black family and the bond that ties them together in a world that is unjust and biased. It's a story of love, family ties, desperation, injustice and yearning.

What intrigued me immensely about this book is the fact that none of the characters have a name - they are addressed as 'boy', 'mother', 'father' and the like. To me, this is a subtle message from the author that these individuals were really a non entity in a world that was governed by the colour of the skin. The fact that there is no reason shared with the reader as to why the boy's father was incarcerated makes me believe that the family was not worth being reasoned to. The fair skinned looked down upon these African Americans and did not deem it important to afford any justification for their actions against them. It is these subtle messages left to the interpretation of the reader that make this book endearing to me.

The boy's desperate search for his father, his coming of age as a result of his father's disappearance and his yearning to learn to read and write give us an insight into his character; which is heart wrenching.

A reasonably good 'quick read' is how I would describe this book!

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading!