Review of THE VAGUE WOMAN’S HANDBOOK by Devapriya Roy (published in OUTLOOK magazine, May 2011)

  When a novel title stoops to conquer, one finds too late that books deceive (apologies, Oliver Goldsmith).
  The disappointment is because gift potential for a handbook on vagueness is endless among family and friends; many a bankruptcy could thus be avoided and many a relationship saved. Alas, this is far from a brisk how-to-solve manual a la India Knight’s ‘Thrift Book’.
  Nor even is it straightforward chick-lit, as the winsome jacket would seem to indicate, Indian publishers typically coming late to this money-spinner and now scrambling madly to entice young readers with curly fonts and pastel palettes, regardless of content or authorly intent.
  But persist, and you will be rewarded, for unexpected delights await.
  Mil and Abhi, married absurdly young, are tackling domesticity with the kind of insouciance that is more heart-stopping than heart-warming. Lurching from one unexpected cheque to the next as household supplies dry up and landlords get grouchy would naturally be the stuff of parental despair. Yet, this is where the book offers its first dollop of charm. Young Mil’s brave attempt to deal with the searing pain of estrangement from her parents is affecting and soon becomes the emotional force that drives the narrative forward. An endearing protagonist, she combines ditziness with a curious ability to counsel Indira, a much older colleague who is waging her own battles against maternal and bank-managerial disapproval. In gifting Indira confidence, Mil reveals the book’s second jewel – which is a warm tribute to that most effective support system: female friendship.


Review of ‘LESSONS IN FORGETTING’ by Anita Nair (published in OUTLOOK magazine, 2010)

Anita Nair has made authorly forays into essays and children’s writing but it is when she returns to fiction that she seems most at home.

Lessons in Forgetting contains two narratives of loss that intertwine almost as though one hopes to seek some comfort from the other. Meera’s husband, Giri, has deserted her in a crumbling, once charming bungalow in Bangalore where she is surrounded by the pained and watchful concern of her ageing mother and grandmother and a young uncomprehending son. Minutes after Giri has walked out, however, Meera meets cyclone expert, Jak, returned to India from an American university to investigate a set of mysterious events that have led to his nineteen-year-old daughter lying in a comatose condition, her face frozen in a grimace, her fingers curled as if continuing to fight the ghastly experience that has led to her catatonic state.

Drawing parallels between life and the unpredictability of cyclones, shifting between multiple points of view and likening Meera’s story to that of the mythological Hera’s would seem to serve up an over-rich mix but Nair pulls it off, maintaining a taut pace as Jak begins his quest, thankfully refraining from getting overly mawkish and eventually providing a longed-for redemptive ending without the triteness that could quite easily have accompanied it.

Lessons in Forgetting provides an ultimately satisfying read, although it is directed at robust readers and even they may find themselves wishing for Nair to choose themes less dark and indigestible next time.

Review of CHILDREN OF A BETTER GOD by Susmita Bagchi (published in OUTLOOK magazine 2010)

  A slim-line, semi-autobigraphical story of a housewife who, having recently returned to India from the US, becomes art teacher at a school for children with cerebral palsy after a chance encounter with an old classmate.
  A book with its heart in the right place, obviously, but the simplistic, linear narrative would seem to do injustice to such a big and potentially interesting subject. Who would’ve imagined it ever possible but recent Bollywood successes like ‘Black’, ‘Paa’ and ‘Taarey Zameen Par’ indicate that there is enough general appetite for the subject of disability to refrain from pussy-footing around the issues any more. An opportunity to gently unfold a fairly typical first-timer’s journey into the world of special needs is lost as the wide-eyed, often cringing protagonist is impressed by the worthiness of her own work and neglects to show that there is much laughter and joy too along the way.