Bookish Fancies

  This book is very unlike anything she had written before. It doesn't have a structured storyline-- it chronicles the life of a spinster living alone and her observations about her neighbours, acquaintances, friends and anyone who crosses paths with her. Her experiences aren't anything extraordinary either-- and that is what makes this book so special. You relate to her tedious life, her need to break the monotony and yet when her friend visits her, she finds herself wishing that her friend had visited alone without her family. We crave adventure and yet we detest changes. Everyday she meets familiar faces on the street and yet the experience is different. Someone is grumpy, another is facing a crisis in his life, someone fought with their wife. They know nothing about each other in spite of living down the street and yet when the cross paths, formalities are an obligation. You rarely come across a book which resonates with you on this level. Because the narrator can be you, m...

  "The lives of others" is a family saga depicting the fall of a prominent family in Calcutta over the generations. Multidimensional with a host of characters who live together, the book paints a surprisingly accurate picture of joint families residing in Calcutta. There are evil wives, the discriminated widow, the privileged son, the black sheep and the Naxalite-- everything needed to spice up a family drama. The family tree in the beginning can be of some help in understanding the relationship between the host of characters in the book.  When a book is about your city, you can't help loving it. But I felt the book could have been made shorter by leaving out some of the side plots like Priyo's perversion which went nowhere and had little relation to the story. I also didn't develop any attachment with any of the characters. Its like watching a drama unfold before your eyes which doesn't include you. The author didn't attempt to hide his skepticism about S...