First Impression
IT is being billed as India's "first-ever science fiction/ fantasy". Unfortunately some debuts leave you confused. Despite the careful plotting, clever dialogue and even cleverer copy lines, this book fails to enthuse that sense of wonderment that leaves no doubt in the readers' mind that this is a book to be lapped up and re-read. With a little bit of help from The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the classic Handmaiden's Tale, not to mention some text straight out of the Arabian Nights, the author proceeds to notch up a tale or two with a bewildering array of characters.
Even as you come to grips with the narrative, you are once again thrown off track with the introduction of more characters and yet another twist in the tale. Who is Danh-Gem? What is the terrible secret of the lost civilisation? Why have they perished? Somehow even as answers begin to form, they are banished into another dust cloud with yet another story adjoining itself. What could have perhaps been an enjoyable story tickling the imagination on a rich diet of the improbable, turns out to be a mind-boggling experience.
The Simoqin Prophecies, Samit Basu, Penguin, Rs. 250.
WHEN Frank Simoes presented Ambani with the Vimal campaign, advertising history was made. Simoes went on to become a legend. He recalls how at three in the morning, the gods finally smiled upon him when he came up with the catch phrase "Only Vimal". For a man considered a maverick in the advertising industry, Simoes did himself and his clients proud. His autobiography of sorts, culled from his diary, traces his life and of course his halcyon days.
Describing his early childhood in Bombay, Simoes writes about his terrible Latin, which eventually was the cause for many canings and his mastery over English. This was the subject that he was proficient in and finally prospered at. He realised soon that he had a way with words and found himself a job with an advertising firm. His talent showed up early on as did his hard drinking and smoking. Some of his stories involving his agency head, his absenteeism on the flimsiest of excuses and the sometime absurd excuses he made up to stay on leave are hilarious. But these anecdotes also demonstrate the level of confidence that he enjoyed within the industry. He recounts with some glee his attempt to set up his own agency and the lessons learned thereof.
Though he was a Bombay boy, it was Goa and its sun-kissed beaches that stole his heart. He managed to fulfil his dream of living there and enjoying the tranquillity of Goan life. Simoes also managed his other dream, of being a "proper writer". Frank Unedited takes you through life the way Simoes saw it — with honour and commitment.
Frank Unedited, Roli, Rs. 395.
THIS is a story spanning four generations. Maria marries into the "Big House" in a prosperous village in Kerala, only to discover that her husband's father had committed suicide. His mother lives with them but is an alcoholic while his arrogant grandmother continues to rule the roost. Maria longs for her husband to share his life with her, but he remains aloof. Undaunted she ends up making friends with her mother-in-law. The father's suicide is a subject that is taboo though the mother keeps dropping hints. She challenges the older woman and declares that one of these days she would reveal the reason for her husband's suicide. Petrified, the old lady tells her to back off, failing which she would use every ruse in the world to stop her.
One day her mother-in-law is found lying dead at the bottom of the stairs and there is chaos. Was she murdered? While Maria tries to grapple with the answers, she finds that she is unable to keep her promise to her mother-in-law. Eventually she finds a way out and once again peace reigns in the Big House.
Whispering Generations, Manorama Mathai, Shrishti, Rs.195.
HOW many women have lived through the turbulent times of India's independence and not told their stories? Lady Yashodabai Joshi, in her own way, struggled against the caste system, educated herself and worked for the upliftment of other women. Her story traces her life, events running parallel to it and India's independence. This book provides a backdrop to the independence movement and makes it all the more real since it is the story of a woman and her small but significant contribution to the country.
A Marathi Saga, translated by V.V. Bhide, Roli, Rs. 295.
SUCHITRA BEHAL
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