First Impressions
INTRIGUE, passion and then finally murder. Just the right ingredients to make a powerful story come alive. But sometimes the flavouring of the spices can get overpowering and kill the main serving. Ravi Shankar Etteth's novel suffers from a similar malady.
Jay Samorin fancies himself as a diviner of evil intent. It is an unusual gift. But there is something in his past that seems to catch up with him each time he bumps into the artist, Dhiren Das. Das manages to bring out the worst in Samorin and the two circle each other's lives like old adversaries. Anna Khan is a woman with guts but with a traumatic life, which seems hell bent on colouring all her actions. When she and Samorin team up to unravel a murder and then finally breakthrough in one of the most bizarre cases, sparks are bound to fly. It's an uneasy alliance but each sees their salvation in it. Etteth's characters seem to borrow heavily from page three and the diplomatic circle in Delhi. If only he'd managed to keep some of them in the sidelines, this might have made for better reading.
The Village of Widows, Ravi Shankar Etteth, Penguin, Rs. 295.
WHEN Ghulam Rasool's father dies, his mother impresses upon him the need for a good British education and a job with the government. The young Ghulam Rasool follows her advice diligently and manages to make good. For 30 years he serves the British with unswerving loyalty, much of which is repaid with better postings and promotions. Despite the dark clouds of partition and communal problems, Rasool manages to carve a niche for himself. The book chronicles his life, his marriage, his relationships with his mother, his wife and then finally the one woman that he falls in love with. Unfortunately the writer does not rise above the mundane and falls prey to describing almost every aspect of Rasool's life in the most prosaic and pedantic manner. If only real characters could waft through their troubled existences so diligently then Ghulam Rasool would appear to be real.
The Postmaster, Saad Ashraf, Penguin, Rs.295.
THERE is a phrase used in this book that hits you between the eyes. It's called active non-action. Sumantra Ghoshal and Heike Bruch pick up their thesis on management and take the reader on a fantastic journey — an eye-opener for anyone wishing to be effective in life. As the blurb on the jacket proclaims in bold type, "Stop Trying. Start Doing". What is it that makes real leaders effective? The answer, according to Ghoshal and Bruch, is a simple one — Willpower. But how many us have the willpower and the requisite motivation to push ourselves to the outer limits and take that one step towards achievement? What is it that stalls our very progress and why? Are you caught up in the all-too-familiar terrain of routine? This book examines all this and offers you solutions to achieve your goals and ultimately to harness your willpower to succeed. A must for every corporate employee and anyone who wishes to go out into the wide world and work.
A Bias For Action, Heike Bruch and Sumantra Ghoshal, HBS Press, Rs. 595.
SOMETIMES there are books that defy the laws of simple writing. Meet The Master. From start to finish here is a book that leaves you confused, contorted and absolutely without a clue as to who is who and why they are doing what they are doing. There's Henry, middle-aged something, not successful as a playwright, his sister now dead who seemed never to be quite there in the normal world. Even as Henry moves between his present disappointments and his peculiar past, the reader is soon trapped , turning pages trying to establish a sense of belonging with the storyline. Alas that does not happen and Henry continues to baffle. Eventually the plot peters out. And so does your interest.
The Master, Colm Toibin, Picador, price not stated.
SUCHITRA BEHAL
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