There is a saying in Marathi which roughly translates into English as, Caste is something you can not cast away. We see numerous examples of this in today’s day and age too, well into the second decade of the 21st century. As Isabel Wilkerson points out in this phenomenal book, this social issue has impacted…
Tag: Book Review Blog
The Family Upstairs | Lisa Jewell
There are few mystery/ suspense novels I have read in past couple of years which have grabbed my attention from the word ‘Go’ and this is certainly one of them. The plot summary given on the jacket cover is quite intriguing to say the least and it acts like an instant pick-me-up magnetic pull. The…
सानिया लिखित ओमियागे
सानिया यांच्या कथेतील स्त्रिया ह्या बहुतेक एका विशिष्ट सामाजिक-आर्थिक वर्गातून आलेल्या दिसतात. स्वतंत्र विचारसरणी, व्यवस्थित किंवा उच्च शैक्षणिक पार्शवभूमी आणि स्वतःचे निर्णय घेण्याची मानसिक कुवत असण्याऱ्या स्त्रिया त्यांच्या कथेमध्ये मध्यवर्ती असतात. बहुधा शहरी किंवा निमशहरी भागातील या स्त्रिया एका ठराविक विचारसरणीनुसार त्यांचं आयुष्य व्यतित करणं उचित समजतात. ओमियागे या दीर्घ कथासंग्रहामधील अनिता, सुजाता, सरिता, श्यामल…
महाश्वेता देवी लिखित जटायु
महाश्वेता देवी या त्यांच्या लेखनाच्या अनोख्या शैलीमुळे आणि मुख्यतः ग्रामीण पार्श्वभूमी असण्याऱ्या कथावस्तूंमुळे चिरपरिचित आहेत. त्यांच्या कथा ह्या बहुत करून पूर्वोत्तर राज्यांमध्ये घडतात आणि उपेक्षित, शोषित लोकांच्या व्यथांची गडद छाया त्यांवर पडलेली दिसून येते. उपरोल्लिखित कादंबरी जरी कलकत्ता आणि आसपास घडत असली तरीही कथेच्या पूर्वपीठिकेमध्ये डोकावण्याऱ्या गावांची, वनांची त्यावर दाट सावली आहे. हि कथा घडते…
The Handmaid’s Tale | Margaret Atwood
Her name is Offred, it literally means ‘of Fred’- she belongs to Fred; as of now at least. We don’t know what she was known before this and surely can’t know her original name. This original name has been erased from the official records when her past was wiped clean. Now, she is a member…
Juliet, Naked | Nick Hornby
To be honest, I picked up this book with much curiosity as I have heard tons of praises for it from some notable critics. Nick Hornby is a famous British author noted for his comedic, witty take on complicated issues faced by regular people going through their everyday lives. This book is also no different….
The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between | Hisham Matar
How do you write about a loss? Specially, if the loss is so acute and bearing it is breaking your life. And, then how do you talk about grief? Which encompasses like an endless ocean, not letting you see the horizon beyond without the misty eyes or for that matter, not letting you sleep in…
Why We Sleep | Matthew Walker
In this particular year, when so many of us are struggling to sleep; this becomes an important book to read. Not only to understand the wonderful phenomena called sleep during these times of pandemic, but also to get an idea of its place in this digital age. The book is divided in some interesting chapters…
Too Much And Never Enough | Mary L. Trump
As the world watched in shocked horror and stunned silence all the events unfolding in Washington D.C. post the elections of 2020, it became evidently clear that the perpetrator at the helm of this toxic drama is totally enjoying this. Albeit from afar, but still he kept his mind and eyes focused on all the…
गिरीश कुबेर लिखित एका तेलियाने
खनिज तेल आणि त्याचा जगाच्या राजकारणावर तसेच अर्थकारणावर होणारा परिणाम या विषयाला वाहिलेलं हे लेखकाचं दुसरं पुस्तक. यामध्ये मुख्य फोकस आहे तो तेलाच्या जगड्व्याळ व्यापाऱ्यात गुंतलेल्या लोकांवर आणि प्रामुख्याने उल्लेख केलेल्या शेख झाकीर यामानी यांच्यावर. पुस्तकाचा केंद्रबिंदू म्हणता येईल अशा यामानी यांच्या कथेकडे वळण्याआधी लेखक आपल्याला खनिज तेलाच्या शोधामध्ये आणि व्यापारामध्ये गुंतलेल्या देशांची, लोकांची संक्षिप्त…
The Ten Thousand Doors of January | Alix E. Harrow
Quite an interesting title and very intriguing story of a girl named (yes, you guessed it right! January Scaller. The main theme or genre of the book is magic or fantasy YA. But I am glad to notice that it goes much beyond that. This is the story of a young girl without any mother,…
Zikora | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is an Amazon exclusive short story by the noted Nigerian author. In fact, this is her latest work of fiction post the acclaimed novel Americanah. You can call this as a short story, a stand-alone work of fiction or even a novella due to it’s form; but whatever you would like to classify this…
Convenience Store Woman | Sayaka Murata
There is something odd about Ms. Keiko Furukura. She is in her mid-thirties and works at a Convenience Store for over 18 years. At age 36, she is trying to understand her place in society and trying to adapt herself in society’s mould. From childhood itself, Keiko Furukura is considered to be an oddball character….
The Vegetarian | Han Kang
What would happen if any ordinary, mediocre person will have a sudden, random change in his/her personality resulting in a 180 degree change in the behaviour. How should the people surrounding him/her be reacting? How can they fathom the reasons and face the repercussions because of such sudden changes? And most importantly, what’s happening in…