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Turtle Dove
These stories are so well crafted (barring the arguably superfluous illicit sex scene in Best Friend) that it is difficult to choose a favourite from among them. It is not often that one comes across quality read as far as Indian fiction, especially short stories, in English is concerned. The characters become palpably alive in the narratives. Illusions of Love
Sheena is an incorrigible romantic in search of true love. Yet, she doesn’t have the faculty for judging the genuine from the fake or to differentiate the right from the wrong. This leads her into bizarre situations, eventually resulting in tragedy. Sheena’s first marital night goes horribly wrong as her husband, Ajay, comes drunk and forces himself upon her without any romantic preliminaries. She deserts him the very next morning little realising how much he loves her. She remarries Sukumar and begets two sons. Even as the couple is caught in midlife crisis Sukumar’s best friend Deepankar steals her affections. She divorces Sukumar and marries Deepankar only to regret her decision. The ending is ambiguous.
Somehow IIM-IITians have taken it into their heads that where one of their lot can succeed the others can too. So, here we have the story of Armaan who is an investment banker in America and seems to have made it. Suddenly the global slowdown hits his career graph like a sledgehammer upon a mirror. This novel suffers from several infirmities. First and foremost the writer’s lack of real-life experience is evident. From the way he describes America and Americans it becomes obvious that he doesn’t have firsthand familiarity with the corporate life there. Somebody should have told Verma that, though not a rocket science, fiction writing requires sophisticated use of complex skills.
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THIS collection has six
stories that depict six sets of characters in six different situations
ranging from poignant to bizarre to ugly. With clinical detachment and
surgical precision Dubey studies and dissects the different mindscapes
and portrays them with an artist’s sensibility – the colours
ranging from dark and depressing to bright and beautiful, with strokes
varying from subtle to audacious. In Best Friend the calm and
composed Shailja and the highly strung Sonali are friends since
childhood. The latter’s inability to take or stick to her decisions,
her petty craftiness and tendency to rant at others for her failures
test Shailja’s patience. Arnab is about an effeminate son of
the Roys. Unable to understand his desires and dreams his father
marries him off forcibly, thus triggering off a series of tragic
events. Turtle Dove, even by today’s Indian literary
standards, is a bold portrayal of incest. The erotic scenes are
handled with great finesse. In less capable hands these would have
degenerated into crass pornography. Naani, on the other hand,
takes an unconventional look at the granny-granddaughter equation. The
duo’s Unmitigated hatred, vile vindictiveness and dangerous
pettiness are woven expertly into the story to provide a credible
narrative. Barkha Rani is a tragic-comic portrayal of a
housemaid who desperately clings to her "pedigree" as a
shield against assorted humiliations. Dubey employs great sensitivity
while depicting the protagonist’s handling of her dilemmas. Finally,
in The Science Wizard, the writer deals with the rise, fall and
redemption of a child prodigy. This story has something that is going
to linger in your memory for a long time.
LOVE as a literary theme
is as old as, well, the feeling of love itself. Stories ranging from
coarse to sublime, erotic to psychoanalytical and from clich`E9d to
avant-garde have been written around this most natural yet elusive of
sentiments.
I am
Broke...! Love Me