Back of the book

The Storyteller of Marrakesh
By Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya.
Tranquebar.
Pages 341. Rs 495.

The appearanc of the young foreign couple caught the attention of nearly everyone on the Jemaa that night. The woman’s beauty and the man’s enigmatic behaviour intrigued observers — but now no one can seem to agree on the details surrounding their disappearance.

Each year, the storyteller Hassan gathers listeners on Marrakesh’s fabled city square to share their recollections of that night in an effort to understand what happened —and to absolve his younger brother, Mustafa, who is in jail for the crime. Convinced of his brother’s innocence despite his disapproval of Mustafa’s sybaritic ways, Hassan determinedly searches for truth.

But as his listeners offer contradicting testimonies, and details transform or dissolve in the haze of memory, the couple takes on an air as enigmatic as their fate, leaving one to wonder whether Hassan is succeeding in his quest or, more disturbingly, is himself part of the mystery. From the bustling maze of the ancient medina to the expansive "desert of love", where wind and sand conspire to swallow up roaming strangers, the novel upends the conventions of the mystery even as it offers an inspired exploration of the nature of love and our shifting perceptions of reality.

Vengeance of Ravana
By Ashok K. Banker.
Penguin.
Pages 320. Rs 299.

The original Ramayana was written 3000 years ago. Now, with breathtaking imagination and brilliant storytelling, Ashok Banker has recreated this epic tale for modern readers everywhere.

Ravana is dead. The asura threat is ended. At last, Rama is on the throne of Ayodhya, seeking only to live in peace with his beloved Sita.

But their peace does not last long because evil never dies, it only changes form and shape. An old enemy breaks free of his subterranean prison to convey a shocking message. An army arrives at the gates of Ayodhya, led by a mysterious being bearing a terrible weapon. Is Rama truly following his dharma or being manipulated by a plot masterfully orchestrated by Ravana?

Absolute Oneness
By Vijay Singal.
Wisdom Tree.
Pages 125. Rs 95.

This book explains, in a simple and elegant way, how any human being can attain a state of oneness with the Divine. Written in a beautiful, poetic format, it takes the individual through the different stages of spiritual transformation, where the ultimate goal is to experience the merger of the self in the ocean of super-consciousness.

HOME