Truth is stranger than fiction

Book review Title: The Ballad of Black Tom Author: Victor Lavalle Genre: Horror/Fantasy The Ballad of Black Tom is the retelling of the story "The Horror at Red Hook" from the viewpoint of a black man.  Set in Harlem, we have our protagonist Tommy Tester who is a small time musician and comes in contact with Robert Suydam- a millionaire. The latter wants Tommy to participate in his scheme of things which eventually results in a bizarre and a creepy transformation of Tommy.  The first part of the book is narrated from the point of view of Tommy and then shifts to the point of view of the detective Malone. There isn’t much of world building in terms of the fantastical elements. However the author brings to light the issues of racism, brutal behavior of the police and prejudices against a certain community. This is one of the strongest points in the book as it deals with the horrors of treatment towards to the Black which is sadly still relevant today. Some of instances make you...

Book review Title: Whereabouts Author: Jhumpa Lahiri Genre: Fiction/Translation (Italian) Whereabouts is an interesting read that captures the  different slices of a life of the unnamed narrator who is a woman. The chapters are all short in the form of vignettes. It entails the characters observations of life around her in a new city. A life which is clearly filled with loneliness, wistfulness, melancholy and introspection.  We learn that she is a professor in Italy living alone. She has lost her father during her teens and rarely visits her mother. She is trying to find herself in a city alien to her, describes her experiences with different people including a couple of flings.  Narrated in first person, the readers get into the interiority of the character. We are privy to her thoughts and monologue. The theme of solitude  rings throughout the novel.  And the lyrical and poetic prose enhances this rather somber mood. She definitely has an eye for detail, descr...

Wrote this for fun as the word lyrics triggered memory of a certain period in my life.    It was the year 1995.  Having turned into an adolescent, it was a phase when I was experimenting with street food and delving deep into the world of cinema. Watching musical shows on television eventually became a past time.    Now I had grown up listening to songs with lyrics that touched the soul and evoked myriad emotions. A strange sense of melancholy that was difficult to comprehend but nevertheless left a lingering feeling on my mind. One particular song was Gulzar’s  Tujhse naraaz nahin zindagi which instantly brought tears to my eyes. What a masterpiece that was, capturing a man’s helplessness to respond to his son’s innocuous questions.    So, it came as a rude shock when Indian cinema entered into a phase of coming up with numbers where pants and shirts were considered sexy, girls were labelled as a mast cheez, the leading actors were hollering...

The other day I was walking with a writer friend in park discussing the nuances of fiction writing. The discussion came down to writing short stories vs novels and we realized that the former was more challenging to write.  Now I have finished two semesters at University and taken two short fiction workshops. As I went through some of the feedback I realized how difficult it was to pack the several dynamics into one story. Especially when the page and word limited is restricted in a short story. There is so much to tell so its hard to identify what may be essential. What makes it even more challenging is the the disparate views that you get in a workshop. Every feedback is valuable and yet tough to incorporate. It made me wonder if long fiction is easier. One could elaborate on the back story of several characters without worrying about the pacing. The comparison between the short and long fiction reminded me of a sprint vs a marathon.  In my several years of training, one thi...

Book review Title: Every Anxious Wave Author: Mo Daviau Genre: Time travel fiction Every Anxious wave tells the story of a thirty something bar owner whose life takes an unexpected turn when he stumbles upon a time traveling wormhole in his closet. Karl lacks purpose and meaning in his life. When he discovers a time travel option, he and his friend Wayne start a side business for people who want to travel back in time and attend their favorite band’s  concerts. When Wayne is transported to the 980 era instead of 1980 by mistake, Karl is distraught and seeks the help of astrophysicist Lena. Karl and Lena time travel together, fall in love and bounce across different years, discovering Lena’s troubled childhood. When she goes back to alter her past, it impacts her life and future with Karl.  Anxious Wave is engaging, intriguing and takes you on a bizarre adventure. As a reader, you are transported to different years including the primitive era of 980. The author does a good job ...

 Book review   Title: La Javvaab Authors: Prahlad Hegde, Jacob John, Anamika Kundu, Venkat Balantrapu Vishwanathan Iyer Amisha Shah Aparna Salvi Nagda Bhumii R Parwani Genre: Short Stories/Anthology   Nothing beats the feeling of gorging on a freshly baked pizza with delicious toppings on a Friday evening. Reading La Jaavaab gives you that feeling. It’s always nice to read books/stories authored by members of this forum-people whose writings in response to the word prompt that you enjoy reading.     La jaavab is an interesting concept where the authors have formulated a story/poem around each ingredient on a pizza. The stories range from an underworld saga of a certain Chaku Don, a journey of a villager from coastal town who makes yeast, a grave look into the life of sex workers, a humble peasant who becomes a bodyguard, a story of a couple where the husband turns from a foodie to a marathoner, the price that a father pays for coming to his kid’s defense, d...

Book Review Title: After the Quake Author: Haruki Murakami Genre: Fiction/Short Stories After the Quake is a mesmerizing collection of six short stories that are loosely connected to the 1995 earthquake in Kobe. While all the characters in these stories do not directly experience the earthquake, they are aware of it either through news or television.  UFO in Koshiro tells the story of a man whose wife suddenly leaves him with no explanation. Landscape with Flatiron explores the platonic relationship of a woman with a much older man. All God’s children can dance is a disturbing story of a boy with a subtle hint at incest combined with religion and sexuality. Thailand is the story of a middle aged doctor woman’s realization about something while holidaying in Bangkok. Super Frog saves Tokyo is the story of an agent collector who finds a giant frog at his doorstep. Honey pie is a story about a writers life and his frustrations.  All the stories are all narrated in third person wi...

Book Review   Title: Side Chick Nation Author: Aya De Leon Genre: Contemporary fiction This book is authored by my professor at University of San Francisco.    Side Chick nation tells the story of Dulce Garcia right from the time she was groomed into a sex worker to how she escapes an abusive boyfriend and lands herself amidst a hurricane in Puerto Rico.    When Dulce flees from her boyfriend to her family in the Caribbean, her boredom propels herself to seek an adventure to Puerto Rico where she meets Gerard-her sugar daddy and Zavier-a budding journalist. Life is a party for her until she gets embroiled in the jaws of a hurricane. Will Dulce find a way back to New York? On the other side, we have Marisol- a thief who is determined in protecting her family land in Puerto Rico.    This is the fourth book in the Heist series and a multifaceted tale. In this complex story, the author packs a lot of issues right from natural disasters, capitalism, wo...

Book Review Title: Faye Faraway Author :Helen Fisher  Genre: Time travel fiction  What if you get a chance to travel back in time and redeem the past?  Faye Faraway explores this phenomenon of time travel along with many other themes.  Faye was seven when her mother passed away. At thirty six she is happily married to Eddie and blessed with two daughters. When she stumbles upon an old box that a space hopper toy arrived in, It leads to a series of events. Faye suddenly finds herself in 1977 and gets a chance to reconnect with her mother and her younger self. Her mother does not recognize her but eventually forms a bond with her. This rapport unveils a lot of secrets and it remains to be seen of Faye chooses to stay in the past or will she eventually return to her family.  Set in London, the story is narrated in first person from the point of view of Faye. It gives the feeling that she is in direct conversation with the readers, taking them along her journey. She...

March has been an interesting month with regards to reading. I got to explore some different genres and study the crafts and techniques of writing.  Summarizing the eclectic mix of titles.  Who is Vera Kelly?: Technically a spy thriller, Who is Vera Kelly covers a lot of sub genres. Its about a story of a girl who works at a radio station and how she's hired for the CIA, finding herself in the middle of a coup and lurking dangers.  The Wife Upstairs is a gothic and atmospheric thriller about a woman who is a dog walker and moves into her boyfriend's mansion. Things take a turn when she hears noises upstairs and digs out some skeletons in the closet.  The Coldest Winter Ever is my first read in the Urban fiction genre and chronicles the coming of age story of a wealthy drug dealer's daughter, her trials and tribulations after her father's arrest.  The Kindest Lie i s the story set in the backdrop of the inauguration of President Obama. It tells the story of a ...