Fiction. South Asia Studies. "Not merely lyrical and strange, but also deadpan funny"--Miranda July. A centipede in a shoe, revelations in a shoebo...
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Oct 10, 2008
Karen
rated it: 
It's hard not to compare Kuzhali Manickavel to Miranda July, both because they seem to share a sort of "quirkiness" (yes, I hate that word too), and because Miranda herself wrote a nonblurb for this book, something along the lines of, "When I read this book I totally felt like I had once hung out with this woman at a party or something, but I hadn't. She's just that good." I hope someday I'll be able to write something that will make Miranda feel that way - or better yet, som
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Oct 27, 2008
oriana
rated it:
Oh yes please. New crazy book with a new crazy title put out by a new crazy small press in India? Um, yes yes and yes.
***
This book is awesome. Despite Miranda July's silly/stupid little blurb on the back, Ms. Manickavel is freaking great. These wispy little stories are often so short that they hardly get started, but they're still whimsical and angsty and really cool. There are a lot of lazy or mean or hopeful or lovelorn girls, plenty of strange bugs and other animals, w More...
***
This book is awesome. Despite Miranda July's silly/stupid little blurb on the back, Ms. Manickavel is freaking great. These wispy little stories are often so short that they hardly get started, but they're still whimsical and angsty and really cool. There are a lot of lazy or mean or hopeful or lovelorn girls, plenty of strange bugs and other animals, w More...
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(5 people liked it)
Oct 24, 2011
Zach
rated it: 
I've never made it a secret that I hate "quirky" characters with a passion. Reading books like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer makes me feel like I'm having a thousand aneurysms at once, until I am reduced to flinging the book away and wishing as much harm as possible on the author. But you know what? Kuzhali Manickavel makes it work. The "quirkiness" feels real. That might not even be the right word, "neurotic" might be a better way of d
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Apr 01, 2011
Harshita
rated it:
The morsels of stories here were delicious. I like fiction that gives me the feeling of reaching out, scrabbling for something that's _just_ beyond where the light falls. This definitely fit there, some stories are surreal and some are downright cracked out. This ranks up there with Neil Gaiman's "Smoke and Mirrors" for stories that shift your way of looking about five steps to the right.
Like most short story collections I've read, this is an uneven bunch. I know my favourite More...
Like most short story collections I've read, this is an uneven bunch. I know my favourite More...
Nov 11, 2008
Tung
rated it: 
I picked up this book of short stories upon reading a review that likened it to Miranda July’s short story collection No One Belongs Here More Than You. The main similarity between that book and this one lies in the quirkiness and surreality of the characters and stories. To call this book a collection of short stories, however, is an understatement. There are 35 shorts in this book, packed into only 141 pages – i.e. about a third of the “stories” are only a few paragraphs long. This is ultimate
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Jul 21, 2011
Tanvi
rated it: 
I picked up the book not realizing that it was a book of short stories. The first story opened brilliantly, full of grainy, quirky realism( and unrealism). Unfortunately, it ended before it began. Which is the main problem with the rest of the stories - they are all just too short!
There is something raw and alive in Kuzhali's writing. She's fresh even in the sapped air of Chennai. I'm eagerly awaiting a full-length novel that I can sink my teeth into.
There is something raw and alive in Kuzhali's writing. She's fresh even in the sapped air of Chennai. I'm eagerly awaiting a full-length novel that I can sink my teeth into.
Nov 21, 2008
Valerie
rated it:
I loved this quirky, poignant, funny, and original bunch of stories. Definitely in the realm of the surreal, and heavily steeped in its Indian locale. Be ready to step off the bridge about what you think a short story is and what you think narrative looks like.
Jan 12, 2009
Michael
rated it:
More whimsical than surrealistic but with lots of blood, vomit, dead bugs and decaying body parts. I didn't count but I believe the word "decay" is the most common word in these short stories. A couple of stories were almost interesting.
Aug 23, 2011
BeSlayed
rated it:
Very interesting collection of weird short, short fiction by odd Tamilian Manickavel.
Sep 25, 2011
shati
rated it:
I remember vividly that this book was perfection, but none of the details.
Aug 03, 2010
Stephanie
rated it:
a cool gift from lakshmi.
some of the stories at the beginning seemed whimsical/non stop quirk just for the sake of it. nothing wrong with that, i guess, but ADD got the best of me.
when both the writer and the reader have ADD, sometimes trouble brews.
it slowly got better, though, and i was really into the weird descriptive images by the end.
some of the stories at the beginning seemed whimsical/non stop quirk just for the sake of it. nothing wrong with that, i guess, but ADD got the best of me.
when both the writer and the reader have ADD, sometimes trouble brews.
it slowly got better, though, and i was really into the weird descriptive images by the end.
Sep 06, 2010
Michele
rated it:
I'm not sure why I liked this so much -- the stories are odd, some of them surreal, some of them little more than vignettes, but the writing is so sharp that it's a real pleasure to read.
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Oct 24, 2008
Yes, other than the occasional presence of wings I can also think of no single difference between humans and insects.
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