Meera Nair's Blog, page 19
January 18, 2019
All Your Perfects
In my opinion, an integral part of the new adult or adult genre is the sub-section comprising of stories about the newly-wedded. There is an excess in novels about students and early 20-somethings trying to figure out their place in the world. But I’ve seldom come across books that tackle the subject of marriage without having their characters be 40 year olds. And that’s where Colleen Hoover’s heartrending novel about a couple in their late 20s, whose marriage has become so strained that it t...
January 11, 2019
Bestseller by Ahmed Faiyaz
The publishing industry does not garner nearly as much limelight as entertainment industries do. But Ahmed Faiyaz’s Indian contemporary fiction, Bestseller, more than makes up for it by adding heaps of glitz and glamour to an intriguing premise. Kalim Publishing is a sinking ship that has been nearly reduced to the position of swatting flies because of the great paucity of titles to be published as well as motivated personnel who could make that happen. Picture a decrepit building in some cor...
January 10, 2019
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
Narratives on religion and the implications of shifting blame have been written time and time again. But what is extraordinary about Tahereh Mafi’s brainchild is the brandishing of a character, a 16 year old American girl of Iranian descent, whose integrity is questioned simply because she happened to exist in a time rife with terrorism and extremism. Before 9/11, Shirin led a relatively more peaceful life. But ever since the heinous incident set the world against those of Islamic faith, she...
December 22, 2018
Book Review — Fortune’s Soldier by Alex Rutherford
If I’ve learned one thing about Hindustanis, it’s their endurance, their patience. When I hear my fellow officers whining on in the mess, I think how much we could learn from these people if only we wanted to… if only we made an effort…
Nicholas Ballantyne was meant to enjoy his life in Glenmire, Scotland, but when an unprecedented move on his uncle’s part sends him across the world to Hindustan, he becomes deeply involved in the changing political scenario of the nation. As an employee of th...
December 13, 2018
Book Review — Land of the Living by Georgina Harding
Georgina Harding’s war narrative seeks to remind us of the debilitating nature of such crimes against humanity. By positing a husband-wife duo at the centre of her novel, Land of the Living, the author allows us a glimpse of how intricately the trauma following war permeates a relationship. Charlie’s experiences in the Battle of Kohima haunt him till date and Claire’s attempts to get through to him, comfort him remain futile. This unforgettable story takes on more meaning with the recurring...
November 14, 2018
Book Review — The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Image Courtesy – Goodreads
Madeline Miller has a way with words. Reading The Song of Achilles was like swaying with the waves, the ocean lapping at you and the peace making you one with the environment. It was soothing, inviting and towards the end, a surge of emotions. I hadn’t felt this connected to a book in the longest time and so, was more than eager to get swept up in Patroclus’ narration. Told from his point of view, the novel builds a timeline of events that have seen Patroclus and Ac...
November 12, 2018
Book Review — Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
Inspired by Sophocles’ Antigone, Home Fire shows us the plight of a family embroiled in modern day politics and Islamophobia. Isma Pasha has been a second mother to her siblings after the demise of their parents. But her decision to move to America marks the beginning of the disintegration of their family. The twins, Aneeka and Parvaiz, find their paths diverging as he gets roped into joining the Islamic State, while trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. Winner of the Women’s Prize for...
October 2, 2018
Book Review — French Exit by Patrick deWitt
Image Courtesy – Goodreads
French Exit displays the gradual unraveling of a mother and son, as they are left to deal with the brunt of the father’s death. Upon Franklin Price’s demise and the consequent bankruptcy, Frances and Malcolm realize that there’s very little left for them in Manhattan. And so, they set sail for Paris, unsure as to what life awaits them in that new continent.
Right off the bat, it is clear that Patrick deWitt’s tragic-comedy does not read like an easy, fluffy contempo...
September 12, 2018
Cover Reveal — Paradise Towers by Shweta Bachchan-Nanda
Shweta Bachchan-Nanda’s debut novel is all set to leap onto bookshelves come 2nd week of October 2018. The book already has a very mesmerizing trailer that you can watch on HarperCollins India’s Instagram page. Here’s what the cover looks like:
About Paradise Towers:
Dinesh opens the door to the Kapoor flat to find Lata, the enchantress who works at Mrs Aly Khan’s,
carrying a hot case with freshly made gaajar ka halwa. On the first floor, the inquisitive Mrs Mody wipes
the dust off her preci...
September 11, 2018
Book Review — Cold Truth by Nikhil Pradhan
Image Courtesy – Goodreads
Sakshi Prakash is a 10-year-old girl who goes missing from East Delhi. While the police are making zilch efforts to uncover the mystery behind her disappearance, a journalist follows the trails left behind by other such possible child kidnappings, and ends up unveiling an international conspiracy that’ll take the world by storm. Written in an epistolary format, Cold Truth packs a punch with its emphasis on corruption and the possibilities of the unknown.
While I’m...
