Meera Nair's Blog, page 8

The Poison of Love by K.R Meera

A short novel that was originally written in Malayalam, The Poison of Love is a tragic account of toxic relationships and the lifelong scars they leave behind.

Tulsi, an IIT graduate with great potential, succumbs to the poisonous embrace of love when she chooses to elope with Madhav, not realizing how bleak her future would look.

I’d only heard great things about K.R Meera’s books and ventured to pick up this novella first. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me.

That has a lot to do ...

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma Woodhouse has no need for a marriage. She is well-off, held in high esteem by the people of Highbury, and suitably occupied making matches for others. But when her plans to set up her new friend Harriet Smith with Mr Elton go awry, Emma is in for a rude awakening as to just how blind she is to the inclinations of others.

I could dislike every character in a book and yet thoroughly enjoy reading it if it is anything like a Jane Austen novel in terms of narration and style.

Copyright ...

The Glass-Blowers by Daphne du Maurier

A sweeping account of a family of glassblowers that chronicles the aftermath of the decisions they take and how the French Revolution‘s changing momentum upends the little control they have over their destiny.

The Glass-Blowers is a family saga that is quite unlike most of Daphne du Maurier’s other works – in style and tone. It has none of the ambience of Rebecca, the suspense of My Cousin Rachel, or even a structure in terms of a plot.

The free-flowing narrative in the novel, devoid of ...

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

Wylie Lark is a true-crime writer. So what if her writing retreat comes at the cost of being isolated in a farmhouse with a grisly history of murder, and there’s a snowstorm that has sealed her in? It’s nothing she can’t handle.

But that’s until a little child is found nearly frozen at her doorstep, and Wylie’s questions begin to unravel secrets that strike a little too close to home.

I finished this book in two sittings. Would’ve probably finished it in one if it weren’t for adult respon...

Book Review – The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

Wylie Lark is a true-crime writer. So what if her writing retreat comes at the cost of being isolated in a farmhouse with a grisly history of murder, and there’s a snowstorm that has sealed her in? It’s nothing she can’t handle.

But that’s until a little child is found nearly frozen at her doorstep, and Wylie’s questions begin to unravel secrets that strike a little too close to home.

I finished this book in two sittings. Would’ve probably finished it in one if it weren’t for adult respon...

Glittering City by Cyprian Ekwensi

Ekwensi’s short story opens with an air charged with adventure as a young woman arrives in Lagos and gets caught up in the tumultuous life of Fussy Joe, a Jazz player. What follows is a quick glimpse into Joe’s philandering ways and the havoc that he wrecks.

I enjoy reading books set in different regions of the world. What I got to see of Lagos of the 1960s made the story engaging just as much as Joe’s character made it displeasing.

Copyright © 2022 Meera Nair

The author doesn’t attempt...

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

The Blackwoods live in isolation; far from the prying eyes of the townspeople who reserve nothing but contempt for the family. Told from the perspective of the youngest daughter, Mary Katherine Blackwood, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the story of a mighty family brought to ruin by disastrous events that sealed their fate.

Image Courtesy – Goodreads

The first time I read this book in college was when I was introduced to Shirley Jackson. I couldn’t believe that I’d been missing out o...

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Nora Stephens is the career-driven, city person that gets left behind in the typical romance novels when the male character heads to a small town for a business trip and has a “reawakening”.

So, when her sister Libby insists that they take a trip to Sunshine Falls, the location where Nora’s favourite client based her widely popular novel, she begrudgingly agrees. After all, there’s a checklist included and this can be the perfect time to reconnect with her sister since their mother’s demise.

...

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

Set against the backdrop of a plague that has swept across Earth several decades in the future, Sequoia Nagamatsu’s short story collection wades through loss and longing with equal measure, painting a bleak yet innovative picture of the future.

One of the benefits of going into a book without too much knowledge of its premise is that it becomes fully poised to surprise you. And surprise me, it did! On multiple accounts.

Classified as sci-fi, the book veers towards medical science and discu...

How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

Grace Bernard is serving time for a crime she didn’t even commit, and it is proving to be a darn right nuisance!

Of all the things she gets imprisoned for… and it’s not even for murdering almost everyone in her dad’s family. They’d abandoned her mother and her, and don’t have much merit to their name. So, Grace felt that it was only fair to rid the world of a few vile people.

Image Courtesy – Goodreads

What I love the most about this book is the impassive tone of the writing. It has a ...