Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 260

Welcome To The New World – Book Review

Done reading book number 41 for the year – “Welcome to the New World” by Jake Halpern & Michael Sloan. It’s a non-fiction graphic novel that tracks the story of a newly arrived immigrant Syrian family in America.

The family in this novel is one of the luckier ones – they manage to escape unscathed. Although Ibrahim Aldabaan, the head, had no choice but to leave his mother behind because her visa to America wasn’t approved. With five young kids to take care of, Ibrahim and his wife have a rough road ahead. With no jobs and very little money, they have to become independent within a few weeks.

Somehow it felt like their experiences were sugar-coated, or maybe I was expecting something more than the pretty straightforward story that’s served in this book. The artwork is nice, not eye-grabbing or extraordinary. ‘Welcome to the New World’ was originally a cartoon strip that appeared in the New York Times and was later adapted into a graphic novel, so the panels have a very newspaper style touch to it, almost making it impersonal.

For those who haven’t followed the Syrian crisis closely, “Welcome to the New World” is a good pick to understand the lives of migrants and the hardships they have to deal with when they move to a new nation – be it racism, bigotry or a loss of their sense of self. But to readers who have been reading up on the civil war there, the graphic novel makes for an ordinary reading experience. It’s a 3/5 from me.

Please check out our podcast by the same name on YouTube – Abstract AF.

Listen to episode 28 for some quick reviews under 10 minutes. Do subscribe.

12 Fun Movie Recommendations

Well, it’s May 2021 and the Covid19 pandemic has a lot of us holed up in our homes around the world. Mom asked me if I could do a podcast episode where I recommend some nice films to watch at home. So here’s episode 29, where I quickly talk of 12 fun films that one can watch with the entire family. They are all post 2010 movies and aren’t animated.

While most films on the list are in English, there are some Indian & Chinese titles too, along with details on where to stream of them. The non-English ones will have subtitles.

Listen in and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube –

Secret Magic Control Agency – Quick Review

The age old story of “Hansel and Gretel” gets a new spin in the 2021 Netflix animated film “Secret Magic Control Agency” directed by Aleksey Tsitsilin. In this story, the brother-sister duo are not kids, but working adults, living their own lives. While Hansel is a charlatan of a magician, his sister Gretel works for secret royal agency that studies/investigates/monitors all forms of magic. The two are forced to work together to crack the mysterious kidnapping of their king by an evil witch on the orders of the ‘Secret Magic Control Agency’.

So how was this 21st century mash of an age old ‘fairy tale’? Well, it is a cute film that would make for a fun watch for kids below age 15, the older crowd might not find themselves too tickled with its silly comedy and old tropes. There are all sorts of things in the film, animated food that seems to be fashioned on the lines of the ‘minions’ from ‘Despicable Me’, mermaids that like to party, evil witches, among other things. The real excitement begins when adult Hansel & Gretel accidentally turn into kids due to a magic potion – so they have to save the king as kids.

Like I said, it’s a fun film, the kind the whole family can watch with the little kids in the house. The story is sweet, showing the misadventures of feuding siblings, who have to put their egos aside to fight evil. The animation is sparkly and pretty to look at. The overall mood of the film is very light, bright, with close to no dark themes, not unless you really want to think hard and dwell upon it. Older animation fans however might be left disappointed. It’s a 5/10 from me.

Please check our podcast by the same name on YouTube – AbstractAF.

Listen to episode 28 for 10 quick book reviews and recommendations. And do subscribe to the channel.

10 Book Reviews Under 10 Minutes – April Edition

April is over and I managed to read 10 books again, diving into both fictional and non-fictional worlds. Since April is celebrated as poetry month in some parts of the world, I read two poetry collections by new authors and they were quite a delight.

Listen to episode 28 of Abstract AF’s podcast for quick reviews of 10 books and maybe you’ll find something that will interest you –

Do subscribe to the channel for more book recommendations and movie recommendations.

‘Eternal Love’ Review – WWII veteran fondly remembers 74 years of marriage

I rarely buy e-books on an impulse, that kind of excitement and recklessness is usually reserved for paperbacks or hardbacks. But in the morning today, my twitter feed showed up an article by Los Angeles Times, the headline read “After World War II and the Japanese incarceration, they fell in love. At 98, he’s published a tribute to his beloved”.

It’s a memoir titled “Eternal Love” by Louis Moore.

“Moore is now sharing his love story as widely as he can at a time when the country is grappling with a rise in anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the LA Times tweeted. One could see a sweet American-Asian looking couple smiling at the camera on the cover of the novel.

At a time when our feeds are filled with desperate pleas for help, of news of deaths and loss due to the pandemic, a love story is perhaps a good distraction. So I went to my kindle app immediately and looked for the book and bought the e-copy. Most readers would be intrigued right? It’s not very often that you hear of a happy marriage that lasted 74 long years. That’s eternal enough.

It was spring 1946.

Louis Moore was a Chinese American soldier from New York.

Nellie Hatsumi Maeda was a Japanese American woman trying to rebuild her life after the U.S. government incarcerated her at the Gila River Relocation Center in Arizona.https://t.co/GhyAwIrAx4

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) April 28, 2021

As I started reading the book, just the first page dedication by the author to his wife felt slightly overwhelming. Moore starts the memoir by telling us how he first met his wife Nellie in 1946, right after he received his ‘honorable discharge’ from the American Air Force. It soon begins to feel like a sweet tale being recited by your grandfather. The language is simple, conversational, with very short sentences.

“Eternal Love” is less of a memoir and more of a tribute by Louis Moore to the love of his life, the woman he was happily married to for 74 years. He makes it sound too easy. Although it’s evident that both Moore and Nellie hustled hard and held a lot of different jobs before they settled into a comfortable life. There are times, when, like a typical ‘wise old man’, he gets slightly preachy, passing out advice on how to have a happy marriage. Some bits readers might not agree to, like when says having kids usually ends a marriage. Ouch. I chuckled hard at that one and didn’t have a problem with that opinion. Many might not feel the same.

Sometimes, Moore gets a little repetitive and recalls things that he has already mentioned in an earlier chapter. At one point I wondered if I had accidentally gone back to a chapter and was re-reading it, but that was not the case. For a book that’s less than 100 pages, and for an author who has lived to be almost 100, I am sure he might have had more to say, instead of repeating the same details. One should perhaps blame those who helped him edit the book, because it could have used a few more rounds of editing and fine-tuning. It feels like a scattered personal diary, like someone jotting down memorable moments of his life in no particular order.

Louis Moore is clearly not a story-teller, he is a world-war veteran who greatly loved his wife and wanted to share his love story at a time when the world is going through a crisis. For those looking to be distracted by a real-life story, that’s easy to read and maybe even relatable at points, “Eternal Love” may offer a good break. It’s a story about two very hard-working individuals, an American-Chinese man, who married an American-Japanese woman, a match that was not approved by either of their families at first, but they won their acceptance eventually, just like they found a place to call ‘home’, in a country that was hostile to those of Asian descent.

It’s a 3/5 from me.

Please check our podcast by the same name on YouTube – AbstractAF.

Listen to episode 7 for some good fiction recommendations. And do subscribe to the channel.

Estuary by Perumal Murugan – Review

How do we begin this book review?

Well… let us start from the end.

“This could’ve been a short story. 40 pages. Maybe 50 pages,” I thought to myself, disappointed at the abrupt way in which the fictional novel ‘Estuary’ by Perumal Murugan ended. It was a witty fun ending. But after 256 pages of a father obsessing over his son’s desire for an expensive phone, it probably wouldn’t have mattered how it ended, readers like me would’ve been left feeling let down.

Set in a fictional place called Asurapur, ‘Estuary’ is about a simple government employee Kumarasurar, who shirks work, refuses to embrace technology, overtly-indulges his only college-going son Meghas and loses his shit when the boy asks for an exorbitantly priced smart-phone. The technology-challenged father cannot fathom why a phone must cost so much. He spirals into becoming an emotional mess when he slowly realizes the perils of a youngster having a smartphone with an internet connection. Meghas could become a delinquent, a game addict or just die while meddling with the phone. The possibilities are endless and Kumarasurar cannot find a way to say no.

‘Estuary’ is a dry satire, which has some bright moments, but is too damn long and boring in between. There were times that I seriously wanted to just stop reading, the mundane mind of the protagonist gave me a headache. Murugan mocks the Indian education system amply in the book, exaggerating how some schools and colleges function; although, he is definitely not too far from the truth. For example, Meghas studied in a school that doesn’t allow students to go home for two years. Only the parents are allowed to visit the kids on campus. At the end of the academic year, some students commit suicide, while the ‘survivors’ of the gruelling system riot against the teachers.

Since the book was originally written in Tamil, it’s hard to comment on the language, but the English translation was simple and easy to read. It’s just that the plot and Kumarasurar’s nightmares will appear juvenile to experienced readers. The characters are silly. Meghas is a pivotal character, but we get to nothing about him, except for the fact that he gets good grades and is bit of a brat. There is precious little happening in this book in way of action, most of it is in Kumarasura’s head. Cannot imagine a lot of people wanting to be there.

I enjoyed reading the first few pages of ‘Estuary’, but the experience went downhill from there. It doesn’t help that Murugan gives most of the characters similar sounding names, so a lot of readers would easily get confused over who is who. At some points I wouldn’t even know who was the protagonist, but just didn’t want to re-read anything again, so I would just move on. This is the kind of book best read when somebody is just beginning to explore fiction. Or perhaps it’s just not for me.

Please check our podcast by the same name on YouTube – AbstractAF.

Listen in and do subscribe to the channel (embedded below)

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – Review

Book number 38 for the year – The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon. What a book! It’s all about men, comics, violence, war and yet, it manages to be emotional, warm and the kind of novel that you want to read before you go to bed. The kind you never want to end. Haven’t in the longest time mourned the fact that a novel is going to end, even before reaching the half-way point.

‘The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay’ is about two young Jewish boys who dream of making big money by drawing comics in the 1940s. Joe Kavalier is an aspiring magician, illegally shipped to America, to escape the eventual deaths that await his kin in Prague. Sammy Clay is his wildly imaginative American cousin, who immediately sniffs out Joe’s talent with pencils. The two then dream up a superhero called ‘The Escapist’, a magician who travels around the world and frees the oppressed.

Chabon spins an emotional tale of friendship, of two young men finding fame during the ‘golden age’ of comic books. But their own personal demons are no less epic than their caped comic heroes. While Joe devotes all his time in working obsessively to earn enough to secure his family’s passage to America; Sammy struggles with his identity. Their friendship and professional partnership however survives all sorts of trials, even after suffering a major blow in between.

Along their journey, we meet some interesting characters, like the charmingly handsome Tracy Bacon who plays the Escapist on radio; Joe’s love interest Rosa Saks, who goes on to become one of the first woman comic artist in Chabon’s fictional world. As a reader, you will fall in love with the way the author intersperses details from the real American comic scene, including a look at its violent origins. You’ll come across mentions and appearances of Harry Houdini (the magician), Joe Shuster (creator of Superman), Salvador Dali and many others.

But it’s not all magic, action and escapism. Chabon also dwells deeply into the psyche of the characters, their motivations, fears and other internal turmoils. This 600+ pages novel is an intricate, expansive tale, richly weaved in with comic-book history that will leave you wanting for more. I cannot wait to read more of Chabon’s work! It’s a 5/5 from me.

Please check our podcast by the same name on YouTube – AbstractAF.

If you want graphic novel recommendations, listen to episode 15. 

Love and Monsters Review – Needs More Monsters

The 2020 film “Love and Monsters” is a science/fantasy fiction story in which the hero is driven by love and chased by monsters. The trailer seemed fun enough and the movie itself is not too bad either. It’s light, funny in parts, with an adorable dog, but could have been much more entertaining if it had more monsters. That’s pretty much the short review.

Now let’s get into a detailed but spoiler-free review. Plot overview – Directed by Michael Matthews, this story is about a post-apocalyptic world, where mutated animals have taken over the world, wiping out almost 90% of the human population, forcing the survivors to live in underground bunkers. Our hero is Joel (played by Dylan O’Brien), who feels he is ‘good for nothing’, so he decided to move out of his colony and find his old girlfriend who is a seven-day journey away. But it’s not going to be an easy trip, as he’ll have to go to the surface and journey on foot in a world dominated by huge mutated monsters that eat humans.

Just the idea of the story is quiet fun, imagine having a protagonist fighting/escaping giant sized snails/frogs/worms and what not. The makers also throw in some talking robots, which was a nice touch, even though the bit with a robot slows down the pace a bit. The cinematography of ‘Love and Monsters’ is quite a treat to watch. Nature has reclaimed most of the space that was once dominated by buildings, so you get to see a lot of greenery and overgrowth. The computer-generated-monsters are not too bad either and make for interesting villains. As a viewer, you are left wanting more of the ugly-giant-human-eating-creatures.

Overall, “Love and Monsters” is a fun film, on the lighter side of the science-fantasy genre and looks like the makers were just trying to have some fun with it. The true hero of the film was a dog called ‘Boy’ that Joel adopts along the way, the canine will make you want to adopt a pet if you don’t have one. Actors Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt have a small cameo in the movie as Clyde and Minnow, two strangers trying to find a new home, who rescue Joel and teach him how to survive on the surface. Despite having love as a central theme, it didn’t have too much romance, which was a welcome change for me. Those looking for mush might be left disappointed.

If you are looking for a simple post-apocalyptic survival film that does not have zombies, ‘Love and Monsters’ is not too bad for a one time watch. It’s a 6/10 from me.

Do check out our podcast on Youtube by the same name – AbstractAF!

Listen in and show support by subscribing to the channel (embedded below)

Ajeeb Daastaans Review – 4 Tales, Only 1 Worth Telling

If a movie is made up of four short films and only one of them is good, would you think it’s worth a watch? That’s the 2021 Bollywood film ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’ for you and I can’t decide if it should get a thumbs up or thumbs down. The four films are directed by four different directors and while three of them have a great cast too, only one story saves the day in this one, the one made by Neeraj Gaywan of ‘Masaan’ fame.

The biggest problem with ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’ is its title itself, it literally means “Strange Tales”, which obviously generates interest and intrigue in the viewer, but the tales fail to live up to the title. Let’s break the four stories down without any spoilers.

Majnu – The first story directed by Shashank Khaitan is about a wealthy couple trapped in a loveless arranged marriage. The husband never touches the wife, so she chooses to flirt with whoever comes her way. Will the entry of a new dashing accountant change their lives forever? Obviously, it has to, but in an unexpected way. While the basic plot of this short is quite akin to a lot of things we’ve already seen in many movies and stories, the ‘twist’ was definitely unexpected, but felt ‘forced’. As a viewer you don’t feel like “woah, didn’t see that coming”, instead you think “really? that doesn’t seem very plausible”. Also, there is nothing strange about the twist or the plot, if anything’s ‘strange’, it’s the maker’s idea of ‘strange’. There’s absolutely no foreshadowing for the climax, the director just cheats the viewer with an ending that most wouldn’t see coming. It’s like JK Rowling putting a twist in the last Harry Potter book – declaring that Voldemort is actually Harry’s real father. It’s would have been a twist that cheats the reader. You are given no signs that Voldemort could actually be Potter’s dad. But Rowling in the very last last chapter sneaks up a flashback of Harry’s mom having an affair with Voldemort. Not plausible? Exactly. Khilauna – Directed by Raj Mehta, the second short film is about a house-help who starts working in the house of a creepy rich guy in hopes that he can help restore her illegal electricity connection in her home. Nushrat Bharucha plays the poor but street-smart help, but she is not convincing in her role at all. Again, the twist in this story makes no sense. It’s not strange, but far-fetched. Geeli Pucchi – The third short was the shining beacon in this long movie. Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, it stars Konkona Sen Sharma and Aditi Rao Hydari, who were complete show stealers, backed by a very strong script. Konkona plays hardworking Bharti Mandal, a factory worker who is discriminated against at her work place due to her caste. An amateur upper caste Priya Sharma comes swooping down to steal the promotion Bharti had her eyes on. The two however form an unlikely friendship that has an unlikely conclusion too. Ironically, while this short film is the strongest link in ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’, it also is the most realistic and believable of them all, not ‘strange’ in any way. Neeraj Ghaywan poignantly captures class divides, sexual repression and the hidden desires of women. Konkona and Aditi Hydari brilliantly bring his vision to life. Ankahi – The fourth short directed by Kayoze Irani touches upon a subject rarely seen in movies – hearing disability. Shefali Shah plays Natasha, mother to an almost deaf young girl. Natasha is frustrated with the fact that her husband makes no effort to learn the sign language & starts doubting her marriage. Strangely enough, she meets a deaf photographer, who gives her a fresh take on life. This story was filled with old school sentimental stuff that would have perhaps moved viewers in the 1980s, but can only get amused smirks out of intelligent viewers. For example, the deaf photographer says he voluntarily chose not to use an implant that would’ve helped him hear, because “people always lie to him”. He claims that he prefers sign language because people “cannot lie with their eyes”. Sentimental soap-opera stuff right there. Either this deaf guy is a super privileged rich person who never has to walk on the streets, or just dumb. It almost felt like the makers unintentionally trivialize hearing disability. This short-film could’ve been a nice two minute romantic poem, but as an almost 30 minute long film, it was quite disappointing. Good acting by the cast cannot save this script. (I am aware I have said this in older reviews).

If I had to allot 5 points for each film, I would perhaps give a 5/5 to “Geeli Pucchi”, maybe a 3/5 for Majnu, because the unadulterated Hindi was a joy to hear, the other two get a 2/5 each, which makes it 12/20, so that would make it a 6/10. So it’s a 6/10 from me for “Ajeeb Daastaans”.

Do check out our podcast on Youtube by the same name – AbstractAF!

Listen in, show support and subscribe to the channel (embedded below)

World’s First Novels & A Tragic ‘Story Poem’

It’s 23rd April, a day that is observed as ‘World Book Day’, to celebrate books, authors and to encourage the habit of reading. So in Episode 26 of Abstract AF’s podcast show, we discuss books and share a narrative poem from my debut book ‘Death & Darker Realms’.

Listen in and subscribe to the channel.

Since the theme this year is ‘share a story’, I am giving away my short story collection “Love, Loss, Lockdown” for free. So get it on your kindle, the offer is valid for 48 hours. Here are some country-wise links –

Amazon India

Amazon U.S

Amazon UK

Amazon Germany

Amazon France