Book Review: An End to the Thrill

Time-travel.  Computer viruses.  Raindrops.  Varun Kumar has a quirky take on storytelling.  In his short story collection An End to the Thrill, he composes concise, philosophical tales with unusual twists.  Nothing is quite what it appears to be. 
The trick in reviewing the stories is to not give away the endings.  Once you catch on that the stories contain the unexpected, part of the fun is to see if you can figure out how they will turn out.  The trouble with this approach, however, is that the stories might come across as novelties rather than as thoughtful meditations on the human experience in the midst of an uncertain world.
Take the story “If Time Could Tell,” which deals with how time travel affects a husband and wife.  Time travel is an intriguing concept, with lots of changing variables as the present readjusts to the past and future.  Life flows in ripples as each event unfolds.  But what Kumar does is tap into the inherent tensions of the couple's relationship.  There is as much focus on the failure of communication between them as there is on the unexpected fate.
Kumar also uses anthropomorphism and personification to touch on themes of betrayal and healing.  He uses the human point of view in microcosmic arenas where the narrator has a very limited perspective on how the world works.  We think we know what is going on, but sometimes we are blindsided by a force of nature or the rules of physics.  Life’s unexpected challenges.
Kumar’s language is direct and unadorned; he does not waste time on superfluous descriptions or unnecessary character analysis.  In “Severence or Adherence,” he gets right down to business with the theme of choices, as well as insight into the narrator Mr. Denfi’s personality:
“I was standing at a place with two paths in front of me and I had to make a choice.  I was always bad at making choices.”
An End to the Thrill is a quick, satisfying read and shows the talent of a good storyteller.