Deep Ties

There are stories, and then, there are stories! Anupama Jain has been known as the Queen of humour, and her earlier writings have always left her readers in splits. Acerbic and funny, she has proved that she can turn any topic into a laugh riot. With this anthology, she has showcased another facet of her writing as well. These stories have been taken straight from life, pulsating with reality, hitting an emotional chord in the hearts of the readers. The humour is there in places, but these tales are meant to make people think, and reflect. The situations are simple, the solutions even simpler. Live problems are portrayed, and the language used is apt for the story it highlights. For example, ‘A Scarlett Twist’, a brilliant pun on the title, captures its theme in a non-nonsense manner, which is spot on.   ‘Conversations Between Husband and Wife’ is a hilarious retelling that emphasizes the fact that he, or she, who has the last word wins. ‘Banking on Wrongun...

When a title like this leaps out at you, with a cover that sends a chill down the spine, an expectation arises that the story be as compelling. What a wonderful premise – an old, run-down set of flats in Kolkata, Panorama Apartments, with a murder and a whole pool of suspects, each replete with their own quirks. The characterisation of these suspects is deft – Ira Dutta, a young and feisty journalist; Nandana Roy, middle-aged and “an unsung martyr to the altar of domesticity”; Deepa, a single mother, disciplined and taciturn; the old lady, Mrs. Ghoshal, almost akin to an Indian Ms. Marple, twittering and birdlike, addicted to her television serials and her aromatic fish chops; the voluble Pallabi and her secrets; and the gentle Kedarnath, knuckling under his old mother’s thumb. The mystery is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel, as red herrings are strewn around and the suspense mounts, leaving the readers racking their brains to hunt for clues that will unravel the d...

A well-written short story is a piece of art. It encompasses whole lives within it, much akin to seeing a world in a grain of sand. Mira Saraf’s stories do just that. In a short anthology of five stories, she brings in a melange of extremely powerful emotions that overwhelm the reader. The book veers from the bliss of solitude, where the protagonist “dreamed of familiarity, of friends, of family, of a time before her rapid downward spiral”, to a scenario where guilt takes centre stage till realization strikes, with the assurance that it is okay to let go. Suspicion and paranoia can both be debilitating, as can be loss of memory and the fear of living a life gone awry, especially when one is a writer, producing words. “One after another, like footsteps on a long journey.” What happens when a failed novelist whose “writing had the flavour of stale cardboard” finds the right muse? Mira Saraf’s stories tread that space between sanity and its spill over the edges. The...

When a Professor of English writes a book of short stories, the readers are in for a literary feast. This anthology boasts of five stirring stories which touch the heart in myriad ways. All of them are based in the Indian subcontinent and have themes that cannot be dovetailed into separate compartments. The first story, ‘The Banana Leaf’, deals with the dilemma of the stateless and homeless Rohingyas and the trepidation surrounding their search for a place they can call home. It throws light on the unceasing work done by human rights activists to save refugees, and the beauty of the story is enhanced by its poignancy. ‘The Crossover’ has a different tale to tell as it strives to explore the challenges of growing up and discovering that one is different. Cross-gender issues have been addressed and handled positively here. What happens when an entire city comes out in protest against a company that has not been protecting their rights? One young father becomes “par...