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            Once you have finished reading a novel like 'Yellowface,' you are bound to comment on the trials and tribulations of the publishing industry—how hostile it can be to young writers desperate to find a spot among the big names. But as I read the work, what struck me most was the cynical nature of American capitalist society as a whole. I would say that this novel is a slice taken from a cynical society that has no moral scruples when it comes to climbing the social ladder. Juniper Song and Athena are prototypes of how individualism lies at the heart of a rotten society. I liked the novel in the sense that it demolishes any hopes of a society that is egalitarian and fair. -Anjoe-

  As I read the Silent Patient, the thing that bothered me the most was how impactful is the childhood traumas on our later life. Being branded as one of the most engaging thrillers of the recent times, Silent Patient has never disappointed me at least for a bit of a second. Throughout your reading you cannot help but notice how  fascinating to note how the writer leads the readers on a psychological journey into the workings of the mind of a patient and meanwhile how he himself is suffering from the phantoms of the past. Silent Patient cannot be branded as a genre fiction but something that blends the it with serious literature. -Anjoe- 

  101 Essays that will Change the way you Think by Brianna Wiest is not for a cosy evening's couch reading. It's seemingly simple title may betray you if you riffle through its pages. This one is a book that requires your dedicated attention to each word, ponder over it to deduce the meaning and weigh it with utmost care, if you want to implement at least some of it in your life. -Anjoe-

     Lowland is Lahiri’s foray into the gruesome history of India’s Naxalite movement that shook the nation in the late 60’s and the early 70’s. Instead of tracing the violent movement and its natural ebbing out, the novel focuses more on the individuals, their pangs, trauma and loss. She tries to stress on how her characters hold on, coping up and coming into terms with whatever piece of life left out for them. The siblings Subhash and Udayan who represent opposing ideologies are portrayed as exact antitheses to each other. In an astonishingly similar way, she deploys Gauri and Bela, both desperately trying to work on a torn tapestry of life that left them as who they are. In essence, Lowland is a study into the individual as opposed to the ideology  of how much a catastrophe it leaves for each. -Anjoe-

  The Covenant of Water is the most ambitious read I have ever undertaken. It was both rewarding and painful. As I read the book, I could not help but compare it with Arundhati Roy’s God of Small Things (1997); I found numerous characters and usage styles that can be easily matched with Roy’s. Although it acted as roadblocks to my reading stint, I nevertheless enjoyed Abraham Verghese attempt to weave together a story of many generations spanning over two centuries.             The writer has succeeded in creating the right historical ambience of the latter eighteenth and the nineteenth century for his characters to fully develop. Indeed, one would definitely get into the trauma of Elsie, Philipose and Big Ammachi. It is wrong to say otherwise. However, the detailing of surgical procedures and not leaving the reader his rightful privilege to co-create the novel by independent thinking, made the characters toys in the hands o...

  There are a number of things that we bring under the umbrella term ‘modern’. We then allow them to remain there in that cozy state unchallenged. People with labels who consider themselves to be modern-citizens come to defend them now and then. Here’s where Jordan B Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life enter. Through his unparalleled way of establishing facts, he breaks down some commonly held views about patriarchy, feminism, beliefs, parenting, socialization, relationships, rationality, ideologies etc in this book. As in the title, it is an anti-dote to Chaos; the chaos that engulf us quiet unaware and for which we are not the least prepared. The book changed my views about some ideas being impeccable, and also reassured me that there are reasons for which we can still remain hopeful. -Anjoe-

                  “To cure the ills of the senses by means of the soul, and the soul by means of the senses” summarizes the entire book. It is nothing short of the esthetic movement’s dogma. Dorian, who loses himself in the world of art and beauty, is a character who deserves to be studied in detail. While reading the novel, one loses into the florid world of art and wishes to remain in that place for some time; untouched by reality lolling in the world of beauty. I think, The Picuture of Dorian Gray   and the like are needed in the 21 st century to remind it that it needs to revitalize its over sensitized sensibilities and delve deeper into the sheer beauty of art. -Anjoe-

     Tracy Whitney, with an inexplicable familiarity associated with the name follows the thread and crux of the novel. Her downfall and her eventual expiation and tribulations in the slammer were the driving force of the novel. It was quite effortless yet charming to read the first part of the novel until she descended into the fateful life of a con artist. It was disappointing to note that the novel could not maintain the pace and also sustain the interest in the reader once Tracy degraded herself into a con artist. Moreover, Sheldon’s hasty writing left so many loopholes in an otherwise exciting novel. Yet, Tracy Whitney’s meteoric rise from the ashes is definitely a testament to the new found assertiveness the young woman of the 80’s were so much looking for.  

     Identity is always an intriguing idea that is convoluted with gender, sex and behavioural traits. Girish Karnad’s groundbreaking play that contributed to the ‘navya movement’ of Kannada literature, is a study into the nuances of identity and individual. The basic premise of the play is of course from the 11th cent. work Kathasaritsagara. However, the way Karnad treated it is definitely in the modern fashion. The only worry that one has when one picks up a work like Hayavadana is that the movement did not continue through the 80’s, 90’s and the millennials that we have nothing significant to claim to that of Hayavada’s level. -Anjoe-

  As in the preparation of a tasty dish, there are many ingredients that need to be added in the recipe for a legend-like novel spanning over centuries that tells a really engaging tale. And the tale is one of ambition, history, bonding, and contentment. In this respect Jeffrey Archer’s novel which begins in the late 19th century and ends a few decades short to the next century, is literally a tasty dish awaiting the foodies. The legend like beginning of Abel who has a meteoric rise to success and the tension he has with Kane who had everything on a silver platter is sure to engage any reader. I must say that Archer has succeeded in presenting a novel that is a classic in the genre of rivalry, careful not to overdo anything that could sabotage its stature yet present something that is sure to have a long-lasting future.

            In a bold attempt to restart the reading of classics, my first choice was Anand’s Untouchable. I have always sympathized with the cause of the ‘out casts’ who were systematically ripped of their rights and inhumanly treated by a rigid system. Here, Anand has realistically touched upon the story of a sweeper boy called Bakha in the utmost honest way. However, infilling an otherwise wonderful novella with the ideological and philosophical content was a bit out of place for me. Moreover, at times I found that it was not the boy who was speaking but the impatient writer who is eager to sympathize with the untouchable-This one might not be a page turner for you, but will definitely give an idea about the caliber of the Indian Dickens, Mulk Raj Anand.

Ours is a world full of specialists who boast of expertise in their respective fields. But are they really experts? Where do the studious students go after finishing a certain period of study? Why we don't hear about them anymore? What happens to someone who is reluctant to maintain a fluid mind, stuck in their dear area of interest, unwilling to look beyond? Answers to all of these and many such questions will be found in this book that tells you why we need a fluid mind to welcome knowledge from all spheres. This is a highly captivating book that attempts to unleash the curious mind that we are all born with, but the same mind we put on hibernation to become experts in a single field for the fear of not reaching the destination.

          What happens when a writer gives free rein to his thoughts? Undoubtedly, his pen will move through magical pathways that open a surreal world in front of his readers. This is exactly how you would feel once you start reading this extremely irresistible novel ‘Kafka on the Shore’. This book gives you that freedom to leave this world of certainty to spend some time with its characters and believe a kind of absurdity that is nevertheless presented believable. There is a charm with this book that works on a deep level with a reader who is ready to be taken off to another plane of existence. This is magical…

As a novel that delicately sits at the cusp of pre independent and post independent India, The Room on the Roof is a meticulously constructed work that talks about the issue of hybridity well beyond its time. The central character Rusty, unlike the hostile British masters, tries to mingle with the tradition and customs of a budding country. The novel has a peculiar way of narration that makes you love the place, it's people and their customs. One immediately falls in love with the Kapoor family, Kishen, Somi, Suri and the riffraff of Dehra that it is almost impossible to leave them after closing the book. This book undoubtedly signalled the arrival of one of India's all-time favourite writers.

In the past, I have despised reading books touching feminist issues . But that was because my faculties for appreciating literature was not mature enough then. Now, after a long time, perhaps after 9 years when I pick another book on woman issues, the scene has completely changed. Roots and Shadows is Despande's first book which is surprisingly overcoming the limits of being the first, takes us through an intricate plot of a large matriarchal family that is waiting to be dismantled on itself. The weight of old value systems, customs and practices that made life a hell for the inmates, especially for the womenfolk falls on the shoulder of the protagonist of the novel, Indu. She has to sift through the alleys of tradition, vested interest and solve the phantoms of the past and at the same time forge a unique identity for herself...If you have time for a work which has immense literary value, go for this one. -Anjoe-

The ground we trample upon, is it ours? Are there lines that separate us from the place that we consider our own? Can cartographers, fend off memories besides fending off people from reaching and connecting to each other? What does it mean to have freedom? Amitav Ghosh's ground shaking novel, 'The Shadow Lines' for which he received the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award seeks answers to these as well as many other troubling questions that impatiently remain to be answered. Reading this work is sometimes relieving and sometimes disturbing. Yet, you can always close its pages with the satisfaction of having read an immensely relatable and emotionally touching story of partition and double consciousness.

  I have never experienced the dilemma I am experiencing now, that I want to recommend this book to you by the experience I had reading it, but by doing the very thing I will be violating the spirit of the book. Now, you must have understood why. The title says it all. The only thing I can say is to ponder upon the lines while you read them, unlike you read other books.

You can pick this book at any point of time. It has got a special charm and daintiness that can take hold of your heart right from the very beginning itself. The innocent sisters and their quirkiness is something that the world can never forget. In a world where we cannot possibly think about the future, it is better if we bury ourselves in the happy moments of a nostalgic past. This book will help you do that. And that is precisely why it still remains a classic to be read. I think we can call Alcott the Jane Austen of American Literature.

We all dream about the future in our own ways. But the learned dream it in their idiosyncratic way of cerebral motivation. There has been many futurists whose predictions ended up subjects for comic books. But people like Harari approach the future with the backup of our civilization’s historical and psychological evolutionary process. Reading 21 Lessons is definitely an intellectually stimulating experience. It has all those wonders for keeping you hooked up to its narrative (Although he is vehemently against the framing up of ‘narratives’). I don’t venture to discuss the main ideas of the book but would like to grab your attention with just a phrase that he constantly uses in this book: “This time the story is going to be different”. -Anjoe-

Liberalism has been so liberal in granting equal status to both men and women in almost all fields. But nevertheless deep inside we all agree that we are not alike. But for some reason, up until now we could not explain ‘why?’. The answer is that we are from separate planets; Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus. While reading this wonderful book I felt sorry for both men and women that some of their best intentions do not seem to work here on earth. And it is bound to be so as they are unable to shake off the dust they carried from their respective planets...Without doubt one can say that this book offers significant insight into the lives of both the parties, letting them understand the enigmatic psychological mind games they both play, decode the cryptic words and tiring signals in a better way. This is definitely a must pick. -Anjoe-