Fast September

September of 2018, already feels like eons away. And it went by in the blink of an eye. All its memories  will soon become hazy and melt into the monolith of the time gone by. It makes me wonder about all the years, months, weeks, days and hours which were exactly the same. Nothing stands out. Yes, there are some milestones and memories, which I remember vividly. The memories, which actually define my life. Our lives. But then what is life? The moments and milestones which define it or the time you spend in between those memorable moments. 

There is so much of the same happening to all of us, that our memories now play with us. I generally remember key dates - like birthdays of my close friends and colleagues - very well. But if you ask me after few weeks of reading a book, about that book, I may not be able to recall all the details. So does reading help? I think it does. Because just like our lives, the narrative itself isn't the key. It is all the same. There is a set-up, followed by a conflict and then the resolution. What stays back from any book, is not the narrative, but the addition it makes to your perspective and the way you see your world.

The two books I read last month were as different as chalk and cheese. One was Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, which is essentially a love story written like a thriller. The other one was Salil Desai's 3 and a Half Murders, which is a whodunit but it works better as a police procedural.

In my earlier posts on Murakami's books, I had mentioned that he becomes inaccessible as an author at times. So people recommended Norwegian Wood, because they thought it is a straight-forward story. But I liked it for very different reasons. 

The key protagonists of this book - Toru and Naoko, whose love story, the author wants you to believe is epic, are the most boring and painful characters in this book. Both let things happen to them. They are just living their lives in between the key moments brought upon them by others. The other characters in this book - like Midori, who brings liveliness to the proceedings or Reiko who lends gravitas and mystique to the entire issue of mental illness  and loneliness explored in this story - are the ones who really move things forward. They catalyze things. They trigger events. They cause conflicts. These characters are so well fleshed out, that they make this book a great read. 

While the author doesn't get into the surreal zone - but his ability to make me think about memories of our lives (That explains my personal reflections in first two paragraphs of this post) and hide and seek these memories play with our minds - he creates a world equivalent to the world of magical realism he creates in his other books. So while the narrative is straight-forward, the reading of this book still leaves you with some twisted questions which you will keep chewing upon days after you have finished it. 

Lastly, the author uses sex liberally in the book, not to tantalize, but as a metaphor for the escape we seek from our mundane lives, the lives we spend between two milestones or two vivid memories. I think this aspect makes this book epic. Not its love story. 

I got 3 and a Half Murders as a gift on my birthday. I haven't read any of Salil Desai's books in past. And it was after a long time, I was reading a crime fiction. So I was really excited about it. It partially lives up to the expectations you have from such novels. It has a fast paced story, with characters that you encounter in daily lives or have heard about them. It is set in a very real world. It keeps you engaged throughout. The lead police officer / investigator has a sharp mind but is often weighed down by his physical ailments. That makes him standout in the world full of James Bond kind of operatives. The book works really well as a police procedural and thus makes you enjoy the details of an investigation. But as a whodunit, it disappoints. By the end of it, you really don't care who is the killer. Though you may not be able to guess who it is. Also the conclusion seems far from satisfactory and rushed. If you are looking for a rank page turner to spend time in a long flight, this one is a safe bet. 

September was like any other non-memorable month. I had been really busy with office work and travel. So the books really helped. Oh! I almost forgot that I shifted from one apartment to another on 1st of September. Staying in rental places is a pain. You don't feel rooted. That event of shifting though, itself feels like eons away. 

A classic and a drag - Two Books in August

In August, both the books I read were gifted to me by someone. It is good at times to jump genres, given the fact that I wouldn't have picked these ones myself. The possibility of a pleasant surprise makes it worth it. 

I am still on track vis-à-vis my reading goals for the year. I have read 16 books (two a month) this year and have posted about them on this blog. Here are my views on the August reads.

Book 1: Better Than Good by Zig Ziglar (Non Fiction)

This one was a drag. I resist reading the books that fall under the genre of self help and motivation. Because I feel if getting motivation from books was so easy, everyone would be successful. Reading this one, reinforced the perception. It was my first Zig Ziglar book gifted to me at an office event, so I was also under the false impression, that it is a management or business book. But the book turned out to be the gospel in the garb of self-help. 

While I was staying with the book, when it was talking about Passion, as I identify with this aspect; it was saying all things we already know are right. So from the point of view of learning new things I wasn't sure, if this book was helpful. May be it would have impacted me subconsciously or spiritually, but I am unaware of that yet.

As the book moved to aspects related to Peak Performance it almost went into the zone of what we call in India as Global Gyaan. But it was still tolerable. In the third part, about Purpose of Life, the book went into religion and Christianity and its spread. I felt alienated here as I hadn't expected a book so explicit in its religious leanings and brazen in its attempt to establish superiority of one religion. 

The only chapter in the whole book that made sense to me was on Habits. It was practical and useful. I can read that one again. I believe if you have to lead a Better than Good life, there are better books than this one. Your chequebook is one of them!!!

Book 2: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (Fiction)

It is a fast paced and interesting travelogue. I can safely say, it is one of the greatest adventure books I have read. Given that it was written in 1873, I was surprised by the detailing of each scene and place. The writing is rich with sounds, smells and colors of each place, the lead protagonist travels to. I was constantly wondering what kind of research author would have done to write this book. The readers of that era would have felt exhilarated reading this one, as the book really makes you travel across the world. 

Another interesting thing was distinct characterization of each player in this book . Each protagonist has his or her own quirks which makes them endearing. The lead player goes by the name of Fogg and he emerges as an unlikely hero by the end. The insights the book gives us about the life of English during those times are funny, especially knowing that these guys ruled us for centuries.

It could have been a great thriller too had the stakes been really high. As a reader you enjoy it but there is nothing that provides you that edge of the seat thrill and also the ending is a little too soft.

Looking forward to September reads, where I go back to my favorite genres.

Wish-list Books

In July, I picked up two books which were on my wish-list for years. The first one took a long time to finish and the second one was really fast paced. But both consumed me, while I was reading them. This year has been great in terms of my reading goals - 14 books so far and lot of genres. Also I was committed to write about each book I read this year. So, here are my views on the two books I read in July.

Book 1: Maximum City - Bombay lost & found by Suketu Mehta (Non Fiction)

I think I was quite late in reading this one. It was originally published in 2004. I stayed in Mumbai for 12 years from 2005 to 2017. I share with the author certain traits - flirting with the edgy and shady parts of Mumbai; and an eye for detail. The author here describes Bombay the way a foreigner sees it. Its politics, its depravity, its poverty, its crime and its hypocrisy. The book spends some time and few pages on the resilience and spirit of the city and its inhabitants as well. But I felt there is a deliberate attempt to make it appealing to foreign audiences who love certain stereotypes about India. There is an overt Hindu bashing and justification of atrocities committed by minorities; while both sides are equally to be blamed for everything communal. 

Also some aspects described in vivid detail are now dated. 

The underworld and its nature has changed. I have read few Hussain Zaidi books and watched Anurag Kashyap's Black Friday in last few years, which give  far more nuanced accounts of riots, underworld and bomb-blasts. These are the subjects which Suketu spends a lot of time on, though from a human psyche perspective, but I was constantly getting the 'been there done that' feel. The extreme politics of hatred in Mumbai has failed to take off in last few years, which the author explores and the dance bars and associated social fabric has disintegrated since this book was written. Also if one has seen Madhur Bhandarkar's Chandni Bar, one would realize that while the film was poignant, the author in this book largely tries to titillate. 

The author shines in the parts where he describes immigrants and their dreams or where he mocks the film industry and its style of operations. This book is surely a good compilation on the city of dreams but it falls short of being a definite and defining chronicle of Bombay / Mumbai, as it ignores the large working middle class and its struggle. 

Book 2: Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh (Fiction)

Though originally published in 1956 it is highly relevant even today, because nothing has changed. This book looks at the partition of India and Pakistan not from political point of view (local village politics described in the book exactly mirrors the national politics of that time though) but from human and social point of view. Khushwant Singh localizes the issue to one village and builds a heart breaking tale of love, betrayal and redemption of one of its key protagonists. The book delves deep into frailties of human beings and describes the levels of moral corruption and wickedness we are capable of. 

As an author Khushwant Singh has an excellent writing style. Brevity and right choice of words are hallmark of this book. He is incisive, displays great sense of dark humor and his economy with words, makes this book a fast read. Also by the end of the book, your ideas about bravery and heroism; idealism and action will be tested. You would think about these things days after you would have put the book back onto the bookshelf.

Interestingly, Maximum City takes sides while describing riots and Train to Pakistan doesn't. The former is non-fiction which doesn't always ring true and the latter is fiction which feels like a true account.