I have not kept the rigour of reviewing all books I read going, but to compensate I will write about what I liked about the below books and not get into the plotlines for what is Good Reads or Wikipedia for.
This year's the usual Indian origin representation from India which like most year makes it to the shortlist but does not win it when it has everything going for it. Each of the chapter's in the story keeps going back and forth between the general narrative of the story of the wealthy Ghosh Family and a first person account of Supratik one of the member's of the family who chooses to join the naxal forces during the Charu Mazumdar times of Naxalbari, after the usual disillusionment with the wastefulness of the life of the wealthy. What moves you about the book, is the starkness of the situations that the author brings to the fore especially those of the debt ridden farmers, who are exploited by the hand in glove of landlords and the government. I don't think I have read a more poignant account of the people living on the margins. What also impresses is the slew of characters that are there in the book and yet the author does justice to all, dissecting them layer by layer giving them reasons for what makes them the way they are. The family dynamics is something one sees in most families, the messed up nature of joint families. It is certainly not a book, you can ignore. You will keep thinking about it, long after its over.
This is my first graphic novel which I have been wanting to read since the time it came out and became much talked about. It is the story about a girl growing up during the Iranian revolution. And what I liked about this book that not only did it deal with the what led to the revolution and the milieu during those times but also the author's personal life struggles, her growing up alone away from Iran and her messed up friendships and relationships. What strikes though is the perfect understanding that she seems to have with her parents. I can only thank God, that in India we have still not had to face this kind of curtailment of personal freedom, simple things like listening to the kind of music we want and wearing what one desires is done without even a second thought.
At first I thought it was a story about Zombies, but soon into the story I realised naah nope, it was about the sister clan of Zombies called Hungries who are not dead, but seem to have the same insatiable apetite for humans. So here is the story of Melanie who is a child hungry who is not as affected by the infection, who still retains some of her human faculties. And it is basically her ability to adhere more to her human faculties than her hungriness that makes her so special. Well, yeah I liked it for how different it was to the stuff I have read till date. And I guess the newness of it did not make me love it as much I would have wanted to.
The Lives of Others - Neel Mukherjee
This year's the usual Indian origin representation from India which like most year makes it to the shortlist but does not win it when it has everything going for it. Each of the chapter's in the story keeps going back and forth between the general narrative of the story of the wealthy Ghosh Family and a first person account of Supratik one of the member's of the family who chooses to join the naxal forces during the Charu Mazumdar times of Naxalbari, after the usual disillusionment with the wastefulness of the life of the wealthy. What moves you about the book, is the starkness of the situations that the author brings to the fore especially those of the debt ridden farmers, who are exploited by the hand in glove of landlords and the government. I don't think I have read a more poignant account of the people living on the margins. What also impresses is the slew of characters that are there in the book and yet the author does justice to all, dissecting them layer by layer giving them reasons for what makes them the way they are. The family dynamics is something one sees in most families, the messed up nature of joint families. It is certainly not a book, you can ignore. You will keep thinking about it, long after its over.
Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell
Like all Rainbow Rowell books, you will read through this book like a breeze and love it for how this makes you feel about love and companionship. It makes you believe in the honesty of these feelings as well as in those who make you feel this way. The only disappointment was the open endedness of the story, I hoped for a happy ending but the end leaves you wanting for a sequel. All said and done I loved it better than Fangirl and loved how two misfits fall in love, none of them misfits in the jarring or over the top kind of manner.
Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
This is my first graphic novel which I have been wanting to read since the time it came out and became much talked about. It is the story about a girl growing up during the Iranian revolution. And what I liked about this book that not only did it deal with the what led to the revolution and the milieu during those times but also the author's personal life struggles, her growing up alone away from Iran and her messed up friendships and relationships. What strikes though is the perfect understanding that she seems to have with her parents. I can only thank God, that in India we have still not had to face this kind of curtailment of personal freedom, simple things like listening to the kind of music we want and wearing what one desires is done without even a second thought.
The Girl with all the gifts - M. R. Carey
The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith
This is definitely much much better than the Cuckoo's calling, but I think the story could have been more tighter and could have made it more mysterious, not like the character who ends up being the murderer isn't a surprise, but some of the flaws of Cuckoo's calling do continue in this. But I guess the gorier nature of the murder keeps you hooked to the story. Yet to come across a writer who writes mystery better than Agatha Christie. And Harry Potter will always be Rowling's master piece as it appears from the 3 books she has published since Harry Potter ended.
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