2017

At 816 pages, this Man Booker Prize finalist is a book that can put its tentacles around you and not let you go till you turn the last page.

It is like an ache that you are constantly aware of but can do little about relieving it. It is utterly gripping, softly romantic and deeply harrowing. I hated it and I loved it… It exposed me to pain that I had thought little of… It pulled me into relationships I could have never imagined existing….

A Little Life follows four college classmates as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. And as their life unfolds so do stories of unspeakable trauma that one of them suffered as a child.

It is an Ode to the bond of brotherhood, written in a leisurely, masterful manner by Hanya Yanagihira… Though I must say that it might be unpalatable for some…

I do judge a book by its cover sometimes… As covers go, this is an exotic one, the elaborate hairdo and ornaments, the delicate profile… I found myself going back to it over and over after reading certain incidents in the book, could you have done that? I asked the photograph.

‘Mata Hari’ was a name that I had heard many times while growing up but my curiosity was never piqued enough to read more about her and her life. This simple book does shed light on her life and the difficult times that she witnessed. I can only imagine her life in Paris as a dancer and courtesan, dependent on powerful men for money and security, always longing for true love.

Her wrongful conviction as a spy in 1917 and the subsequent lukewarm trial add to the melancholy of her life.

Paulo Coelho keeps adding new subjects to his repertoire. With this book a new subject is firmly in place, but I need to turn to the net to learn more about this intriguing lady.

I must admit that this was the first time I read a Kannada novel translated into English.

This is a slim copy taking us into a middle-class urban Indian family that comes into big money after seeing a life of great financial difficulties. The sentiments of all members, the emotional tug of war, the petty lies and deceit that make their way into personalities make for a fascinating read.

It was over in one lazy Sunday reading session but has piqued my curiosity enough to know and read more works by Vivek Shanbhag.