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Literary Review
First Impressions
IT could well have been another day in the life of Charles Schine. An ordinary man leading a suburban, ordinary life. The routine never falters as he rushes off each morning to catch the 8.43 to Penn Station. Charles knows almost every commuter on the train by sight. But one morning just as he's rushing off, fixing breakfast for his daughter Anna, getting her homework organised, he looks in and checks her glucometer, the levels of which are terrifying. Charles rushes to his daughter's bedroom and expertly jobs her with the insulin syringe. Seconds later danger has passed. But has it? As Charles makes it to the train station he is forced to take the 9.05 to work. And sees Lucinda Harris and is clearly smitten.
In a compelling, almost sinister manner Charles Schine's life suddenly charts another course, one that leads to havoc and mayhem. This is a masterpiece of writing, where each line holds suspense. James Siegel gets you onto the 9.05, but getting off it is another story.
Derailed, James Siegel, TimeWarner, price not stated.
WHEN Jhumur marries Haroon, she realises that her role as the daughter-in-law of the house is more important to her husband than anything else. As she battles with a sense of ennui and frustration at being tied down to household chores and playing a role alien to her character, Jhumur finds herself resenting the proprietorial gaze and touch of Haroon and his almost dismissive attitude. Matters come to a head when Harron forces her to abort their first baby believing that it is not possible for any married couple to conceive within the first few weeks of marriage. The abortion leaves her with a huge ache and a searing need to be able to take control of her own life. Instead of openly revolting, she finds that she is able to use Afzal her friend's brother, to start of a liaison which she finally controls.
Meanwhile Haroon cajoles her into having another child, "this time ours." The baby is born, Afzal plays his part and Haroon his, while Jhumur, secretly nurses within her the fruit of a strange vendetta. This is a book that looks at issues confronting many women in eastern traditional societies where they feel the need to nurture their own lives separate from their identities as mothers or wives. While there are some sparks of brilliance that set this work apart, on the whole it is a disappointing encounter with an author whose reputation precedes her work.
Shodh, Taslima Nasrin, Srishti, Rs. 195.
SUDDENLY Lt. Col. Quintin Reginald "Mulkally" Oxely-Protheore finds himself trapped in the desire to uncover some of his roots. His search begins with the epitaph in a derelict cemetery in Kasauli where he looks for his Anglo Saxon forefathers. At the same time he is keen to revive the Hindu links of his bloodline. While travelling to Delhi, he meets Erica Green. Like Mulkally, she is as trapped in her dual existence in the country. But she keeps her disquiet to herself and as a stunning young lady lives life to the hilt. Somewhere on the scene enters an old friend of the Colonel, Narayani, who once again sweeps the Colonel off his feet. Only this time around Narayani is separated from her husband and is fighting for the custody of her child. While Mulkally and Narayani find love, the 1965 war breaks out and their romance comes to an abrupt end. While the book examines the age-old question of cultural conflict inherent to India, the author should have edited it more tightly.
A Twisted Cue, Rohit Handa, Ravi Dayal, Rs. 450.
THIS book assumes even more importance today than ever before. What are destructive emotions? How do human beings cope with it? Are we born with them or do we nurture them given our environment? The Dalai Lama and a group of scientists set out to debate and answer this issue some time back. At the heart of the discourse lay the attempt to define the western sensibility of this emotion as against the oriental. This meeting of different minds sets the framework for a debate that will surely have no easy answers. But it will hopefully set the ball rolling and get men to question why they hate.
Destructive Emotions, narrated by Daniel Goleman, Bloomsbury, £4.99.
SUCHITRA BEHAL
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