The Left Hand of Darkness

 

 

"Light is the left hand of darkness

       and darkness is the right hand of light." 

                            

The Left Hand of Darkness was suggested to me by the bookstore owner of "Luna". This is a book I would not have picked for reading myself but it ended up as one of the profound books I have ever read. Calling it a science fiction book is kind of a misnomer as it deals more with sociology and anthropology. 

It was a book way ahead of its times as she questions the adjectives that define most part of society - gender, pride, respect etc. 

"What is love of one's country; is it hate of one's uncountry? Is it simply self-love? That's a good thing, but one musn't make a virtue of it, or a profession...but that sort of love doesn't have a boundary-line of hate." - patriotism, nationalism, borders, immigration, nuclear wars, weapons - all poof in one statement. 

That gender plays an important part of what we do in our lives and what is accepted is still relevant, seven decades after the book was written. 

"A man wants his virility regarded, a woman wants her feminity appreciated, however indirect and subtle the indications of regard and appreciation." What a keen observation that shows how shallow the basin of our self-assurance is. Then she takes us through a society where this factor is irrelevant. Imagine! 

I was not surprised to learn that the book was banned for sometime in the US (country of origin) as it was supposed to be "bad influence" on kids. To be able to think of a society functioning solely on the strengths and capabilities of an individual without restricting them to pre-defined gender buckets must have been a terrifying thought. It is this fear that dictates what should be a kid's favourite colour - pink or blue. How do you fight that? It is as the book says "It is extremely hard to separate the innate differences from the learned ones" and the lines are blurring even more with the passage of time. 

I felt some parts of the book, like the passage of Ai and Estraven across the ice-sheet, were too long and detailed and some parts lacked details. But no one can deny the intelligence of the mind that thought of a world that so deeply questions all our beliefs with a "what if?".  The most difficult part about the book for me was to imagine the world that Ursula describes.For some part of the book, I dint realise who was the alien and who was the human . But I think that was one of the points of the book, to question all our assumptions of what "normal" should look like. 

All in all, a very moving book. 

 

Patrick Radden Keefe is an excellent narrator and he doesn't disappoint with "Rogues". Have done the audible version of this book and enjoyed it. He takes you on a roller-coaster with rogues from different walks of life - their perspectives and his opinions on their crimes. He astounds with the level of detail only an investigative journalist can put together. A couple of stories (The worst of the worst, A loaded Gun) are compelling and make you think from a moral angle, a couple of them are inspiring (The Avenger, The Prince of Marbella) and will probably end up as movies down the line but the rest lack the punch and even Patrick cannot deliver. All-in-all an okayish read.

The Widows of Malabar Hill

 

This scintillating 1920's mystery carefully unfolds not only the layers of a murder mystery but also the intricacies and similarities of oppression of women in different cultures. Sujata Massey does an exceptional job of keeping the murderer under "wraps" till the end of the book. Even though it is set in two different time periods, it is a refreshing change from books that oscillate so much between past and present that the reader loses interest. It is heartening to see the protagonist grow from a gullible, gentle woman into a lawyer who unravels the web of lies at Malabar Hill with a shrewd mind. The characters of the book are simultaneously cliched and exceptionally rare which makes Perveen see the worst and best of the world at a tender age of 23. Really loved the characterisation of Perveen's parents who are exemplary in every sense of the word and remind me of my own parents who strived to carve a niche for their girls. All in all, thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is in a mood for a good murder mystery. 

Casual Vacancy

This book cannot be more different from all of Rowling's other books. Definitely "Adult" rated amongst books. However, you can make out her writing style right from Page one. Her love for "english counties"and her hatred for "english tradition" is visible throughout the book.She weaves a story around a kind and loving man who favoured the underdogs and believed in giving a chance to everyone(very much like our beloved Dumbledore). Another similarity with the potter series is how she brings out the difference between the two classes in the society - just like muggles and wizards(or witches!). Your heart aches for some characters and you just wish their pain ends in the end.All in all an okayish read. Starts slow but picks up pace around the middle of the book

Nothing Ventured

Nothing Ventured has all the elements of the Archer Cocktail for the protagonist - a formidable mother, a stickler father, a woman of substance, an unselfish mentor and a clever rival - however it fails to deliver the punch. Like familiar food, the book itself is easy to digest - no surprises, it has everything you expect out of it - except it leaves you with a disappointing aftertaste. The detective is too easily aided in some tough situations by people who had no reason to. The plot in itself was very simple and fails to pique your interest. All in all, it was too predictable. Hoping the next book in the series has a better plot to go on.

Innocents and Wordkeepers...

"The Sea of innocence" is a moderately good read...The writing style in itself is not so commanding as the atrocities that are portrayed in the book...Goa- for many still remains as an elusive picture of a paradise lost has in fact a darker and murkier side to it...The story speaks of a middle-aged investigator who gets pulled into the case of a missing 16 year old by her ex-boyfriend of a cop...The things that the girl had to experience at sweet 16 leaves a bitter taste in the reader's mouth...

The narrative is far too predictable and the characterization is pretty weak..I mean you can't just tap into a drug-mafia and come out unscathed...Still, the story of the missing girl keeps you hooked onto the book to know whether she is still alive or not , if not for anything else...While the atrocities are unbelievably true, the characters could've been given some more meat to make the investigation and the conversations believable...

All in all, even though the book was not very well written, "The Sea of innocence" captures you with a temporary spell and leaves you heavy hearted imagining the kind of law-less, corrupt and incorrigible society we live in...


Speaking of Society, I also had the chance of reading another surprisingly well written book - "The Wordkeepers"...Keeping up with the recent trend of bringing mythological characters to life, "The wordkeepers" is the first of a triology that speaks of the last avatar of Vishnu and the Kali Yug...Although not a believer of Kalki, I fell for the book - hook, line and sinker...

There are places where you can make out the nascency of the author (this after all is her first book) but the overall narrative is riveting...Can't wait for the next book!

Of words and oleanders!

Just now finished a couple of beautiful books and my journey which started in Nazi Germany has now ended up in the crowded streets of Kolkatta...

I am so happy reading some meaningful books after the sorry excuse for a book - "Revolution 2020"...It was like cleansing myself raw after a long week of selling fish...

"The book thief" from which the phrase word shaker is borrowed is a beautiful, lyrical narration of the magnificence of human nature...It is amazing the depths to which people go to uphold the honor of their word...It is true sometimes, the worst of the situations brings out the best in people...It is heart wrenching to see the love story unfold amidst the uncertainty that Nazi Germany brought about to the millions of people who were neutral to the anti-Semitic movement....But most of all my favourite character of the book was the fair skinned Jesse Owens...One kiss that's all he asked for...*sigh*...

Then there was this sudden jolt and I woke up in a royal mansion in which the oleander girl is dealing with her uncertainties of impending nuptials and the incompleteness that has filled her life....I usually shy away from the works of Indian authors for the simple fact that almost all of them revolve around the intricate web of emotions that every Indian faces...My simple explanation is I have enough of that in my everyday life, I don't need to delve into someones else's to understand that...But surprisingly and refreshingly "The Oleander girl" takes me with her in search of her identity...The book is very well written without the usual mushiness and has strong characters that hold the fort on their own..Now that I reflect, I guess I liked the book so much because every character in the book is unabashedly themselves without any pretense...All in all a good read...

I have a stack of books waiting for me and cant wait to start them! Till then ciao!