I usually avoid posting book reviews. Not only am I incapable of judging a book on its literary merit, I feel reviewing a book is like going to parents who are out with their kid and saying, “Do you want to know what I think about your child? No, no, don’t shake your head. You brought him out here, so now you will stand here and listen to me criticise him” – it serves no purpose, expect, maybe, offending a few people.
But, I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and etiquette dictates that I post a review. If you read on, be well advised that my understanding of literature is quite elementary.
Now that I have berated myself enough, on to the book.
Monsoon Minds is a collection of eighteen short stories, most of them being set in a fictional – I think – village of Bhavli. The stories deal with a wide variety of subjects such as child marriage, separation of a mother from her son, domestic violence, to quote a few. Each subject has been admirably dealt with, and makes a lasting impression on the reader. The stories are thought provoking, and paint very clear and distinctive pictures of the residents of Bhavli. You feel what they feel, you see their world through their eyes, and they end up being a part of you.
By the time you finish this book, you would long to visit Bhavli, to sip a cup at Gafoor’s tea shop, and to take a stroll by the Bhavli River.
Kudos to Ravi Nambiar for penning this sublime piece.
The Confined Mind, By the Waves, and An Unbearable Retirement were my favourites stories.
You can order the book here:
https://goo.gl/mbMXLU