Serious reading (1)

When it comes to movies I try avoiding ones with sad stories as I inadvertently tend to get teary eyed. But it is different with books probably because I want to learn how words can have same effect on you as visuals. In this context I liked Manju Kapur’s Custody and Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. These books differ significantly if you look at the time and place where the stories are set. The points that they have in common are the simplistic writing, presence of strong characters and the fact that they deal with complex situations. 

Here is my summary of one of them.

As the name of the book suggests Custody by Manju Kapur is about the tussle between separated couples over taking charge of their children.

Raman and Shagun have been married for close to ten years. They have an eight year old son Arjun and a baby girl Roohi. Around this time Shagun meets Ashok and they get involved in an affair. Shagun’s changed behavior and the developing distance doesn’t go unnoticed. by Raman Soon he unearths the truth and on confrontation Shagun walks out of the house leaving the children. But when her husband refuses to divorce she takes the kids away and moves in with Ashok. 

While the parents are battling it out in court, the children are adjusting to the new man in their lives. Arjun is taken by Ashok’s bold nature and man-to-man bonding as opposed to his father's overbearing attitude. He agrees to the idea of being sent to a boarding school in Dehradun as a means for toughening up. At the same time Ashok gets an offer to work in the US. Shagun agrees to give up custody of the children so that she can marry him and go along. Raman also settles for divorce. 

In parallel is running the story of Ishita married to Suryakanta. Life was beautiful until they find that she can’t have babies. She gives in to her mother-in-law's suggestion of going for painful procedure of IVF. But when it does not lead to a successful result Suryakanta divorces Ishita and she returns to her parental home to begin life anew. Her parents and Raman’s live in the same building and introduce the two of them. She forms an instant connection with Roohi as well. As time passes Raman and Ishita get married. Ishita puts all her energy and soul into taking care of Roohi in whom she sees the child she can never have. For Roohi Ishita becomes her mother.

Neither of the protagonists is able to achieve normalcy as their lives and wants get entangled. Each is aware of the loss they have suffered and fearful of what more might be snatched away. They all take extreme steps to keep close the ones they love. The tragedy of Custody lies in how personal choices for happiness lead to constrained motherhood and damaged father-son relationships. 

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PS: Have you read this book or any others by Manju Kapur? 

Chic-lit (1)

After work or on weekends when I just want to unwind it is nice to pick up something to read which is light in its content, easy on the mind, straightforward and simple in its storyline, and ideally having some elements of romance. Normally what I choose tends to fall in the chic-lit category. Here are two such examples of entertaining books.

Which one of you girls hasn’t felt compelled to compare yourself to your boyfriend’s ex?

Which one of you has never feared your lover’s past coming back to haunt you? 

Which one you have not felt uncomfortable at the continued friendship between those who broke up?

In Laura Zigman’s "HER" Elise goes through the whole juggernaut. Elise first meets Donald on a flight. They continue to see each other even after landing. It is not long before they fall in love and Donald proposes. All along though Elise feels ill at ease with his frank admission about his still being friends with ex-fiance Adrienne. The one relief is that Adrienne lives in New York while they are based in Washington. But just when it seems that everything is well, comes a phone call from Adrienne announcing that she is moving to their city and into their lives. Elise has misgivings about this sudden detour and is sure that Adrienne has ulterior motives. 

What happens next is narrated in the wittiest manner. Elise’s exaggerated antics to take control make you laugh. At the same time you worry for her and wish for a happy turn of events in her favor. 

Like the title on the book cover you question “Every man comes with baggage. But does it have to be HER.”

In short the story of Stilletos in the Boardroom by Shruti Saxena is all about “girl power”. 

The setting is a BPO called BankPro. A US based company CBS has outsourced a prime business (DCP) to BankPro instead of its own Indian branch. The transition needs to be completed within three months with support from CBS-India. But all is not as clean and simple as it seems. 

A ploy is being made to see that BankPro fails in delivering so that the project ultimately goes to CBS-India at a time it is capable of handling it. In the midst of this are three central characters Arya, Shivaa and Sara.

Arya has been recently brought in to lead the DCP transition. Shivaa, the Manager-Operations, has to oversee the smooth running of the program. Sara is one of the newly hired candidates to be trained. Apart from the obstacles at work these women must also sort out their personal affairs: a broken heart, a relationship growing apart and an impending marriage.

Stilletos in the Boardroom is an interesting read which gives us a peek into the working environment of a BPO. Within the realm of corporate world, through the three leading ladies you experience ambition, drive, anger, frustration, and love.







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PS: Have read any such light books lately? Which one is your favorite? 

Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries (1)

Growing up I gave Agatha Christie’s detective novels a miss somehow. But as the English book section at the library I go to is not very extensive it has encouraged me to pick up books I which normally don’t. To be honest I have read only two stories so far but I will definitely try to get my hand at more of them. They are short reads and take little of your time. The plots are intriguing, the deductive process interesting and thought provoking, and the endings a surprise.

Here are a couple of examples for you.

In Murder on the Orient Express Hercule Poirot is on a train journey amidst a sea of all kinds of people. A co-passenger Simon Ratchett approaches him to help protect against an enemy wanting to kill him but the detective refuses the case. Then in the morning Simon Ratchett’s dead body is discovered in his compartment. But the train caught in heavy snowfall has been standing on the tracks since midnight. The open window and the door closed from inside in the victim’s compartment suggests the killer escaped but the absence of footprints in the snow tells otherwise. The murderer is still on the train and Herecule Poirot’s job is to find who it is.

In The A.B.C. Murders, the famous Hercule Poirot is put to a challenge when he receives anonymous letters at regular intervals. The writer, who signs off as ABC, gives hints about each murder that is going to be committed in advance. The victims’ names follow the alphabetical order: Mrs. Ascher from Andover, Miss Betty Barnard from Bexhill, and Sir Carmichael Clarke from Churston. Beside each body is left an ABC train guide. There appears to be no connection between the murders as those killed belong to totally different walk of life. It is left to the detective to find the hidden link between them and figure out who the murderer is.

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 PS: Which are the Agatha Christie novels you have read? Any suggestions for me?