Seoul-Mates - by Pamela Q Fernandes

She’s a down-on-her-luck foreigner struggling to fit into a close-knit society, and he’s the heir to one of Seoul’s largest business empires. The marriage of Anglo-Indian Katia Rosario to Jihan Kwan, Seoul’s most eligible bachelor, sounds like a fairy-tale romance. Except that it’s not.

Seoul-Mates, by Pamela Q Fernandes, has everything a romantic novel essentially needs – the damsel in distress, the bad-boy and the villain. The concoction of love, pain, drama and evil brewed by Pamela is almost perfect!

This book was my debut with Indirom Novella and I wouldn’t change that (that does say a lot). By the end of the book I did fall in love with the protagonists (Katia & Jihan) and their story. This read more like a short story rather than a novel. I do think it has the potential to be explored more, and here is why: 

• Each character, even the supporting ones, had depth to them. The author could have built those and highlighted their equations with our hero & heroine.
• Katia & Jihan’s meeting & courtship needed to be meatier for me. After all how the guy woes the girl is quintessential for telling a romantic story.
• While his proposal seemed perfect, I do wish her turmoil of entering the marriage would have been shown. It was a difficult decision for her! 
• The character of Jihan’s sister seemed untouched, there was potential there too. Whatever glimpses of the little sister-in-law’s relation with Katia have been shown were nice.
• Spoiler alert: Imo’s (Korean for Aunt) breakdown, god knows was the perfect opportunity to flare up the drama. This was the manic masala bit of this story.

Pamela’s plot might not be the freshest, but her story definitely leaves you feeling hopeful. If I do ever get a chance I would want to know ‘Why did she pick Korea as the destination?’ 

As a one-time read I would definitely recommend Seoul-Mates. Here’s wishing author Pamela Q Frenandes a full-blooded next book!

Rating: 3/5 (it’s a light read)

The Mad Tibetan - by Deepti Naval

Through the prism of life emerges The Mad Tibetan: Stories from Then and Now. Each story carries the visual and emotional impact, and vivacity of a film.

I have a bundle of books (I am sure we all do!) that have been picked up because of the Author’s name. Many have lived up to those expectations and some have been a let-down. Not necessarily bad but yes they have dwindled. Regrettably, in the latter category belongs The Mad Tibetan, by Deepti Naval.

I have been an admirer of the art-house actress Deepti Naval. Her name as an author was enough to make me want to read this collection of eleven short stories. The compilation is a mixed bag, some are her personal accounts and some figments of her imagination. I would agree that each story does in fact have the potential ‘vivacity of a film’ but they all seem half-baked. Was Ms. Naval in a hurry while penning these? I wonder!

The title story The Mad Tibetan starts on a different tangent and ends on a different one. There was potential to close the loop and tie the two ends together but sadly that didn’t happen. After all, the title story is expected to be the strongest and the main focus. Stories like D and Thulli too lacked the magic I expected from her, these were supposed to be through the ‘prism of life’. Since she is an industry insider, I was looking forward to the story Balraj Sahni. She could have explored and added a unique angle to the veteran actor’s story. Why didn’t she?

Enough of the negative, I’d like to share my top four stories of her collection. The Piano Tuner would knock on your heart and it has immense potential to be developed into a screenplay. I secretly wish this would have been the focus of her collection. I liked The Morning After too, feels like a variation of the 1983 movie Masoom (which isn’t a bad thing), it deserves to be re-read. Ruth Mayberry will invoke emotions from the deepest corners of your heart for the protagonist. I felt the turmoil and the character’s frustration with the story Birds. This was a not-so-simple and a moving one!

However, four stories weren’t enough to salvage the book overall. Yes, they didn’t see the light of their potential. Hope the next time around Deepti Naval will give us a more gripping book or a short stories’ collection.

Rating: 2.5/5 (with a heavy heart)

Marvels & Mysteries of the Mahabharata by Abhijit Basu

Some books are written to tell stories and some are written to heighten tales. Abhijit Basu’s Marvels & Mysteries of the Mahabharata is of the latter category. The sub title ‘Probing the Folds of India’s Epochal Tragedy’ sums the intent of the book clearly.

From the first chapter itself you get a sense of the amount of toil and effort Basu has put in the research. This instantly builds your confidence in him, his facts and theories. He has gone beyond and discussed the fascinating epic in reference with the Greek and Roman mythologies. He explores various shades of the characters of Mahabharata. Basu can expose you to the characters in ways like never before. The way he discusses Vyas, Vidur, Krishna, Yudhisthira and all other characters is fascinating.

I personally am quite a fan and truster of Mahabharata. When Basu credited the epic and gave explanations I smiled. When he questioned and raised doubts I gave it a thought as well. This is the same effect it will have on you. A believer or a non-believer it is food for thought for both.

A friendly warning, this book is meant for readers who are familiar with the epic of Mahabharata. Debutants to the epic can read it but might not be able to extract the maximum from this. It is definitely not a light read as it is full of perspectives, fact and incidents. What really is of help is the Glossary, Names & Places and Supplementary Notes chapters.

 Rating: 4/5