Book Review: Final Cut by Uday Gupt

Short stories are something I love to read. They provide a refreshing break from the full length novels, and mostly hold my interest in its length and plot. A few short story books of late haven’t quite lived up to expectation, and I was hoping that one comes along that keeps me glued to it.

The book Final Cut by Uday Gupt did manage to do that. It has six short stories and a novella. I think the first thing that appeals to the reader in the book is the cover, which I felt was very nicely designed. The second is that all are set in India at various time frames, which give the stories a breath of their own.

“Hodson’s Gold” explores the key to a treasure, hidden by a British officer during his time. “Friends” explores the friendship between two unlikely people with completely different mindsets and backgrounds. In “It Only Happens in India” a Pulitzer winner comes to India to do a story. “Will Reena”, the sole novella, explores the story of Sukumar and Reena. “Buddha Poornima” is a story set in the 1st century, and is based on the customs before the festival. “The Last Supper” brings out the story of two British officers, who are part of a painting, and who have committed suicide. “Final Cut” brings out the story of the final trick of a magician.

Does each story have the capacity to hold my interest as a reader and offer a twist, or something to make me go wow? I feel so. The writing style in itself is different and enjoyable, though with respect to the first story Hodson’s Gold, I felt the way the initial details were given about Hodson and his quirks and actions made the read a tad boring, like a history book. The plot however was different, and the ending made me sit up and take notice, even laugh out loud in awe. The language is simple, and I couldn’t find any major editing issues. It entertains and engages me as a reader. And that in the end, makes it a very successful book.

In A Gist:

Positives: Cover design, characters, plots, entertainment factor

Negatives: Some parts are boring

About the author:

Uday Gupt currently works for one of the largest banks in the Middle East, in Abu Dhabi. He has been a regular contributor of opinion pieces on economic issues to newspapers and publications. This is his first collection of fiction

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Rating: 4/5

Book Details:

Title: The Final Cut

Author: Uday Gupt

Genre: Short Stories

ISBN/ASIN: 9789382473657

Publisher: Leadstart Corp

Price: INR. 195

 

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This was a PR requested review. The opinions expressed in the review are my own, and remain unbiased and uninfluenced.

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Shared with
1) First Reads Challenge at b00k r3vi3ws
2) Indian Quills 2014 at Tales Pensieve.

Reviewed by Leo

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Arjuna - Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince

Author: Anuja Chandramouli
ISBN-13: 9789381576397
Binding: Paperback
Publishers: Leadstart publications
Copy source: Publishers
Pages: 364
RATING: 2.5/5

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book. ~ Cicero M Tullius

If Cicero was to say this today, he'd have modified that last bit to ...and everyone's writing a book about the Mahabharata. After Ashok Banker, Devdutt Pattanaik and Amish Tripathi, India seems to be mass producing contemporary Indian English authors of mythology. Can’t blame them, really. Our epics are so rich and endless in their inspiration that any wannabe author without an original story turns to them for a reinterpretation, a retelling.

The Mahabharata, in particular, with its myriad characters, is a favourite and stories from the points of view of individual characters are flooding the market. It probably started when Prem Panicker translated Vasudevan Nair's Randaamoozham, a retelling of the Mahabharata by Bheema. Panicker’s book was called Bhimsen. Next was The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, which came out in 2008. The last couple of years have seen books like, Mrityunjaya (a story about Karna) by Shivaji Savant, Women of the Mahabharata by Chaturvedi Badrinath and more recently, even Karna’s Wife, the outcaste’s queen by Kavita Kane! There may be many others I’m not aware of, but one of this genre recently landed on my table for a review.

Arjuna – Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince by Anuja Chandramouli tells the story of the Mahabharata from the perspective of the most illustrious of the Pandavas. While the book focuses on the important milestones of Arjuna's story, especially his 12-year exile, the story is essentially that of the inexorably connected Pandava brothers. Either it is impossible to separate the five, or the author hasn't done a good job with the single perspective. Because I've not read any of the books mentioned above yet, I do not know how they compare. But if an author decides to pick one character, as a reader, I would expect a more fleshed out one than what Chandramouli has presented here.

The language is also simple to a fault. Its plainness doesn't make the book easy to read; instead it makes it dull. For a tale as amazing as the Mahabharata, it is sad if one doesn't feel like reading more than a few pages at once. For me as a reader, the language neither induced great visuals, nor was there any music in it. I remained impassive to the protagonist and the plot right through the book. The author fails to make Arjuna memorable for me any more than he already is. But the book will serve as a good refresher for anyone looking to brush up their Mahabharata trivia.

While this book was a little bit of a disappointment, I welcome this wave of Indian English books on our greatest epic. The Mahabharata belongs to everyone and its rich lessons ought to stay with us. It is only with such books that the newer generations will take interest in and take forward this fantastic legacy. I certainly look forward to reading many more from this genre of books.

The Redeemers, by Suresh Taneja

About the author:
Suresh Taneja is a chartered accountant by profession. He published his first book, “We Can Pull It Off” and this book is an improved version of that. He wishes more youth read it, and believes that the youth have a very important role to play in the development of India.

My thoughts on the cover design:
It feels casual, like a light read is implied. Gives out a projection of excitement and enthusiasm.

My impressions from the blurb:
Well, if Suresh’s belief is that youth should play a part in the country’s future, the novel seems to be a reflection of that. A story of youth who have set out to make a change.

My review:
Well, we begin at a time in the future, 2030 to be exact, where things have turned on their head. There is a young Indian ambassador to the US, and India is the leading superpower in the world. Indian companies have become THE brand abroad and such. We’re introduced to a closely knit group of four friends and their families, who are currently holidaying in the United States. This group (G4) are part of the initial revolution that changed India and got them to where they are now. Chapter by chapter from this point, we are taken back and forth in time to see what started it all, and how the change came about.

This book is inspiring, and calls for action from the youth to battle and conquer corruption that has taken over our country, and left it, as rightfully said on the blurb, in a shameful state. It tells us that small things and prompt thinking can help bring about that change, as shown when young Yuvika’s prompt thinking prevents her family from being unjustly accused and charged with murder. It also tells us change might not happen overnight, but working toward it can make it more possible that we feel it is now, to implement the good ideas we might have for changing the nation is also important. Lastly, it also shows we need to have dreams and believe in them, and we should be given that space to believe in them rather than other dreams pushed in, so they become true.

On the downside, editing lacked. A major mistake was Kolkata being spelt with a double t. It is in the future and by that time, another t might be added for all I know, but felt very odd. It also was very off-putting to read the sentences like “G4 initiated discussion with G3” or “G6 wished in chorus” etc. To show that all of the group said it felt wrong. Perhaps it might have been better to put it like one of them wished and the other followed in chorus, or one by one. And also, though they are known as a group like the parents together as G6, fathers alone as G3 and the four of them as G4, just using the group names felt seriously strange. Similarly with the discussion, when political parties was discussed. Names to the parties brings a more realistic feel to it. Things like India’s state of domination in 2030, with us lending huge amount of money to the Americans felt nice, but to be frank, it also felt unrealistic given the pace of development we are currently at. One suggestion from my side is that rather than starting out with India as a fully developed, global superpower, what might have been more apt is for the story to start in the present and go along from there till 2030. That, and being narrated from the point of view of G4 members, like one chapter from Yuvika, the next from Vikram etc., might have made it more effective and touching, rather than starting out with all is fine and narrating the past to their already awestruck children.

The Redeemers is a feel good story that leaves us wondering if we are asking the right questions and how the onus is on us to ask the right ones and be the stepping stone for change.

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My rating: 3.25 Stars

Book details:
Title: The Redeemers
Author: Suresh Taneja
ISBN: 978-93-82473-39-8
Genre: Fiction/Drama
Publishers: Leadstart / Frog Books
Price: INR. 145

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Reviewed by Leo

Shared with:
1. First Reads at b00k r3vi3ws
2. Indian Quills at The Tales Pensieve

This was an author-requested review. I thank Suresh Taneja for the review copy.

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45 Days In A Cancer Hospital by Alka Dimri Saklani

I am eating, living, breathing mysteries. Yes. In books. On television. In my mind too. Its just a matter of time before I become that lampooning character who roams around the world casting suspicious looks at people, trying to find mysterious stories and explanations where exist none. Phew. One more time, its a mystery that came my way for review. A win - its a different kind of mystery - a medical mystery - the first that I have ever read.

45 Days In A Cancer Hospital is the debut work of author Alka Dimri Saklani. This book narrates a story based in Umeed Hospital - a medical centre which has built its reputation as the best cancer treatment centre, in perhaps the whole country. Dr. Chatterjee, the founder of this hospital, is also a famous cancer specialist, one known to have given his life to the cause of caring for cancer patients. His own mother had died of bone cancer and under excruciatingly bad conditions since his father refused to afford the treatment. His incapacity to save his mother as a child drove him towards the noble medical profession - one which he pursued with obsessive sincerity.

Enter Ashritha - a young and famous writer, who, as her latest project is writing a book on the lives of cancer patients, for the purpose of which, she decides to stay in Umeed Hospital and observe and interview patients. She hopes that her book will become a source of hope, company and inspiration for others afflicted with this deadly disease. However, little does she know that the hospital she chooses to stay in has more to offer than just the stories of people coping up with cancer. A number of terminally ill patients are being killed in cold blood - an extremely strange occurrence given that they are already going to die. Ashritha, the strong, concerned and smart woman she is, suspects some foul play and with the help of her friend from CBI - Animesh - gets on course to unravelling the elusive facts behind these hideous acts. The road to solving the mystery is paved with threats to Ashritha's life, but for once does she not buckle down. If anything, she is even firmly back on the case. Intellectually ripe, she is able to figure out it all - only her wildest dreams could not have conjured where ultimately her investigations lead her. This, along with a subtle, brewing romance between Ashritha and Animesh is what makes this book a wholesome tale to savour.

I roughly took three days to finish this book, that too when I had a pile load of work to do. The previous line is to show that the book managed to keep me engrossed. The storyline is interesting, with adequate crests and very less troughs. Crises are introduced in the story when you least expect. However, as you get friendly with the author and the psyche of her characters, for sometime, the narrative does become predictable. The tale ends like most mysteries do - the culprit is not whom you expect, but one who fits the jigsaw perfectly. Alka's characters are deep, and have consistent traits, which makes them easy to understand and follow. The language of the book is quite ordinary and comfortable. No big promises, but this book does live up to the excitement it creates in the back-cover blurb. The knowledge and research of the author shows in the way she has described unto last detail the life of doctors and nurses in the hospital. The book seldom loses its focus and ties together all the lose ends at the climax. To summarize, I would not label this an extraordinary piece of writing, but a genuinely decent effort by first time writer Alka Dimri Saklani. Giving it 2.5 stars on 5, I would go on to say that this is the kind of easy-read mystery that would conveniently fit into your hectic schedule and provide welcome distractions.

PS - My favourite bit about the book is the Acknowledgements. The author admits to having named her protagonist on her brother, because his support during the process of drafting the book was invaluable. I only hope that if someday I get down to writing a book, I have similar support systems available to me too. 

Book Details -

Title - 45 Days In A Cancer Hospital

Author - Alka Dimri Saklani

Publisher - Leadstart

Genre - Medical Mystery / Crime Fiction

Price - ₹ 195

Pages - 296

Asura - Anand Neelkantan

 Title : Asura

 Author : Anand Neelkantan

 Publisher : Platinum Press, Leadstart Publication

 Pages : 498

 ISBN : 978-93-81576-05-2

Asura was recommended by one of my twitter friends Ujjwala ( @OyeUjuOye ) because I really loved reading The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi.  One day she tweeted that she feels @iYatinGupta must read this book Asura and honestly because I respect her a lot I took her suggestion instantly and put the book in my reading list. Post that, I contacted Anand Neelakantan and request him to send me a review copy of the book and in no time he agreed to it and asked the publisher to courier me a copy. 

When I started reading the book, I felt that the plot of the book is too heavy for me but no doubt it was interesting. I decieded that I would read 50 pages of the book daily. Spread over approximately 500 pages and 65 chapters, the book gained momentum after some 4-5 chapters and then I finished the rest of it in two sittings. Mixing facts and fiction, and that too mythological facts, characters in a whole new plot is something very tough and to say the least the author has done a wonderful job. I am sure this must have been author's dream project and I want to congratulate him for coming up with something so beautiful and so poised that I absolutely loved reading. 

Asura starts with Ravana's death bed. Where he is on the verge of dying and thinking about his people and his family who died and lost the battle to Vaanar Sena led by Shri Ram. The book runs in the past of Ravana and like we have Ramayan about the life of Lord Ram, I would not mind renaming the book as Ravanayan. The way the whole plot and characters have been put together, it makes this book into a complete page turner. I would definitely not like to get into the plot of the book here. Also, I found the book cover so interesting that it is my current twitter display pic ! :D

Anand Neelakantan, I am sure must have worked exceptionally hard to come up with something ambitious like this. The story is gripping, though I felt that he could have concentrated more on the intellectual side of Ravana but nonetheless, the overall effort is superb. The writing is tight and keeps you glued to the book.

I would definitely like to read more of Anand's works  in future. I am already looking forward to his next book. 

Travails Of Entrapment - Himadri Roy

 Title : Travails Of Entrapment 

 Author : Himadri Roy

 Genre : Fiction

 Publisher : Frog Books

 ISBN : 978-93-81836-01-9

If someone asks me, define "Travails Of Entrapment" the book in one word, then my answer would be "Sensitive". But before going any further in this post, I would like to share a line that Dr. Himadri Roy himself wrote for me 

We meet to create memories, we part to cherish them forever !!! 

I came across this book while surfing a popular online portal and the summary of the book encouraged me to pick it up. I contacted Dr.Roy through e-mail and asked him whether he can provide me with a review copy and he was kind enough to acknowledge my request and sent me one. 

Travails of Entrapment, is based on the life of Rohan De, the protagonist of the book. The book deals with a very sensitive topic, homosexuality. It is a very mature take on the subject and I really appreciate the way Dr.Roy has put up the entire story in the book. 

 The story is set up in Nainital and moves to Delhi and a small portion in Dehradun. Rohan De, a bright student and morally sound, is the only child of Swapon De and Gonika De, both of them are highly reputed professors in the Kumaon University, Nainital. Rohan's parents are obscenely busy with their careers. His mother, Gonika, comes across as a very arrogant and snobbish person who is least bothered about her child and his father is no less. Its their house maid, Meena or Meena Didi as Rohan addresses her, takes care of him throughout his life. She makes sure Rohan eats on time, sleeps on time and also helps him in his character development. Meena has immense faith in God and she ensures that Rohan maintains his faith in God too. 

Rohan completes his school education from Sherwood College, Nainital, where he meets Nikhil, who remains his only friend till Rohan reaches Delhi for his higher education B.A in English Honours from Delhi University despite his parent's disagreement. The friendship between Nikhil and Rohan is pure but had its weak points too. In Delhi, Rohan meets Paras and Monisha on the very first day of college itself and a lifetime friendship kicks off at the very same instant.

In his quest of life, Rohan faces serious turmoils on his personal front which breaks him emotionally. He struggles between friendship and love. Rohan's life faces pains, agonies, tears, bruises, smiles, happiness and bliss. He overcomes every difficulty with a lot of patience and courage and choose his own life, the people he wants to be with and spend rest of his life with. 

The way this book has been written is really commendable. Simple language which would make you feel for Rohan. Once you connect to the story, the book becomes an absolute page turner. Today, whole day I was reading it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Dr. Himadri Roy's writing style is simple and to the point. He knows how to pour emotions in words and makes sure you keep turning the pages as the story unfolds. The book deals with homosexuality, but there is no sign of any vulgarity or cheapness, the story is smooth, pure and feels like the author has put his heart and soul into it. 

If you are looking for something for light reading, then you can pick up this book. Give it a shot. It won't disappoint you.