Gaban - Munshi Premchand - Book Review

            I have been reading Tamil, English and Malayalam books to date. This year I had planned to read a book in a new language. I decided it to be Hindi. Barring the textbooks, this is my first full-length Hindi novel. Whenever I start looking for a Hindi book, the first name that pops up is Munshi Premchand. I had heard the name from some of my textbooks as well. So, why not start with one of his works!

            Gaban is the story of a young man who wants to please his newlywed wife. He is totally smitten by her and wants to please her. When his wife expresses her love for jewellery, especially necklaces, he starts taking loans and finally misappropriation funds. Things start getting out of hand, and he runs away to escape from shame and arrest. He ends up in a different town, and his life takes a different turn. Things start looking to go on track, but then take a dip. How do these affect the person, and everyone around him, form the story.

            For a good part of the first half, the story revolves around the greed of a woman and the psychology of a man in such cases. From there, Munshi Premchand takes us through a lot of things on how humans can be, the plight of people back then, etc. The storyline was set around the pre-independence period, and we get to see how everything used to be back then. The language being Hindi was a bit complex, and it did take me almost two months to finish it. Reading it on Kindle helped, as I could check the meanings of the words without much fuss. Also, there were a few pages that I felt dragged. There were some good characters and the relationships, like friendship, husband-wife dynamics, and father-son relations, that were well brought out. Even back then, the way people with power try to stand over the lesser people is well reflected here. 

            The word Gaban means misappropriation. According to me, this does not mean money but also love, faith and morality as well. Relationships are something we tend to take for granted. In short, this is a good read for a first-time Hindi novel reader. Hopefully, I will explore more writers and their works.

The Last Devil to Die - Richard Osman - Book Review

 

                One of the books I read last year was the first book of The Thursday Murder Club Mystery series. It was interesting enough and prompted me to look out for more of them in the series. This book caught my attention during my recent visit to the library. Well! It is not the second book of the series. But I went ahead and gave it a try.

           Stephen's friend, Kuldesh, an antiques dealer, gets killed, and a package that was in his place has gone missing. For the Thursday Murder Club, it is a personal matter, and they need to get to the bottom of this mystery. They cross paths with drug dealers, gangs and art forgers, and the body count starts rising. Will they be able to find the perpetrator form the rest of the story.

          To start with, this was an interesting storyline. The author succeeds in catching our attention from the start. The main characters, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are poles apart but just right as a team. I enjoyed the banter between them and how the characters play on with the story. They are quirky and witty as in the first book. I read the fourth book without covering the second and third ones. But that did not bother me in any way. You can read this separately. There are a few references to the old books, but you can still read this as a standalone. There are places where the story slows down. But the writer skillfully keeps us reading at a slower pace and not get bored with the same. The language and reading experience are breezy and enjoyable. 

            In short, a good and cosy mystery read that can be enjoyed in a single sitting, barring a few hiccups. This is a fitting continuation of a sweet and cosy mystery series. 

            

                

Read my reviews of other books by Richard Osman below.

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

ஐந்து நெருப்பு - ஜெயமோகன் - புத்தக விமர்சனம்

               

                சிறு கதைகள் படித்து பல நாட்கள் ஆகிவிட்டது என்ற நினைப்பு இந்த புத்தகம் வாசிக்க தூண்டியது. ஜெயமோகன் சிறு கதைகளுக்கென்று ஒரு தனி அழகு உண்டு. அதை எதிர்பார்த்து தான் இந்த புத்தகத்தை எடுத்தேன். 

                ஒரு வீட்டில் திருட்டு நடந்தது. திருடியவனை காட்டிக்கொடுக்காத பெரியவர், கொலை செய்தபின்னும் எந்த ஒரு குற்ற உணர்வும் இல்லாத ஒரு சிறு பையன், வாழ்க்கைக்கு வழிகாட்ட வந்தவரின் தற்கொலை, சிறைச்சாலையில் நிறைவேற்றப்படும் தூக்குதண்டனை என்று குற்றங்களை சார்ந்த பத்து கதைகள் அடங்கியது இந்த புத்தகம்.

                ஜெயமோகன் அவர்களின் சிறுகதைகளுக்கென்றே ஒரு தனி பாணி இருக்கிறது. இந்த சிறுகதை தொகுப்பும் எந்த விதத்திலும் குறைந்தது அல்ல.குற்றம் என்ற விஷயத்தை சார்ந்து எழுதப்பட்டாலும் அதிலும் பல உணர்ச்சிகளை கொண்டு வந்திருக்கிறார். கதைகள் எனது மாவட்டத்தில் அமைந்ததால் அந்த வட்டார வழக்கும் பழக்கங்களும் இன்னும் என்னை இந்த கதைகளை ரசிக்க செய்தது. பற்பல காலகட்டத்தில் நடந்த கதைகள் என்றாலும் அவரின் எழுத்துக்கள் வாயிலாக நம்மை அந்த நேரத்துக்கே கொண்டு செல்கிறார். வெந்து தணிந்தது காடு திரைப்படத்தின் முதல் பகுதி கூட இதில் வரும் ஒரு கதையே.

                நெறியில் இருந்து விளக்குவதே குற்றத்தின் அடிப்படை ஆகும். அப்படிபட்ட குற்றங்களின் பின்புலங்களை கதைமாந்தர்களின் மனநிலையும் மய்யமாக வைத்து எழுதப்பட்ட இந்த கதைகள் கண்டிப்பாக படிக்கப்படவேண்டியவை.

                                  

The Fisherman - John Langan - Book Review

 

                Last month was dull in terms of reading, and I wanted to rekindle the reading streak with a horror genre. Browsing through the list of Bram Stoker award winners, I came across this book. Why did it catch my interest? The book cover and title seemed harmless enough to pique my curiosity, and I ended up picking up the book to read.

            Abe recently lost his wife, and he takes it very badly. Once the mourning period is over, Abe picks up an interest in fishing. Soon enough, one of his office mates, Dan, also loses his wife and kids to an accident and finds himself taking it pretty badly. When Abe introduces him to fishing, both seem to bond and find solace in this activity. One day, they end up visiting the Dutchman's Creek for their fishing weekend. On the way, they chanced upon some rumours about the place and a mysterious figure, 'Der Fisher'. But they don't pay heed and proceed to the place. What transpires, what secret does the creek hold, forms the story of 'The Fisherman'.

             To start with, a pretty decent read. One thing that strikes you right away is that there is no suspense of any sort in the story. A few pages into the book, and we know what happens at the end. Nevertheless, the author has been successful in keeping us fairly invested. The book is mainly divided into three parts. It is difficult to keep the tempo of the story steady when the reader knows what to expect. But John does a decent job of it. The read was plain but engaging, and the author was able to maintain that most of the time. On the downside, the book could have been shortened by 15-20 pages. There are a few instances that could have been cut short to make it crisper. Some scenes from the flashback and climax felt dragged. Other than these instances, the read was a breeze. The language was simple to catch up with. I liked how the characters were set in the first part. 

             In short, a decent read that keeps us fairly engaged. An interesting premise that steams ahead with some hiccups here and there. This book had won the Bram Stoker award for Best Novel in 2016. 

The Midnight Feast - Lucy Foley - Book Review

 

                After a bunch of horror reads, I decided to break the chain and try something from the mystery genre. My second favourite go-to genre. This has been with me for quite some time, so I decided to give it a try.

                The Manor has just opened, and it is a high-end luxury getaway targeting the rich. No stones are left unturned to give the perfect experience. But beneath all the luxury and humbug, there is something dark and sinister waiting for the right moment. Some of the people in the Manor are not really guests, and the incidents that happened years ago are haunting the place. A major fire happens and there is a dead body is found. What happened at the Manor? What dark secrets does the place hold? forms the story.

             An interesting premise, right? Well, for me, it was. The blurb caught my attention before diving into the read. This was my first read of Lucy Foley. As I mentioned earlier, the premise was very good and has all the abilities to keep us invested in the book. The language was easy and good, and the book is divided into many small chapters. The book moves in a non-linear pattern through the point of view of the main characters, along with the journal entry telling us the flashback. Initially, it starts out all good. But as we read on, the reading starts getting cumbersome. There are many chapters, and the jump from one POV to another starts dragging the story. Most of the story seems to have a cliffhanger. When that story picks up after a chapter or two, we get irritated. It gives us a feeling that it is being forced upon us. The book could have done better with at least 30 - 40 pages fewer. The characters are well written, and the journal part, which tells us what transpired years back, is quite interesting. After the initial quarter of the story, it becomes lethargic till towards three quarter of the book. After that, it gets really interesting, and the way things unfolded was very satisfying. The book gives a feel of a movie with a great story, let down by a mediocre screenplay.

                To sum it up, a decent read for mystery lovers. An interesting story with great potential, let down by a lethargic structure and an average feel.