ஒரு நடுப்பகல் மரணம் - சுஜாதா - புத்தக விமர்சனம்

    

                    தமிழ் நாவல்களை நான் படிக்க ஆரம்பித்தது சுஜாதாவின் புத்தகங்களின் வாயிலாகத் தான். அதுவும் துப்பறியும் கதைகள் என்றால் எனக்கு அவ்வளவு பிரியம். அதின் விளைவாகவே சுஜாதாவை வாசிக்க ஆரம்பித்தேன். பல நாட்கள் கழித்து அவர் புத்தகத்தை வாசிக்கலாம் என்று நினைத்தேன். சுமார் பத்து வருடங்களுக்கு முன்னால் படித்த இந்த புதினத்தைத் திரும்பவும் வாசிக்கலாமென்று எடுத்தேன்.

                    உமா மற்றும் கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி இருவருக்கும் திருமணம் நடக்கின்றது. திருமண கோலாகலங்கள் முடிந்த பிறகு தேன்நிலவுக்காக பெங்களூர் செல்கிறார்கள். அங்கு ஹோட்டலில் கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி கொல்லப்பட யார் இதைச் செய்தார்கள் என்று கண்டறிவது தான் 'ஒரு நடுப்பகல் மரணம்'. காவல்துறை அவர்கள் தரப்பில் விசாரிக்க உமாவும் இதன் உண்மையைக் கண்டறிய முற்படுகிறாள். 

                    கணேஷ்-வசந்த் கதை என்று நினைத்துத் தான் இந்த புதினத்தை வாசிக்க ஆரம்பித்தேன். ஆனால் இது அவர்கள் பாகமாகும் கதை அல்ல. துப்பறியும் கதைக்கே உண்டான வேகத்தோடு இந்த கதை நகர்கிறது. காவல்துறை விசாரணை நடத்தும் விதம் நன்றாகவே காட்டப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. இடையில் மரணத்திற்குப் பிறகு வீட்டில்  சம்பவங்களை அழகாகச் சொல்லப் பட்டிருக்கிறது. சென்னை மற்றும் பெங்களூரில் இந்த கதை அரங்கேறுகிறது. சுஜாதாவிற்குப் பழக்கப்பட்ட இடம் பெங்களூர் என்பதால் என்று நினைக்கிறேன். அவ்வளவு தத்ரூபமாக நம் கண் முன்னாள் அங்குள்ள இடங்களைக் கொண்டு வருகிறார். துப்பறியும் கதை என்பதால் அதிகமான கதாபாத்திரங்கள் இருந்தன என்றாலும் வாசகன் சந்தேகத்தை ஒருவர் பக்கம் திருப்பும் தருணங்கள் நிறையவே இருந்தது. என்றாலும் அதில் சிலது வேண்டும் என்றே திணிக்கப்பட்டது போல் தோன்றியது. முக்கிய பாத்திரங்களின் பாகங்கள் ஆழத்தோடு எழுதப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.

                    மொத்தத்தில் வேகமாக வாசிக்க முடிந்த ஒரு விறுவிறுப்பான கதை. ஒரு திரைப்படம் பார்க்கும் அன்பவத்தைக்  கொடுக்கிறது.

                     

Random Ramblings # 2 - Permanence : A Paradox

 

I just finished reading a Tamil novel 'Alandaapatchi' by the renowned writer Perumal Murugan. The story follows the journey of Muthu who had to move out of his village due to unexpected family situations and seek out a new place to settle down. Muthu, the youngest in the family had all the love and affection in the world until one fine day when his father decided to split the property. He is left with almost nothing and all the relationships he had till then become strangers overnight and he has to turn a new leaf in his life.

That kept me leading to thoughts of permanence. Permanence is continuing or staying the same way for a long time. Ever heard the saying "Permanence is not permanent"? This shows the paradoxical nature of the permanent. We all know that nothing is permanent and change is imminent. But then, we still seek out permanence just like the fox who keeps jumping to taste the grapes. Staying the same way gives us a sense of security and stability. I feel that people seem to flock towards permanence due to this, even though knowing very well that it is not going to be the same. 

Things that we feel are going to remain everlasting will be subjected to change and disappear at a certain point of time. I see this in a positive light. Good things will come to an end. But so do the bad things! Think of it that way! Life is a cycle and good or bad things that have to cease at some point and change over to the next one. Life is a roller coaster ride that needs to be enjoyed as it is. Imagine a life that is just plain and stable with only ups or downs. You are going to wear yourself out during the ride.

Change is the only thing that never changes. Always remember that nothing is permanent. But changes happen all the time to keep your life interesting. Cherish every ounce of your life.

“Nothing in the world is permanent, we are foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we are more foolish not to take delight when it lasts” – Somerset Maugham

The Running Man - Richard Bachman (Stephen King) - Book Review

 

                    I wanted to kick start this year with a Stephen King book. Recently I came to know that Richard Bachman was a pseudonym for Stephen King. My last read of his was Thinner which was written under the same name. This seemed to be a dystopian story and I wanted to read such a setting from the master crafter himself.

                     The story is set in the dystopian future (2025)!. The Network controls everything in this world splitting them into two different worlds as in any dystopian setting. Ben Richards who is a part of the downtrodden part of this setting is jobless and penniless. He has a daughter who has a bad bout of pneumonia and he is not able to get her to a proper doctor. Ben decides to enter one of the Free Vee reality shows. He goes to auditions and is selected for one of the most brutal shows 'The Running Man'. He can win big money or die trying. The book follows Ben Richards as he tries to stay alive and play the game forward while fighting the Network.

                             The book is a fast-paced one that could be read in a day. Stephen King does a good job of pumping us with adrenaline throughout the read. The way the world is discriminated is well written with references from high rises, plush hotels and jets to sewers, run-down hotels and deserted malls. Pollution is an underlying factor that delineates the people in this book and he shows how much the society has stooped down or rather Network had held people in their make-believe world. The few main characters present in the book have their own paths cut out and they were quite interestingly written. The fast-paced narration makes sure that we run with 'The Running Man' till the end. The author succeeds in maintaining the emotions high throughout the story. Ben is high on emotions and we can sync with his emotions throughout. There was a twist at the end but then it was executed satisfactorily. The interactions between Ben and the lady he kidnapped were interestingly brought out. This gives a chance for the people from the brighter side of the world to actually view the world of the downtrodden. One could relate to the pollution, the high-mindedness of certain people and reality shows that feed on human emotions of the future (as per the story) which was interestingly the present year.

                    In short, an interesting and fast-paced dystopian story. However, the reader succeeds in connecting emotionally despite the pacing. There is supposedly an old movie starring Arnold based on this movie. Not sure how effective the movie is though.

For other reviews of Stephen King books, check out the below links.

CUJO

THE OUTSIDER

THINNER

THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON

         

Random Ramblings # 1 - Holding A Grudge!!!

 

Last month, I was reading a Tamil novel "Aalam" (Poison) written by the famous writer Jeyamohan. Very interestingly written and quite fast-paced too. The story was all about holding a grudge and exacting revenge. Now! It is not the story that I am going to talk about but what it is around!

GRUDGE.... Such a strong word that lets out strongly negative vibes around a person. A grudge is a strong feeling of anger and dislike for a person. Holding one against a person means that the emotion remains such for a long time and has long-term consequences and backlashes. Holding grudges can put you into an anger hellhole and you will tend to wade deeper into the same rather than moving on. The negative emotions that it radiates end up eroding your character and persona gradually. On a mental front, along with what we just saw, it cultivates depression, negativity, and frustration. You suddenly feel drained of your energy which you will be dissipating away just by bad thoughts and simmering anger alone. Building up a grudge for a long time can emotionally drain you and push you deep into depression, mood swings, anxiety or in the worst cases self-harm. There can be physical effects like sleep reduction, heart health, headaches, stomach aches etc.

Now, Is this all worth it? Is there any point in holding a grudge against a person rather than just moving on? Acceptance is one trait that helps people fight grudges. Not being judgemental of others and placing yourself in the opposite party's shoes also helps. There are umpteen activities that we can focus our energy on rather than spending it as anger on people. It's high time people start to set meaningful and healthy boundaries and practice empathy. Once we practice that, we will end up realizing that what we carry in our minds does not mean anything and everything can be resolved peacefully and move on with our dear lives. In the novel that I mentioned at the start, revenge ends up destroying every character and finally a huge lose-lose situation. The writer strongly brings about the effects that a grudge can have on people. "To err is human, To forgive is divine". True that we are mere mortals and forgiveness and empathy does not come that quickly to us. But let's start practising it, live and let everyone around us live as well.

The Final Curtain - Keigo Higashino - Book Review

 

                       It has been quite a while since I read Keigo Higashino. My last read was "A Murder in Tokyo," which was an average experience compared to his other books. I had high hopes for this book and decided to make it my last read in the genre for this year.

                    An estranged woman who was working in a bar died a natural death ten years ago. Presently in Tokyo, a lady is found dead due to strangulation in an apartment. In another part of the city, a homeless man was found burned to death. As police dig deep into these murders, they find a connection between the murder of the lady and the death that happened a decade ago. How Inspector Kaga works with the Tokyo Police Department to solve this crime forms the story!

                    This story is more of a police procedural than a mystery thriller. It is evenly paced and diligently follows the investigators as they collect clues and interrogate suspects. There are a lot of twists in this story. Even though we might guess the person correctly, there are still many questions that give us twists. That being said, there are no unnecessary red herrings to throw us off track. What sets Keigo's books apart from other detective books is the emotional connection that we get. There is always an underlying emotion that connects the readers with the happenings. We can say the same here as well. The read which goes on at a normal steady pace takes a deep emotional turn towards the end which tugs at your heart even leaving you in tears. There is a deep father-daughter bond that is so beautifully brought out and kept me rewinding the same even after finishing the read. 

                    The author succeeds in bringing cultural references during the time like an earthquake and how that affected the social and economic structure of the country. There are references to depression, bullying, adoption, empowerment, abuse and neglect. There is an interesting reference to bridges like in his previous book. Twelve bridges for twelve months! Interesting enough! There is a usual difficulty in keeping a tab of the names here as well. There is a character list mentioned at the start. But it was cumbersome shuttling back and forth in the Kindle. There are quite a few characters and some of them including Kaga have a certain depth to them owing to their emotional weight. Last but not least, a great effort by the translator Giles Murray. A neat translation was done without making any compromise to the emotions attached to the book. I have always felt that the translators are not given their due respect. World literature needs translators for us to enjoy those beautiful books.

                    To sum up, a great police procedural that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. Keigo does full justice to his usual writing style.