Strange Pictures - Uketsu - Book Review

                                       

                The name 'Puskin Vertigo' pulled me into this book as I was browsing the shelves at the library. An interesting book cover and an interesting preface made me pick this book as my next read. How did it turn out to be? Let's check out.

                A college student starts checking out a now-defunct blog where a pregnant woman's sketches create a bizarre undertow. There is a child's picture of home, which has a more sinister meaning. Then, we have the sketches made by an artist before he was found murdered. As we read on, we try to unravel the meanings of these strange pictures to get to the bottom of it.

                This is an interesting premise. When I started reading, it seemed so normal and strange. As the story progressed to the next chapter and picture, I was confused by the ambiguity it was creating. I was under the impression that all these stories were standalone ones. But on reading on, I was able to see the connections. Nevertheless, I was hooked from that point, and the suspense was well maintained by Uketsu. Even though the perpetrator was no surprise, it is the backstory and the nature of unravelling that kept me on the edge. The ending of the story was well written - like closing a full circle. As usual, getting familiar with the names took some time. The translator has done a good job of maintaining the story's crux and excitement. The writing was simple enough, and the characters were well-written, even though they were confusing at first.

                In short, an interesting story with a strange start, but it turned out to be a great read. Pushkin Vertigo does another good job bringing such good reads to the forefront. 

Ghost 19 - Simone St. James - Book Review

 

                There I was hunting for stories to read when I came across the blurb for the book. It did sound interesting on a surface level, and the book is a novella, which promised a quick read. Therefore, I ended up reading the book. How did it turn out?

                Ginette Cox, an ex-actress, is advised by her doctor to move away from the city to a quiet town to cool her nerves. As she moves into a house, she spends her time watching her neighbours, which turns into an obsession. When she tries to leave the house to go out, she realises the truth. The house refuses to let her leave. Is it a figment of her imagination, or is the house haunted? This forms the rest of the novella. 

                This interesting premise is what attracted me to the story. As I mentioned, being a novella, it was a quick read. It did start creepily, but the essence was not maintained throughout. There were a couple of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' moments here and there. The writing was simple and fairly engaging. At one point in time, the story starts to turn predictable, which is a damper, as it was a quick one. The unfolding of events also seems rushed. The characters, except for Ginette, lack depth. 

                In short, a quick-read novella that might not fully cater to the taste of horror or mystery genre fans. Nevertheless, this can be a decent one-time read.

Random Ramblings # 14 - The Ritual of Reading

 

Do you like reading? Well, I do. That is one activity that I do all the time. Like any reader, I have my rituals and practices related to reading.

First things first. I prefer physical books. The touch, smell, ruffling of pages, and colourful book covers invoke an unspoken bliss. I am very particular about where I sit and read, and I position specific chairs in almost every room - a rocking chair near my bookshelf, a jhula in another, a round bamboo chair in yet another room. These are more than just simple chairs. They are my reading mates. Now, to the eatables that go with an excellent reading experience: a big cup of piping hot coffee/a big cup of buttermilk/lime juice with a bowl full of peanuts. While such a practice sounds silly, it is not for people like me. And timings. I wake up at 4 in the morning just to read.

Curling up with a book creates a safe space I can crawl into. This provides a support system for me and sets up a meditative space. Importantly, this provides a place to unload my stress levels. While turning towards a creative corner, these small things trigger some spark inside me. I get a sense of positivity to spend the rest of the day that a book spreads into me.

Reading is not just the consumption of words. It involves a ritual that provides a sense of familiarity and love to readers. For an introverted person like me, sitting on a rocking chair, reading books & sipping coffee is a regimen that I religiously follow to keep my life on track. This works! What about you? Do you have any such reading rituals?

The Resting Place - Camilla Sten - Book Review

 

                Last week, while browsing the internet for some book recommendations, I came across this book by Camilla Sten. I was very much impressed by her first book, 'The Lost Village', and so decided to give this book a try.

                Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia - a medical condition where the person is unable to identify human faces. As she reaches her grandmother Vivianne's home to meet her over dinner, she finds her murdered, and the killer walks past. Eleanor is unable to identify the killer. A lawyer calls and informs about a home that Vivianne has left her. She, her boyfriend, the lawyer, and her aunt visit the house to seek answers. With the killer still on the loose and the house holding some dark secrets, will Eleanor be able to get to the bottom of these forms the rest of the story.

                The first thing that captured my attention was the condition of Eleanor, which can be a perfect setting for a great story. I expected the story to move in that way. But when they arrive at the house, and the story tended to travel in two different timelines, there was a sense of amiss. On a positive note, the read was mostly engaging. The language was simple enough, and it kept us reading forward without many glitches. Yet, I did not get any edge-of-the-seat experience. The characters were portrayed well but carried a sense of mystery till the very end. As in many similar novels, I felt that the portions leading to the climax were stretched, and I was able to decipher the plot except for the last twist. Recently, I have this feeling that stories that carry multiple timelines in parallel tend to get stretched unnecessarily. The claustrophobic, isolated setting helped the story to a certain extent. Mental health was discussed superficially at times. There was a sense of wasted oppurtunity throughout the read, and that gets played in the back of our minds as we read the book. I think the first book might have set the expectation level at a higher level.

                Overall, a decent one-time read, which might not fully entice thrill seekers. The medical condition could have been effectively used in favour of the book. That, along with a toned-down pre-climax, could have given us a much more satisfying read.

Check out the review of other books by Camilla Sten.

The Lost Village - A Novel

A Master of Djinn - P. Djeli Clark - Book Review

 

                I was browsing for books of the fantasy genre when I came across this book. The name Djinn sparked interest, and I ended up selecting this as my next read.

            Egypt is a place in its fullest glory where djinns and people coexist. Fatma is a brilliant young woman who works for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. A mass murder happens that involves some prominent people, and it is attributed to Al-Jahiz, a famous mystic who lived many years back and transformed Egypt into what it is at present. All hell breaks loose when a person claiming to be Al-Jahiz appears out of nowhere, spreading discord. He can control the Djinns like Al-Jahiz claimed to. Fatma, along with her team, should race against time to get to the bottom of what ensues. 

            The first thing that caught my attention was the whole setting of the story. Most of the fantasy books I have read are set in an English background with ghouls, monsters, ogres, etc. This book has an Arabic backdrop that piqued my interest from the start. The book starts with a bit of excitement, which tames down as it goes, maintaining the pace as the world is built around us. Halfway into the book, it surprisingly picks up pace and keeps us well excited all the way. The book is a surprise drift away from pine forests and Gothic castles to deserts and palaces. There are a lot of things talked about in the book - feminism, women's suffrage, war, economic marginalisation of society, etc. I liked how that dived down to the djinn community as well. The pacing was apt, like I said. But the climax felt a bit dragging and preachy. The writing style was simple enough, with a lot of Arabic words being used. The characters were interestingly written (human, Djinn and Angels). Every character had their own shades, which they carried around perfectly. I realized that two novellas precede the book, which I have not read. But it did not hamper the reading experience anywhere.

            In short, a wonderfully written fantasy novel set in the Arabian lands. It will be a welcome change for fantasy lovers. And, if this develops as a series, I would certainly be interested to read more.