BOOK REVIEW: MY DARK VANESSA by KATE ELIZABETH RUSSELL

                                                

Sexual assault, molestation, or any other form of sexual misconduct is a nightmare for any parent. The mere thought of such wrongdoing sends shivers and chills down the spine!!! We bend backward trying to protect our children from all possible threats of sexual predators but sadly there have been instances when we fail to protect them. 

One such place where we put our trust in and send our children is the educational institution, be it a day school or a boarding school. However, honestly speaking, no place is safe, not even our homes!

This story is set in a boarding school where a young adolescent aged around 15 years old is coerced into an illicit sexual relationship with her English teacher. The story is from the point of view of the young girl. The story is very real because it talks about the lifelong impact of this relationship on the young girl- the way it molds her thought process, her behavior,  her growth as an individual, her self worth, her confidence- her entire being!!!  

The story talks about the psychological dynamics of this affair and brings to light some important concerns such as consent, participation, acceptance, and willingness. It's a heartwrenching story that makes a vulnerable 15-year-old girl, who has shifted to a new school, a new environment, an easy target for an experienced sexual predator. Moreover, the worst part is the way he manipulates the whole seedy affair into something that she believes is her choice and has an equal voice in!

The part which hit me the most is when toward the end of the book, she finally finds the courage and strength to question the relationship. 

She says, " I just really need it to be a love story." 

" Because if it isn't a love story, then what is it?" 

"It's my life. This has been my whole life."

Another aspect of the story that was dehumanizing was the way the school authorities made the adolescent take the blame for the relationship and expelled her from the school. The naive trusting girl accepted the blame as she was made to assume that she was a contending partner in this sordid affair!

This attitude of the school authorities is a mirror to the ugliness of our world, which does not bat an eye in blaming the weak and washing our hands off a matter, just to keep our IMAGE clean!

The emotional turmoil that a young woman is made to carry for a relationship that was wrong and twisted and thrust upon her against her will is so dispiriting and hurtful. I say 'against her will' because she was just a 15-year-old teenager-a sensitive minor in a new school trying to find her space, make new friends, understand the physical changes in her body, and when the older mature and so-called responsible adult started showing undue attention to her, she was simply overwhelmed. Neither her actions nor her words anywhere make us feel that she was OK with it. She just got swept into it and was deluded into believing that it was her choice. The guilt, the feeling of helplessness, anger, hurt, and the effects of such a huge trauma- all kept buried deep within her with no outlet to express and vent out. 

To be honest, I had almost given up writing a post on this book. This is a topic where there are no grey shades. It is plain and simple EVIL. I knew that my words might sound judgmental and that some might even feel that I am missing certain elements of the story here. 

However, finally, I decided to write what I felt about reading this book as the whole reason for this blog is to pen down my experiences as a reader. 

This post seems a bit abrupt now but there is no right or correct way to end it.

I just want to add that we all pray and hope and wish that our children never have to go through such ugliness ever in life. And God forbid, if ever something happens, I wish that we all remain strong and focused on being there for our children with love, acceptance, courage, hope, and positivity!

Till the next time happy reading!!!

BOOK REVIEW : A GOD IN EVERY STONE by KAMILA SHAMSIE

City of Men
City of Flowers
Land Beyond the Mountains
Caspatyrus, Paruparaesanna, Paropamisadae, Gandhara, Parasapur, Purashapura, Poshapura, Po-lu-sha-pu-lo, Fo-lu-sha, Farshabur, Peshawar
" They all had a name for it, century after century- the Persians, the Greeks, the Mauryans, the Indo- Greeks, the Sassanids, the Kushans; kings and generals and Buddhist monks and travelers, everyone felt the tug of Peshawar."
Truly and aptly said by the famed author Kamila Shamsie in her latest book, A God In Every Stone.
History, archaeology, India's fight for Independence, World War 1, Ottoman regime, Indian sepoys fighting for the Queen in the World War 1, Peshawar in the early 20th century- such contrasting topics but under Shamsie's excellent writing, it turns into a beautiful story, set in the early 20th century. It starts somewhere in 1914 and ends in the middle of the 1930s. Vivian Rose Spencer, Nazeeb, and his elder brother Qayyum Gul are the three main protagonists here, sharing a unique connection amongst themselves, which though seems insignificant in the beginning reveals its true meaning and importance at the climax of the story on the Street of Storytellers, Peshawar.
The story begins in the ancient town of Labraunda, where Vivian is a part of an excavation dig led by her father's old friend, Tahsin Bey, a Turk. Shamsie's style of writing about the ruins of Labraunda, the broken columns, half-buried rocks and the wild foliage growing there is so vivid that I could picturise it all so well and almost feel myself being present there. Beautiful!!!
From Labraunda, the story jumps to France in the time of World War One, where the Indian sepoys are being deputed to fight for the Queen of England- the readers have to understand that the JUMP in the story is not haphazard rather a very smoothly done one!!!
After the excavation dig and the battle of Ypres, Shamsie takes the readers to the mesmerizing, alluring, addictive, mysterious city of Peshawar where the story reaches its climax and the destiny of our three main characters come together to create an ending that is brave, humane, sad, poignant, and at the same time is cruel and harsh. It makes you weep and smile and even get angry, simultaneously!!
I am very impulsive and mostly all the books which I end up buying/reading are a result of this impulsive streak. This book was another such buy. I was very cautious when I started this book, fearing the worst ( that I might get bored and lose interest), but to my pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed this story. I was never a history buff but I was hooked to this one from page 1. Moreover, the one aspect that thoroughly had me in its grip was the detailed archaeological parts. Shamsie has done a brilliant job here and the descriptions were so apt that I just had to close my eyes to visualize it all. Just one word... Wow!!

Peshawar - I have no words to do justice to the charm, the magic, the chaos, the culture, the people, the society of a city which is the heart of this story. The myriad lanes of Peshawar and their intriguing names - The Street of Partridge Lovers, The Street of Englishwomen, The Street of Felt Caps, The Street of Silver, The Street of Potters - made the story all the more interesting and enthralling for me.
I am right now in my happy place, feeling content and satisfied, having completed a good book and enjoying visualizing certain scenes and characters in my mind, again and again!!
This is one author whom I would love to read again to enjoy the beautiful synchronized blend of history, facts, and fiction with characters who stay with you long after the story is over!! 

Aaahhhh... A big sigh of bliss n contentment!!!

BOOK REVIEW: HERAI by AARON D.KEY

The future holds a unique fascination in our minds. This is because it holds an unparalleled allure regarding the unseen yet highly awaited eventualities! Numerous books, movies, plays, and theories have been made about the imminent as well as unpredictable future. This is a very popular genre and although not a fan of such books, I wanted to try one. I picked up HERAI by author AARON D. KEY.

This story is based on a dystopian society living in an underground city, deep under the Earth. Their leader Glant believes that they need to be safe and away from the savages living high up the ground, and as such, the city has a very strict and tight patrolling 24*7. This story has a distinctive feature in that there is an all-powerful, all-knowing being who is watching the story develop in two diverse realities- in one reality a known associate of the supreme being is present who has the ability to mold situations and change the direction of the story with a clear conscience whereas in the alternate reality the absence of this enigmatic person takes the story in a totally different dimension. In both the scenarios the main protagonist is Herai, Glant's daughter who has just attained adulthood. In the first plot, Herai is brutally attacked by some unknown dissidents whose motive is not known. On the other hand, in the other plot, Herai is being given the responsibility to go Outside to seek the savages and convince them to reach a truce that will be beneficial to everyone. How the mastermind behind Herai's brutal attack is caught and to know whether she had been successful in meeting the savages is to be seen as the story progresses.

Hats off to Key for writing this story in such a different style with two simultaneous moving plots with the same characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions penned by Key. One situation that stands out in my mind is where Herai has stepped out in the Outside for the first time in her life post the attack and she is simply mesmerized on seeing trees. Moreover, Key has done a brilliant job in bringing alive the underground city with its heavy stone walls, dark damp alleyways, and musty stale air! He has even splendid in keeping the suspense of Herai's attack till the end of the story, but has not been able to keep the reader glued to Herai's journey to meet the so-called savages!

To be honest, I was confused with these two side-by-side running plots. the first 100 pages were a real task. It was only after the 100th page that my interest peaked and I could enjoy the storyline. I, for one, found the story to be a tad slow at times and wished that it could have been made sleeker! I have another complaint about this book and that is the abrupt ending. It just happened suddenly leaving an incomplete feeling in my mind. I wish the author had probably given it a more thorough finale! Hence, I would recommend this book especially to those who are fans of the sci-fi genre.

If you liked the review and want to grab a copy, just click on the given link and voila! The book is yours to enjoy:
https://amzn.to/2DM88zg

That's all for today. Happy reading till next time!

BOOK REVIEW : THE ONE by JOHN MARRS

The idea behind this book is very interesting.  A DNA match to find your true life partner. 

Imagine, the horror of our average Indian parents - forget trying to match the astrological charts of the prospective brides and grooms to find a suitable match in one's own community... Your "apple of the eye" son, now has the ultimate freedom to marry whosoever the DNA chooses... female or male!!!!!

The irony is so amazing here.... previously parents would not let their children choose their life-partners and now here is a technology ( albeit fictitious) which surpasses all astrologers, numerologists, and even the parents when it comes to choosing a life-partner, who like the website claims is scientifically your ideal mate...the CHOSEN ONE!!!

However, as with all stories, this story too has a dark, murkier side, waiting for the reader to slowly pull away the carpet to rear it's ugly head out!!!!!

Can technology actually choose the right one for us??? 

Can we blindly follow science bypassing what our heart or instinct is screaming at us?

Or are we just getting carried away by our pheromones and a deep down desire of " being in love" under the guise of a DNA match???

This story is set in London, where there is a popular website running by the name of " MATCH YOUR DNA ". This site assures to find one's ideal mate in a span of 6 months by paying a nominal amount. So, we find a couple who in spite of being committed to each other, go for this test for a guarantee that they are "made for each other". On the other hand, there is someone who is desperate to have a baby and tries her luck on this site. Similarly, there is another character who in her search for the CHOSEN ONE goes all the way to another continent... we even have a female police officer looking for her ideal man on this site... and a highly successful businesswoman trying her luck too!!!!
What happens when the so-called DNA matches finally meet?????
Will it be all "roses and scented candles" moments or is it some horror waiting to uproot their lives completely......
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and tried analyzing myself whether I too would have gone for such a test, in spite of being happily married and two girls.
Probably yes, out of a morbid curiosity to always venture where I am asked not to go..:)
But that's me!!
I would recommend this book for a light read and you can buy one immediately by just clicking on this link: https://amzn.to/2DVxQC2  and let your imagination run thinking of "what if I too get a chance to find out my true CHOSEN DNA match!!!!!!"

BOOK REVIEW: EXIT WEST by Mohsin Hamid

Exit West is a novel written by the highly acclaimed author Mohsin Hamid. This is his latest novel. This book is one of the most memorable books of 2017 as per Amazon. Click on the given link to grab a copy https://amzn.to/2QQiHZD 

Migration /Migrators: In a nutshell, this story is about migration - be it the physical migration of an individual from one place to another in search of a better life or in order to escape the cruelties of war or in search of an illusion of happiness...It may even be a mental or an emotional migration, which we all go through either gradually with the passing of time or it may be a sudden and spontaneous one throwing us in unfamiliar, unknown and uncomfortable zones!!!

" For when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind."

" Everyone migrates, even if we stay in the same houses our whole lives because we can't help it."

These two lines from the story sum up the feelings stirred in me by this beautiful, poignant, sad yet at the same time a story which is full of hope, faith, and love!!

The book revolves around the lives of two young people, Saeed and Nadia, who meet and fall in love, in the background of a war-torn country. However, life is very insecure owing to the growing unrest in the country, where no place is safe nor is anyone reliable!!

BLACK  DOORS were mysterious exits in secret places across the town, which had the ability to take people away from the collapsing town to far away places like London or Greece or San Francisco. Saeed and Nadia too joined others fleeing from their hometown, hoping for their place in the world. 

How I wish I could say that the story ends on

a "happily ever after" note here with Saeed and Nadia building their new life in a new city full of positivity and love!!! Alas, life never turns out as we expect it to......

Saeed and Nadia had to face a whole new set of challenges in the form of adjusting to a new life as that of a war victim, an illegal immigrant trying to not lose their identity, their roots in a foreign land. 

Hamid has woven many short beautiful stories in this complex web - stories not directly related to the main plot but somehow deeply embedded in the storyline. I am not exaggerating when I say that these stories are the highlight of the book. I actually would go back to re-read these stories.

This story does have a happy ending where all the wrongs do not convert into rights BUT a time and place in this universe where Saeed and Nadia are at peace with each other and especially content with the way their lives have shaped up!!

BOOK REVIEW : GOOD ME BAD ME by ALI LAND

This is my first book review after almost one year - my first proper good book after almost a year. Now I am sure you must be wondering what the whole fuss about a "good book" is for!!!!!!!

In my simple terms, a good book is one which is not a mushy romance story and most importantly, one that is not free on Kindle..:)

What attracted me to this book was this intriguing title: GOOD ME BAD ME I feel that this phrase is a sum definition of all of us. We are a blend of good and bad. No one can claim to be perfect. It is not always about black or white.  It is the grey shade which holds the mystery and the answers too.

This book is a thriller written by first-time author Ali Land. She has spent a decade working as a Child and Adolescent Mental Nurse in the UK and Australia.

This story is about a mother-daughter duo. The daughter is the only witness to her mother's gruesome crimes and she takes a life-altering decision by going to the authorities against her mother.
Now the real story begins...Is it all as simple as it seems? Is the girl really a victim of her own mother's crimes or is she an accomplice who was an equal partner in all the wrongdoings or worse still, is she a gifted student who has learned it all from her teacher/ mother and is now ready to fly on her own leaving her roots behind!!!!

There is a line in the synopsis of the book which holds the key to the whole story
It goes like this :

                                "But her mother is a serial killer.
                                  And blood is thicker than water......."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and finished it in flat 2 days...although this is nothing special as I do this with all my books....hahaha!

On an honest note, what hit me most was how the story ended. I literally had goosebumps !!!!
I would strongly recommend this book- not for its language or the depth of the story but for its pace and characterization and of course for its end!!  You can get hold of one right away by simply clicking on this link: https://amzn.to/2U7ZtgN

Happy reading till the next time!!

BOOK REVIEW : BURNT SHADOWS by KAMILA SHAMSIE

Books are my guilty pleasure. Rather they are my single, most cherished, and satisfying soul cleansing pleasure. I love escaping to the world created by the authors, be it some fairy tale or a mushy romance or an adventure or a thriller or a story which is a combination of all the love and more, full of hard-hitting events casting everlasting shadows!!! There are certain books which make you feel light and happy and full of positivity but then, there are those books which hit you hard, really hard and especially when it is least expected! It comes with a surprise, leaving you completely reeled up and experiencing sensations long after you have moved to another book!!!!
This book, THE BURNT SHADOWS is one such perfect example. It made me so emotional and sad and withdrawn in my shell, that it took days to get over that tragic melancholy!!! Nevertheless, I would rather read a book which garners such an impactful reaction from me, than a so-called light read where you can literally shut your brain off and just let it all flow!
It is very difficult to write the summary of a story of this magnitude with a scope so huge. It spans about 60 years, from the A-Bomb in Nagasaki to the partitioning of India and Pakistan, to war-torn Afghanistan and to post 9/11 America.
This is a profound and powerful novel of family, nations, and wars. If you ask me, I found two-three themes in this story to be very interesting and relatable. First of all is the power of language, not solely as the means of communication, but as a cultural and attitudinal divide.
Second of all was is how identity plays a very important role in our lives and how a sense of identity can be damaged by the horror of an atomic bomb, or by failing exams, by subterfuge, or by looking different to those around you.
Another intriguing theme which stood out was what happens when we try to be nice to others and "do good" to them without treating them as equals, resulting in far-reaching, inhumane and humiliating consequences.
 Besides all this, this book is special as it explores the wonderful ties that bind people together. The loves, the loyalties and the sense of belonging that makes up the beautiful and intricate web of our lives, the knots of which cannot be snapped by a sudden breeze or disturbance.
It is an intelligently written story wherein Shamsie has explained some of recent history’s more complex issues through a family saga.
The characters are well drawn and believable. They are shown with flaws, making mistakes that have serious consequences. Although it is these traits that make the characters more humane and relatable.
Its a good read albeit a very emotionally draining one (true for me, at least)!!

BOOK REVIEW : THE HUSBAND'S SECRET by LIANE MORIARTY

"What if" - Is this not one of our favorite expressions??? Don't we always wonder how our lives would have changed had a few "what if's" come true???
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty is loosely based on this commonly used phrase "WHAT IF"...My dear friend Sri recommended this book to me and I needed this one after the intense book, Bridges of Constantine...I have written about Sri in one of my earlier posts too.. She is my confidant and a true book lover ( which makes me incline toward her all the more)
This story is about three women and how their seemingly perfect ordinary lives change overnight, changing the very equation of relationships!!!
Cecilia Fitzpatrick - a superwoman( seriously!!) mother of three daughters, a Tupperware consultant and an excellent homemaker comes across a letter written by her husband addressed to her, with an instruction, "To be opened after my death"... Will she open it ( while her husband is away on a business trip) or will she be able to control her curiosity and leave it unopened...And what happens if and when she reads that letter???
Cecilia's situation is just like that of Pandora who opened the box of secrets, unknowingly opening up a can of problems for mankind...In her defense all Pandora could say was, "No one ever warned me not to open it".. Poor Pandora, how was she supposed to know???
Then we have Tess, short for Teresa,  who is happily married to a wonderful person Will and has a young son named Liam...Felicity (Tess's cousin), Will and Tess run an advertising firm together...Tess thinks she is in a very happy zone but reality knocks her badly when Will and Felicity break news about their affair to her. Now how Tess reacts and what happens to her happy family is to be read....
The third female protagonist is Rachel, a mom who lost her daughter when she was murdered at a young age of 20 and the worst part is that the murderer has still not been caught!! She was heartbroken and started looking forward to life only after the birth of her grandson who is now 2+. But her life is again set to crumble as her son and daughter-in-law plan to shift base to America taking her grandson along!!
Cecilia, Tess, and Rachel, three distinct individuals, who are mere acquaintances but destiny have their lives entwined in such a manner that one person' s action has a manifold ripple-like effect in the others' lives...
Its a light read, not something that will make you think deep or make you uncomfortable about certain long-held beliefs...But it is definitely a page-turner and keeps you hooked till the very last page. This very feature says a lot about the capability and sheer brilliance of a good storyteller, which Moriarty undoubtedly is!!!
As a woman, mother and wife I could really relate to the story especially Cecilia's as I too started imagining what would I do IF I  ever find a similar letter written by Niraj!!
Interesting thought right...
The part which I thoroughly enjoyed in the book was the Epilogue... Here Moriarty writes about many What If incidents that would have changed the lives of the three central characters a full 360 degree, giving the readers a delightful visual imagining the variety of ways in which the story could have shaped and this interesting book would have ended!!!
Another reason for enjoying this book is that I am a true follower of this expression, WHAT IF... I can spend hours imagining and visualizing different scenarios of my life by permutation and combination of various WHAT IF's...My favorite one is " what if I had not taken up commerce in class 11 and had taken up English literature and then would have pursued writing as my career...Ahhhhh!! Just talking about this makes me smile... Am truly senile!!
But life is not made up of what if's nor does it wait for us to leisurely think of such inane scenarios... So here I am in my mid 30's trying my best to carve a niche with my writing!!!
Enough about me...
You all carry on with your lives and enjoy reading this book and imagining your "what if" situations.....
An excellent way to spend an idle Sunday...Bliss

BOOK REVIEW : NOON by AATISH TASEER

NOON is that time of the day when the sun is at its zenith... We can even say it is at its highest peak...Around 12'o clock...
A weird and out of context beginning of a post.... Right???
Wrong!!! I am not talking random (though I usually am a pro in randomness).....The word NOON is very significant here.
Reason being simple.... we have an author here, the title of whose book is NOON, which (to me) sounds very intriguing..... for this one word is full of numerous interpretations as per the reader' s discretion...
Aatish Taseer, a man with four books to his credit...
A man who is not unknown to controversy, conspiracies, chaos, and confusion...
And he brings it all in his writing as he sees it - as he feels it - as he experiences it!!!!!
Taseer's first book "Stranger to History: A Son's Journey Through Islamic Lands (2009) is a part memoir part travelogue.
This book NOON is a loose adaptation of his memoir with the same star cast : a strong Sikh mother, a famous Muslim father, a childhood in Delhi during the 1980s, a journey to Pakistan to meet his elusive father and the extended family, the impact on one's emotional DNA as a result of craving for an absentee father!!!!
The story starts with a train journey undertaken by Rehan Tabassum (the main protagonist) to Pakistan to meet his estranged father and family for the first time. Here he meets a young boy from Kashmir who talks about the recent horrific earthquake which had devastating effects. An interesting beginning!!
The story then moves to Delhi, during the 1980s when a young Rehan comes from England with his mother to live at his maternal grandmother's house. Taseer then moves the story ahead to the mid-1990s when Rehan, now studying in the UK returns to Delhi during his summer break. He is staying in the family farmhouse to concentrate on his writing when suddenly the calm and tranquillity is shattered by a burglary.
Taseer spends a good portion of his story time in this incident, trying to highlight the deep-rooted caste system of our Indian society that refuses to fade away in the face of any globalization/ modernization!! It is a staunch reminder of the harsh reality of our society which the new age/gen x/urban India wants to forget and move on!!
Although this incident seems to be an important part of the story and I presumed that it was going to take the story further, Taseer ends it abruptly by showing Rehan going back to the UK unable to handle the situation what with the police hounding his seemingly innocent staff!!!
A typical attitude.....Run away from what you cannot face or handle!!
The story now comes to its final chapters when Rehan goes back to Pakistan to spend some quality time with his stepbrother and experiences first hand life under a dominating father, an uncle who is very loyal to his father (loyalty that crosses the healthy limit), an older stepbrother who like Rehan has always craved for an absentee father' s attention, and the young Kashmiri who tries to fit in there by claiming allegiance to one party while getting cozy with the other.
Taseer tries his best to highlight the hypocrisy and an inherent sense of confusion which plagues the Pakistani society but somewhere he fails to get the empathy of his readers.
I for one felt shortchanged after reading this book. Aatish Taseer has been touted as the next big thing in the world of literature, but this book has been a disappointment. Its seems like Taseer wanted to write about two-three topics and instead of writing a short story on them, he pieced it together in the form of a novel. But the stitching has been very haphazard and has many visible gaping holes which left me with a feeling of being cheated out!!!
As this is his only book which I have read, I cannot comment about his writing skills per se, but have to say this, "what a letdown!!"
Just have to say this before ending the post, just because people say that one has an interesting life, one need not write a story on it....A story should always be written with the most basic equipment...A GOOD SUBJECT and an INTERESTING STORYLINE!!!

BOOK REVIEW : THE AMERICAN GODS by NEIL GAIMAN

Hello people... Let's start this post with an interesting insight ( at least from my point of view )....... Here's the thing: How important are the looks of the author while choosing a book to read??? Weird question huh!!! I disagree!!!
Looks of an author are as important as the storyline, the content, the characterization, the flow of the story.. Trust me!!! It's a serious thought process and nothing to laugh about!!!!
I, for one, have been known in the past to choose a particular book because the concerned author was good looking...And I stand guilty for doing it even today......
Authors like John Grisham, Khaled Hosseini are such excellent storytellers and their good looks are just like the "cherry on the icing!!"...
And girls, you seriously can't deny this fact...
The recent addition to this club is Neil Gaiman - my favored author of the season !!!! You have to check out his pictures to believe me...He is NICE!!
And honestly, this was the only reason I choose this book. I had never heard of this guy before and I downloaded this book on a whim.
I was in for a shock when kindle shows me that this book "The American Gods" is of 10,000+ pages. I decided then and there that I am going to skip through half the story and finish it in record time and that too only for Gaiman's face...
Otherwise, me and read another big fat book after the Pamuk disaster...
 No Way!!!
The reality was way different from what I had presumed... I enjoyed this book so much that I did not want it to finish...Instead of hurrying through the story I was taking it real slow, savoring its unique storyline but alas it all got over real fast!!!
Now that I have piqued your interest, let me tell you about its story....
Tell me something... Whether we are overly religious or not, we always carry our faith, our Gods with us to distant lands,  right... We carry them with us across the seas and oceans to protect us, to guide us in a new strange land with strange customs amongst total strangers... With the passage of time, we become familiar and comfortable in the new land, till we start treating it like our own and eventually become one with those strangers and their customs, even accepting the new Gods...Now, what happens to the Old Gods who had come with us, with our ancestors in this faraway land??? Do they continue living here, long forgotten by us or do they go back to their origin or do they perish in this new land uncared and unloved?
This is the premise of Neil Gaiman's book The American Gods...It is a story about Gods and their survival...Are they as human as we are??? Do they too need love, dedication, care, and faith?? Or are they above it all??
It is a story of trust, betrayal, cunningness, love, faith and most importantly of a person who is good and has a pure heart...
Here in Gaiman's world, you have old Gods and new Gods. The old Gods are long forgotten by their believers and are living an almost non-existent life at the periphery. Some of them have accepted this cruel twist of time whereas there are some who are not willing to fade away without a good fight. Standing facing the old regime are the new Gods...Gods of plastic money and bank and real estate and the media who are riding the high wave!! As is the rule of nature there is a big gap between the 'have nots' and the 'haves' which leads to discontent and the beginning of the war: War of Gods!!
I am in love with Gaiman's imagination and am more than game to read his other books just to see how far he stretches the imagination of his readers!!!! 

BOOK REVIEW : SCION OF IKSHVAKU by AMISH

RAMAYANA: A tale by Valmiki which depicts the responsibilities, conduct, and duties of an ideal person, living an ideal life in an ideal society.
Uffff.....So many "ideals" in one sentence itself!!
Seems like an impossible task to me...And moreover who defines IDEAL?? Everyone has their own definition of Idealism and as for society, frankly, most people care two hoots about what the society is up to!!!!
Coming back to the Ramayana, we all know its story and have read books on it and seen it being adapted into movies and drama series and even animated ones for children...
My first brush with Ramayana was on Doordarshan, in the 1980s when Ram Gopal Sagar had made a drama series based on Valmiki's story...
And what a hit the series was. You would not find anyone on the streets on Sunday mornings as people would be glued to their television sets watching Arun Govil playing Ram and Deepika playing Sita!!!!
As a result, funnily, till date, the first image that comes to my mind when I think of Shri Ram is of Arun Govil, with his raised right arm, palms facing out, as in giving "aashirwaad", with a serene smile on his face!!!!!
Scion Of Ikshvaku is the latest book by Amish on the life and deeds of Shri Ram.
To be honest, I was not too enthused about this series as I, in all the arrogance of a so-called "seasoned reader", rationalized that there cannot be anything new to add to this well-known story and that it will fall short of expectations!!!
But I was in for a surprise!!
This is the first book in the trilogy and it starts with the birth of Shri Ram and ends with the famous "Sita Haran" scene or the kidnapping of Sita by Raavan.
It is a very interestingly written story which offers its readers a completely new take on many important incidents in the life of Shri Ram...
Starting with the birth of Ram, the reason behind the intense hatred between Ram and Raavan, Ram's formative years and his relation with his father, King Dashrath, the reason behind Ram's 14year exile, the story of Jatayu are all written from a completely new perspective, which is a delight and cliched though it sounds, makes one exclaim, " Its different!!"
I especially enjoyed the way Amish took care to explore Ram and Sita's relationship, right from their unconventional first meeting to their wedding and their conversations were Just Right!!
Amish has also made Sita be a lady with spunk, wits, intelligence, and a strong constitution. She is not just a sweet-faced docile wife... But then this was expected as Amish always makes the female protagonists be strong and a companion to their husbands, in every true sense...
King Dashrath is best known as the king of Ayodhya and the father of Shri Ram who dies alone without any of his sons around.. A very one-dimensional character who has never been given much importance in any of the Ramayana adaptations...
But the surprise element (at least for me) was the way Amish has sketched the character of king Dashrath. He is shown here as a man who attacks his enemy without any prior planning but only to satisfy his hurt ego and pride. A man who ignores his son during his formative years blaming him for all his failures but turns a full 180° when he realizes that his name will become immortal as the father of the next Vishnu throughout history... A truly selfish man, as Queen Kaykeyi once accused him to be!!!!
There are those who strongly criticize Amish and his storytelling and the subjects that he chooses...
Yes, I do agree that he does use a certain style in crafting his stories, which initially seems brilliant but after three books, it does have an " I know what is going to happen" feel but at no point does it make the book boring.
I for one enjoyed the story very much and thanks to Amish have started to respect and admire the principles which Ram stood for and sincerely hope for the other books in the trilogy to be equally entertaining.
I would definitely recommend this book to all the readers out there and instead of dilly-dallying you can buy it here:
https://amzn.to/2DX51ow

Jai Shri Ram!!!

BOOK REVIEW : THE HANDMAID'S TALE by MARGARET ATWOOD

Imagine a world where women are meant to perform only one job and that is to give birth.... She is considered worthwhile only till she is fertile and able to produce babies!!!! She is to have no identity, no independence, no financial security, no choice!!!
No choice as to what she wears, what she eats, not even with whom she has a sexual relationship with!!!!
She is just a vessel for carrying babies!!!!
And the worst part....  Even after enduring all this, she has no right over her newborn child!!!
It is the male, the man who holds all the power and has the right to make or break your world as per his convenience!!!!
Horrific isn't it???
 It's like a walking talking nightmare for every woman.
 Margaret Atwood's novel "The Handmaid's Tale" portrays a terrifying but very real and possible dystopia.
At first, it's difficult to tell what exactly is going on in the handmaid's world, although her spare narration is filled with a deep sense of fear and danger. It's challenging but exciting to try to make sense of all the frightening details that she describes, and that's one of the things that made this such a compelling read for me.
Atwood had written this science fiction way back in 1986 but one can so clearly see parts of this fictional story coming true in our society today in 2015, just after some 30 odd year gap!!!!!!
Isn't blaming the rape victim, causing her to bear the burden of unwarranted shame and social stigma a very common and familiar occurrence in our society today??
Have we not witnessed the fate of women who are led to their untimely deaths by inhumane laws still unwilling to acknowledge the importance of the life of a mother over her yet unborn child?
Are there not materially prosperous nations governed by archaic laws wherein the women had to fight for their right to drive???
There are many who have hated this work of fiction and have ridiculed it calling it absurd, far-fetched, full of feminist talk, extremist outlook, lacking in logic and very superficial!!!!
I am not about to start a dialogue here extolling the greatness of this story but one thing which I want to do write is that are not the women belonging to our modern civilization experiencing the same nightmare as Offred( the central character in this story). The shackles which bind us today are invisible as we are used to them since the dawn of time and are not able to differentiate between willful and conditioned submission!!!
Just like we humans are an imperfect blend of black and white, so is this story... Along with it being scary and depressing, it does have some uplifting moments.
For me, it was those scenes where Offred reflecting on some images from her past, mostly small little daily incidents of life, thinks, "And we didn't even know we were happy then."
 Atwood does a marvelous job in highlighting the fragility and importance of our little moments of happiness which we usually forget or take them for granted!!!
The story has an open ending which leaves the readers to imagine the end based on their personal reaction to the story. As for me, I am confused. I am not sure whether it terrified me or was there a tiny yet hopeful story building up slowly but surely beside the terror giving my reasoning wings to imagine a HAPPY ENDING!!!!!
You can buy this book by simply clicking on this link: https://amzn.to/2zNrIZN
I would love to hear your views here and talk more about this classic!!

BOOK REVIEW : THE GLASS PALACE by AMITAV GHOSH

" Mere piya gaye Rangoon
  Kiya hai wahan se teliphoon "

This was my introduction to Rangoon, present-day Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar. 
The name Rangoon has always fascinated me and this was the prime reason for choosing this book, not that I did not care about the author. On the contrary, I had been wanting to read a Ghosh book ever since a dear friend of mine had highly recommended his books. However, as is usually the case with me, I just was not interested then. This book though was different. After reading the synopsis, I was compelled to get hold of it!!!!!

Hmmmm.....I have to admit that this is not one of Ghosh's finest compositions and as per some reliable bookworms, not the best book of his, to begin with. But can't do much about it now and it will be sometime before I hold another Amitav Ghosh in my hand. That's for sure!!!
For starters, it's a very long story which starts in a very interesting manner but soon loses steam even before its halftime. He is a superb writer and he has done his homework really well and does a brilliant job in writing a masterpiece when it comes to mixing fiction with historical events. But funnily enough, he is like that studious student who will write a full-page answer for a 2 marks question, just because he has mugged up the whole chapter. Such is the case with Ghosh. He just does not know when to stop. 

He starts with the royal family of Burma and their forced exile to India. Then the story goes into a different track talking about the money minting timber trade of Burma that was the prime reason for the Britishers to show any interest in Burma. From the timber trade, Ghosh takes us back to India highlighting the plight of the royal family in Ratnagiri. He then tells us about the Indians employed by the Britishers as collectors and the privileges enjoyed by them, who look down upon their own countrymen, thinking themselves to be at par with the Gora Sahib. Then again Ghosh jumps to the mutiny days led by the Indians sepoys against the Englishmen and all that it stands for. Here he does an admirable job in bringing to light the inner conflict in the minds and hearts of the Indians who were an integral part of the British army and were forced to go to God-forsaken places to fight against armies much superior to them, in terms of arms and facilities, just in the name of the Queen during the world war. Not only this, the Indian sepoys had to stand against their own people, the freedom fighters, which was taking a bad toll on their psyche and was baffling for the loyal sepoys to understand what prompted others to stand against the British army. 

But as said earlier the story does not end here...Ghosh takes us through another heart-wrenching episode of history and that is the 1000+kms walk by the Indians who fled Burma during the second world war. I was at my lowest emotionally just reading about the hardships faced by those people who were forced to give up everything that mattered to them to go to a country which was their homeland in name only as it was Burma that their souls were attached to. Ghosh then takes us through India's fight for independence and then the abrupt jump to the early 1990s taking us to the present Ratnagiri and then finally to Myanmar where he even mentions Aung San Suu Kyi.

Phewww....If you are confused and tired after reading this, imagine poor me.....struggling through the story and its jumps and leaps and sudden twists and abrupt endings after every chapter(more or less).
There are parts which I really enjoyed reading and that was the highlight of this experience. The first 150 pages of the book which revolves around the life of the royal family in Mandalay and then in India and the initial years in the life of Rajkumar, an orphan living in Mandalay and how he becomes a successful timber merchant makes for an interesting read. Then the part where Ghosh talks about the inner turmoils of the Indian soldiers fighting against their own countrymen for the Queen is just too good and of course, the part that describes the hazardous walk taken by the fleeing Indians through the dense jungles for days at a stretch was simply superb!!

As for the rest, the lesser spoken the better....Too many characters in the story, too many incidents, too many places.....here I have to admit that I am bad in geography, even in the basic directions. Right/left/ north/south...don't ask how bad!!! So I was all the more confused and lost with it!!

In the end, have to say that it's a good story and would have been a truly excellent one with a few edits and cuts.

As the famous phrase goes, "If only....."

BOOK REVIEW : DISGRACE by J.M.COETZEE

DECEPTIVE :(a) intended to make         someone believe something that is not true
                     :(b) likely to make someone believe something that is not true
This word has a negative flavour but I somehow really like this word and love to use it in my vocabulary. Though whether I am deceptive or not is another topic completely :))
I was introduced to this word at the age of 13-14. The story behind this introduction goes something like this:
I had just turned a teen when the oldest of my cousins (from my maternal side) got married. When this didi (elder sister) of mine had come to Guwahati for the first time after her marriage, we would not leave her alone at all. We would follow her around all the time and keep asking her about her life in Delhi in a new household. It was all so fascinating for us, especially any mention of her husband, our first Jijaji( brother in law)!!! Everyone would tease her that she's very lucky to have found such a simple guy as her soulmate. Her answer for some reason is etched in my memory and is my first brush with the word "deceptive".. Didi had answered that Jijaji was as simple as a bamboo which though seems straight, is full of knots from the inside. She further added that looks are deceptive and we should not go by looks alone!!!
This word and especially this phrase caught my fancy and till date I enjoy using it!!!
I am sure all of you are at your wits end wondering why this off the track story and its relation to my post..
Hmmmmm.. No mystery here.. Please bear with me for some more lines...
After my debacle with The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk , I was determined to only read books whose page limit does not go beyond 300-350. While checking online, this book Disgrace by J.M.Coetzee  fitted the requirement to the T. It is a thin book of a total 220 pages. OK, now people, I am not that weird that I would just buy a book based on its length. The author the esteemed J.M.Coetzee, is the winner of the 1999 Booker Prize and the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2003, which was another convincing reason to go for this book.
Now this story is what I would truly call a deceptive one. The story seems to be a very simple one with a straightforward storyline. The book begins by introducing the readers to David Lurie, professor of English who teaches romantic literature in a technical college in Cape Town. He is twice divorced and is very dissatisfied with his work. He is 'disgraced' when he forcibly seduces a young student of his, Melanie. When he refuses to honestly and truthfully accept his mistake, he is forced to resign from his teaching post. After being dismissed from the teaching job he goes off to live with his daughter Lucy, who lives on a farm in the countryside. Though the father and daughter are not close to each other, the initial few days are spent smoothly and peacefully. But this camaraderie does not last long as David and Lucy become victims of a hideous crime wherein not only are they looted, physically assaulted, Lucy is even raped by the assailants, which she considers as a 'disgrace'.
This sudden twist and the subsequent handling of the story and the reaction of the main characters left me both surprised and shocked. Surprised at the simplicity of narrative which resulted in a powerful fiction and shocked at the impact it had on my psyche. I was not able to shake off the heavy feeling which lay over me for days after I finished the story. I was just not able to come in terms with the way Lucy behaves post the brutal rape. Its like she has chosen the role of a martyr. It is the role she has adopted for herself, the price she has decided she has to pay for being a white woman living in the South African countryside.
This is an extremely complex book, with a lot going on. At its core, it's about gender politics, treatment of animals at the hands of humans and race, specifically about race relations in modern-day South Africa. So what is the disgrace that the title refers to??? David's disgrace at the beginning of the book, being caught in an affair with a student? The disgrace Lucy feels from the rape? The disgraceful behavior of the rapists and of Petrus, who is protecting them and may possibly have instigated the whole incident in the first place?
Wow.. This was some real heavy stuff... This was why I wrote at the begining, of this story being a deceptive one. I was totally taken for a ride in believing that its going to be a easy read of 200+pages. Boy!! Was I in for a surprise... You have to give it to Coetzee to write so magnificently and highlight the grave issues relevant in an apartheid post South Africa.  He writes a  tight story which does not let you escape from the uneasiness on being faced with our own internal prejudices and personal demons. Very uncomfortable and literally shook me to the core. No wonder I was soo low since the past one week.
Lastly awesome book to read but only if you have a strong stomach!!!!

BOOK REVIEW : THE MUSEUM OF INNOCENCE by ORHAN PAMUK

Hello people, imagine a scenario... A new Michelin star restaurant has opened up in your city and you have been wanting to go there since quite some time. Finally, the grand day comes and you go there for a much-awaited dinner. But, lo behold, instead of enjoying a magnum opus culinary experience, you come back with a feeling of cheated out and being totally in the pits...The reason is very simple: you chose the wrong dishes!!
I am facing the same predicament this time. Orhan Pamuk is a name that needs no introduction in the literary world. He is an institution by himself and is a winner of the Nobel prize. He is often compared to the likes of Charles Dickens and other great literary legends. I am not exaggerating in my claim when I say that this was one author whom I really really wanted to read. I was super excited to finally get hold of an Orhan Pamuk book.
But my excitement did not even last the first 100pages!!!
Saying that I was feeling low, as a result, would be an understatement. Since the book is almost 720 pages, I was not willing to give up and was hoping that the story would pick up sometime soon...but somehow I just could not rebuild the excitement or the feeling of being able to relate to the characters of this novel and it was all downhill since then...
However, that's not to say that "The Museum of Innocence" is a bad book. Its an exceptional writing by Pamuk. He has written this book from his heart and as you go through it, you realize the awesome research put in by him to bring alive a certain era and its people, the society, the culture, and the way people conducted themselves during that period.
It is a simple story with beautiful insights into human psychology, human behavior and societal norms at large.
The central characters here are Kemal and Fusun, two people who are soulmates but are not able to spend their lives together owing to destiny. Pamuk tells us the story in Kemal's voice( first person's account) in a very moving manner making the reader experience the various ups and downs faced by these lovers in their lives. Kemal's love for Fusun makes him at times appear desperate, arrogant, rude, obsessive, spineless, and selfish. But one characteristic typical throughout the book was his love for Fusun, however flawed. His actions, his decisions were all centered around his one desire and that was to marry Fusun.
I could not for the most part of the story relate to the character of Kemal and his behavior. I found it very weird the way he used to collect things used by her, like cigarette stubs, her earrings, and so on. Initially, he would steal them when no one was watching and later deliberately, asking for them.
What was different (at least for me) in this story was the manner in which Orhan Pamuk comes at the end of the story as himself, an author who agrees to write a book on Kemal and Fusun's story from Kemal's point of view in his voice. It makes the story seem real and factual.
I have learned a few notable truths about me, the reader from this Orhan Pamuk book and they are:

• In my role as a self-proclaimed voracious reader, I now lack in patience. To be able to keep my interest alive through almost 700pages was almost an ordeal.

Conclusion: I should check the number of pages and only then lay my hands on a book.
I must be sounding a lunatic who does not understand books at all but this was not always the case. In fact, one of my all-time favorite authors is Ayn Rand and we all know how thick her books are!!

• I am not very high on reading long descriptions. Even when I was younger I would skip all sorts of descriptions and that habit is still there. This trait happens quite naturally, almost like second nature - skipping long descriptions!!
• I should in the future ask fellow book lovers about their experiences about a particular author/ book and then dip my hands in it!!

( This is more of an advice to myself than a point of self-discovery)

• The most important point is that I should first read the author's most popular books and then go on to read the lesser known ones. In this way, I will ( in an ideal situation) not be disillusioned or disheartened by the hype generated around a particular book.

Finally, I would like to say that everyone has their tastes and I am sure there are many who love this book. But this one just did not do it for me!!!!

BOOK REVIEW : The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafaq

ESCAPIST: A term often used to describe me, as I am always with my head deep down in a book and that too mostly fiction. In my defense, I will quote my friend, another so-called Escapist. He said, " Because I read fiction  I am able to understand and grasp reality better because of my mind's duality to relate to both imagination and reality with equal ease!!". How I wish everyone felt the same and would never criticize me for my books.

I agree that my books help me to escape into another world altogether, but, the point is that it may not always be a paradise or a fantasy land where I take shelter. There are books which make you sit straight and push you to look deep inside you, to face your demons and even guide to slay them!!

Then there are some that question your beliefs and makes you step out of your comfort zone and face the bigger truth!!

Elif Shafaq's "The Bastard of Istanbul" is one such book and you too can get hold of this book by simply clicking on the given link: https://amzn.to/2RFPe1C

I happened to chance upon this book in a local bookshop and the synopsis was so intriguing, that I had to buy the book.

Shafaq has written a beautiful story about the complexities of the human nature in the backdrop of the mesmerizing city of Istanbul and it's history, which is, in turn, fascinating, fearsome, tragic, and heroic. A history that is very rich and vibrant yet tainted by the horrific Armenian Genocide in the year 1915 under the Ottoman regime( the Turkish government till date does not acknowledge it as genocide but terms it as a consequence of the civil unrest which claimed many lives, both on the Armenian side as well as the Turkish side).

This story revolves around the Kazanci family who has been living in Istanbul for many generations. Owing to a mysterious family curse, all the Kazanci men die in their early forties, so the Kazanci household is a house of women. Four generations of women live together under the same roof, with temperaments, religious affinity, nature and way of living, so different from one another, that it's almost a miracle to see them all living together in harmony, albeit unsynchronised and imperfect!! Asya, a young girl, 4th generation Kazanci woman, is a bag of contradictions, a rebel but with her heart in the right place. On the other hand is Armanoush, half Armenian and half American born and brought up in America but always finds herself on the threshold and feels that there is a link missing that stops her from being a part of either the American or the Armenian culture fully. She decided to go to Istanbul in search of that missing link and goes to stay with her far-away cousins, the Kazancis. The two girls meet, saddled with pre-conceived notions about each other's religion and community. However, over the days they get to understand each other's perspective, helping them to view the past in a new light, thus bringing the girls closer.

What I really liked about this book is the honest and nonjudgemental portrayal of a country and it's varied people. Shafaq has written on a subject close to her heart and has tried her best to keep the story as real as possible without taking sides or indulging in any blame-game pertaining to Turkey's turbulent past.

Another thing that really appealed to me is the beautiful description of Istanbul. I actually got to visualize its streets, the market, the beautiful houses, the weather, and the pungent whiff of the sea through Shafaq's passionate writing.

Shafaq has written in her acknowledgment( at the end of the book) that she was put on trial for " denigrating Turkishness" under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, because of some words were spoken by the Armenian characters in this novel. The charges were eventually dropped. I am in awe of such authors who stand for the truth and not hesitate to stand up against all odds for what they righteously believe in. May their tribe increase!!

Three Most Scandalous Books read by Me : The Alchemy Of Desire by Tarun J Tejpal

The Alchemy of Desire  [ http://writetothepoint.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-name-tarun-tejpal-is-associated.html#] is

 :

The third and last book in my list of the three scandalous books which I have read.
On the front of it this book seemed to me pretty ordinary with the story revolving around a young married couple who truly love each other and how a chance finding of a trunk load of personal diaries  belonging to an English lady living in India prior to our independence, changes their lives forever.
But when you start reading the book you are taken by surprise by the explicit sexual content of the story. This was exactly my reaction on reading  such graphic scenes by an Indian author and that too from someone like Mr.Tejpal ( I am sure I must be sounding like a prude, but this was my first and honest reaction to the book!). I have definitely read books worse than this but this book was a bit of a shock for me as the sexual content made me a tad bit uncomfortable and I was not able to sync it with the story.
I have written a post about this book earlier and in it I have praised the story and Mr.Tejpal's way of writing. I have been and am still pretty impressed by the topics chosen by him and the way he has moulded his stories be It the Alchemy of Desire or The Valley of Masks to keep the reader engrossed in the story. He is undoubtedly a master storyteller but I was not comfortable with the way sex was used in the story. It seemed kind of forcefully added to the story and not being a part of the story.
I was once discussing this book with a cousin of mine and I told  him that even though I have read many scandalous books of many genres since I was a teenager but this book had the ability to stun me even now, when I thought I was mature enough to read any sexual content without it affecting me.
Overall it is an interesting read if one can get over the sexual content and enjoy the story of a young couple who though are financially very weak but are very happy to be with each other.

Three Most Scandalous Books read by Me : The Grey series by E.L.James

This is my second entry in the list of my three most scandalous books.

The Grey Series needs no introduction, rather I should say that it is one of the most over hyped books which was published in the last five years. This is one book which was preceded by it's sheer publicity and controversies even before it was released in India. I had read about it so much in the newspapers that the moment it was available in my city ,I went and brought all three.
I finished the  first book - Fifty Shades of Grey in two days flat, with almost two sleepless nights in tow. This was because this book was unputdownable. I am not saying that I loved the book but one really could not help but keep turning the pages to find how it all ends in the first part of the trilogy. The whole setup of a BDSM relationship in the form of a story and glorifying the act by saying that in psychiatrist's terminology BDSM relationship is not sadism or a mental disorder but is another way of having a consensual relationship is way out of my league. Hence I had this morbid pull for the book and I had to finish it fast.  The way the female character, Anastasia was introduced to this relationship by the central character Christian Grey was very shocking and the Red Room with its sexual toys was just unpalatable for me. It felt very demeaning to me as a woman and I was utterly confused as to why would a sensible woman even try such a thing.
When Anastasia walks out of Christian's life in the end of part one, I immediately started the second part- Fifty Shades Darker to see how the story moves ahead. But this time since I was more knowledgeable and knew what to expect, I skipped certain parts and moved ahead with the main story and similarly read the last part too- Fifty Shades Freed.
There is one thing which I realised after reading the entire series is that whatever people say, a book will not sell if it lacks a proper story, irrespective of all the sexual content you put in. This theory applies in the Grey Series too.
This is a story of a young girl who finds the love of her life, but, instead of being a white knight in a shining armour, Christian is a normal man who has his flaws and a terrible past which makes him very fearful of love and commitment. It is a tale of two young people who endeavour to fight and slay their personal  demons to spend their lives with each other, happily ever after.
I am not justifying the book or defending the heavy sexual content, all I am saying is that if we try and read the book and look at it beyond all explicit content, this story can be like any other lovestory, full of ups and downs, misunderstandings, ego clashes but a happily ever after in the end.

Three Most Scandalous Books read by Me : Once Is Not Enough by Jacqueline Susann

This was the first dirty or rather should I say trash in fiction which I read and that too when I was just 15 years old. I know that girls far younger than what I was, read trash these days but this was way back in the mid nineties and I was growing up in a small town called Guwahati, where things were really simple and I had a very sheltered upbringing. So this book was a very big shock for me, in terms of the story, the sexual content and even the dialogues. And the best part was that I had stolen this book from the attic during the pre Diwali cleaning. Should I be ashamed of myself for stealing and reading such a book? Some might say yes, but I do not agree. I was very curious to read such a book and that's what I did, though, I did not enjoy it much. I was rather very shocked and shaken up on reading this book, as till then all I had read was Enid Blyton, P.G.Wodehouse and a few Nancy Drews here and there.

I was not comfortable about this whole incident and later I confessed my crime to my mom but she surprisingly took it very lightly. Hence, I have never felt any guilt about it.

Now let's talk about the story- the story is set in the seventies era and the central character is a young girl, January Wayne, daughter of a big-time Broadway producer. The entire story revolves around her and how she grows up in this misleading and confusing glamorous world. January is very very fond of her father but not in a daughterly manner, it is more of incest here.( This was shock no.1 for me). Then there is her stepmother who is having a roaring lesbian affair with a middle aged movie actress( shock no.2 for me). Scenes full of drug abuse and explicit sexual content was like "the cherry on the icing" in my shock intake. 

Now when I think of this book, all the content which shocked the innocent me seems very dated and boring. But at that time I was truly scandalised and firmly believed to have grown up with a full understanding of how the world operates, after reading this one dirty book. 

Once is Not Enough is a typical no brainer and I would not read it, now at this age, even if I had nothing else to do. I would rather watch trash then read trash.