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Circa by Devi S. Laskar
Circa had the potential of being an immersive and compelling read. Sadly, the structure and length of the narrative do the story no favors, as the final product ultimately struck me as formulaic in a-MFA-program type of way. Sure, Devi S. Laskar quite effectively utilizes a 2nd pov, which is no easy feat. Beyond this…
1980s, 1990s, 20th century, 2nd pov, 3 STARS, Adult, America, cheating, Circa, cultural dissonance, DEATH, Devi S. Laskar, drama, family, female authors, first love, FRIENDS TO LOVERS, friendships, GRIEF, growing up, identity, indian american author, intergenerational, LITERARY FICTION, MARRIAGE, missing girls, missing persons, North Carolina, published in 2022, read in 2022, snapshots, style over character, stylised prose, will they won't they, youth -
Translating Myself and Others by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Writing in another language reactivates the grief of being between two worlds, of being on the outside. Of feeling alone and excluded.” While I can’t quite satisfyingly articulate or express why I find such comfort in Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing, I can certainly make a stab at it. In many ways, Translating Myself and Others reads…
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Seeking Fortune Elsewhere: Stories by Sindya Bhanoo
“The memory of the past, the futility of the future, it leaves her breathless.” Seeking Fortune Elsewhere presents its readers with a well-crafted collection of short stories mapping the paths of those who leave and those who are left behind. Set in America and southern India these narratives explore the realities of leaving one’s homeland…
3.5 STARS, Adult, ageing, America, belonging, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, collection of short stories, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), family, female authors, India, indian american author, intergenerational, loneliness, Longing, MEMORY, migration/immigration, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, restrained prose, Seeking Fortune Elsewhere, short stories, Sindya Bhanoo, SLICE OF LIFE, travel -
Honor by Thrity Umrigar
Previously to reading Thrity Umrigar’s Honor I’d read another novel with the same title and subject matter. Both books make for harrowing reads, however, whereas I found Elif Shafak’s more thoughtful tone to be more appropriate to the subject fitting, here, well, Umrigar’s undermines her social commentary by throwing into the mix a rushed romantic…
2.5 STARS, Adult, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, class, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), distressing reads, female authors, graphic content, hinduism, Honor, honor killings, India, indian american author, insta love, Islam, journalism, MELODRAMA, MURDER, My reviews, PRIVILEGE, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, Religion, revenge, ROMANCE, Thrity Umrigar, trauma, violence, violence against women -
The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob
“People always say time stands still, and it really is that, you know. You find the thing you love the most, and time will stop for you to love it.” A few months ago I read and loved Mira Jacob’s Good Talk so I was quite looking forward to The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing as…
20th century, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, American, ARTISTS, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cultural dissonance, DEATH, drama, family, FAMILY SAGA, female authors, forgiveness, GUILT, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, illness, India, indian american author, intergenerational, MARRIAGE, MEMORY, migration/immigration, Mira Jacob, My reviews, New Mexico, photographers, published in 2014, read in 2021, reading, siblings, washington -
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
Mira Jacob’s Good Talk is a small gem of a memoir. Jacob combines different media to discuss a number of issues and topics. Jacob transports to the page the difficult conversations she’s had with her son about race, while also recounting her own experiences growing up as a first-generation Indian-American. Much of Good Talk takes…
2000s, 2010s, 4 STARS, Adult, America, American, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, colorism, Contemporary, dialogue heavy, family, female authors, Good Talk, Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations, Graphic Novels, India, indian american author, MEMOIR, migration/immigration, Mira Jacob, mothers & sons, My reviews, Nonfiction, politics, published in 2019, RACE, read in 2021, reading, Sequential Art, social issues -
The Archer by Shruti Swamy
Throughout the course of reading The Archer, I was painfully aware that I was in fact reading a novel. That is to say, I did not think this was a particularly ‘immersive coming-of-age’ story, quite the contrary. Almost every line I read struck me as contrived and as attempting (and failing) to be eloquent and…
1960s, 1970s, 2 STARS, 20th century, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, CHILDHOOD, coming of age, dancing, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), female authors, growing up, heavy on telling, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, India, indian american author, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, MARRIAGE, mothers & daughters, My reviews, navel gazing, pregnancy, published in 2021, purply prose, queer, read in 2021, reading, slow pacing, sports, style over character, stylised prose, subject over characters/story, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE -
The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri
In this short and meditative piece, Jhumpa Lahiri examines the role that book jackets play in a person’s reading experience and the responsibility they have in not only conveying the book within but in catching someone’s attention. Lahiri looks back to her youth and recalls how the books she borrowed from at the library were…
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Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Written in Lahiri’s characteristically understated prose Unaccustomed Earth is a bittersweet and minutely observed collection of short stories. Set in America, India, and even Thailand, these stories focus on relationships between siblings, parents and their children, grandparents and their grandchildren, married couples, and friends. They are also characterized by a strong sense of nostalgia, partly…
1970s, 1990s, 2000s, 20th century, 3.75 stars, addiction, ageing, beautiful prose, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cambridge (us), cheating, cold tone, collection of short stories, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), family, favourite authors, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, India, indian american author, intergenerational, introspective, Jhumpa Lahiri, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, MARRIAGE, My reviews, parenting, PUBLISHED IN 2008, re-reads, read in 2018, read in 2021, reading, restrained prose, seattle, short stories, siblings, thailand, Unaccustomed Earth, unrequited love, washington -
Interpreter of Maladies: Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.” Jhumpa Lahiri’s restrained storytelling is a pleasure to read. I…
1990s, 4 STARS, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, affairs, age gap, America, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, BOSTON, cold tone, collection of short stories, Connecticut, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), favourite authors, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, India, indian american author, intergenerational, Interpreter of Maladies, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, MARRIAGE, Massachusetts, My reviews, Pulitzer Prize, pulitzer prize winners, short stories
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