The Moment of Everything - A book review

I had the good fortune of meeting Shelly King, the author, at the book launch of "The Moment of Everything". Shelly came across as a warm, friendly and funny person. I was curious to see if her book was anything like her.

The Moment of Everything is Shelly's debut novel. I must say it does not disappoint. A book about book stores and "Lady Chatterley's Lover". What could go wrong with that? Maggie Dupre has been "involuntarily separated from payroll" at a Silicon Valley start-up. Sounds familiar? Living in Mountain View and spending numerous hours on Castro Street I had begun to understand this mysterious bubble, that is Silicon Valley. Reading a book set in the place you live in, was comforting and at times eye-opening.

Maggie navigates, what can sometimes be pretentious Silicon Valley culture with charm, humor and a bit of girl power. I could identify myself with Maggie on so many levels. To begin with, her love for books and that she was a non-techie in the Bay Area.  Confused about her purpose in life (a theme that I struggle with even today) Maggie pines for her "perfect" life with the flashy job and fat paycheck. She starts working in the used book store on Castro street to escape the reality of her situation. What was once an escape from job hunting, turns out to be just the thing she needed to find herself.

In the book store, Maggie is entangled in a love story with a surprising twist. Her independent streak, snarky remarks and gumption help progress an otherwise cheesy romantic storyline. Shelly does an excellent job of filling the pages with an eclectic mix of characters from the hardcore gamer, the retired Berkeley hippie, to the uptight southern mother. A book lovers book, The Moment of Everything, conveys the quintessential old world charm of the past with a modern, complicated and power hungry present.

Yatrik - A review

So I read Yatrik by Arnab Ray. Highly awaited, his third novel does not disappoint. Reading it brought about a tumult of emotion. Poignant and insightful with an underlying thread of dry humor. You know the kind that says "Life is what happens when you are busy planning other things".

The story is about Anushtup Chatterjee who wakes up to realize he is dead. I quiet like stories where the "end" is the "beginning". Not all authors can do this convincingly. Starting the book with the end result and working your way back to the details of the story. The opening pages of the book are my favorite with Anushtup being told he has died and the vivid description of the darkness and stillness of the surroundings. Eerie and strangely calming. Arnab does a fantastic job of portraying middle class India. Anushtup is easy to relate to and shows this perfect balance of idealism and human flaws that makes him three dimensional.The book explores themes of family, ambition, Kolkata and death. By starting the story with death, Arnab deals with a core fear that resides in all of us. The fear of dying. The fear of anonymity. The fear of mediocrity.

The story flows with ease exploring Anushtup's life, his choices and the reasons his life didn't turn out the way he had hoped for. His troubled relationship with his parents ( the foundation), his sense of identity through educational accomplishments ( the middle) and his dissatisfaction with the cards that life has dealt him (the end). Why is it so common for people to feel this sense of entitlement from life? This particular emotion was a bit too close for comfort. The lassitude from the seemingly unfair treatment of life. This false sense of entitlement led Anushtup to tempt fate maybe? 

Themes of Karma run strong throughout but also depict the interconnected maze of actions. It is not your actions alone that affect life but also the actions and choices of others. And sometimes one has no control over this power others seem to hold over your life's outcomes. Anushtup's struggles though sad, do convey a sense of justice and peace. It is what it is. Arnab's writing style ensures the book is thought provoking like a little nudge yet not depressing, for the protagonist has died after all, having  lived an unsuccessful life by middle class Indian standards. There is a lot of Bengali cultural references (for obvious reasons) but I did not find that annoying because there is a universal Desi element that ties it all together. 

Notable mentions from the book are the author's opening lines, the description of the middle class psyche on job security ( a desk job however demeaning is better than a service job), the concept of forgiveness and empathy expressed by Sumit Datta ( read the book to find out who he is). The ending seemed slightly rushed but was a satisfactory finish.Reading the book is indeed a "Yatra". A short and deeply engrossing one.

P.S. Why the name Anushtup? I confess, non-Bengali me had difficulty keeping the name straight.

Amar Prem

Its hard for me to think of a time when books were not part of my life. Books have been the "best friend" that I never had. My constant companion in endless moves across India and the US.

The first time I had ever read a novel was John Grisham's The Pelican Brief. I had sneaked it out from my Dad's desk and was fascinated with the fact that reading was keeping my dad and brother too engaged to pay any attention to me. My 9-year old brain couldn't grasp the complexity of the American legal system but I remember trying to read the whole book.

The bookstore in NOFRA (Naval Officer's Residential Area) in Bombay simply called "Amar" was my mecca for so many years. Evenings would be spent trying to find the latest Archie comics, the new Hardy Boys mystery and the next book in the Sweet Valley High series. My world revolved around making sure Amar saved the latest book for me before anyone else took it. I would dream about meeting Joe Hardy or dressing up like the Wakefield twins. Amar is an icon for anyone who spent their childhood in NOFRA. He always remembered your name, knew who your parents were and whether you had a sibling. My mom would visit Amar in the 70's and 80's for books and when we went back in the 90's after almost a decade, he still remembered her. He hauled his big bulky binder to start an account for her as if no time had passed. May be for Amar, no time had passed. He was surrounded by walls filled with thousands of books that stood testimony to ever changing hands but never changed themselves. May be the leaves of the book had worn out, maybe it wasn't 1996 anymore but Amar kept the "new" book waiting for me.

Years later, in 2011, my parents went to Bombay and visited Amar. He smiled shyly and asked "Seema baby kaisi hai?" (How is little Seema?). And then he asked about my brother while he posed for a picture in front of his shop.

                                                                      Amar in front of the store

Reading list for the uninitiated and in no particular order :

• Outsiders - S.E. Hinton
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
• Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
• Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
• Autobiography of a Yogi- Paramahansa Yogananda
• A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
• Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
• Selected Stories - Alice Munro 
• Wooster and Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse