Most books give you a story with a beginning, middle, and end. They wrap things up nicely. They explain what everything means. They tell you how to feel. The Vegetarian by Han Kang doesn’t do any of that. Instead, it gives you something that sits in your chest like a weight. Something that makes you…
There are some books you read and think, “That was beautiful.” You admire the writing. You appreciate the craft. You move on. And then there are books that grab you by the shoulders and shake you. Books that don’t care about being elegant or subtle. Books that have something urgent to say and won’t shut…
I don’t know how to talk about this book without first telling you I wasn’t ready for it. I picked up Amba: The Question of Red thinking I’d get a retelling. You know, one of those books where someone takes an old myth and updates it. Makes it prettier, more modern, easier to digest. I…
We spent a lovely day at the Anna Centenary Library, and I have to say—the children’s section is a total treasure trove. While my daughter and nephew were completely absorbed in books of their choice (and happily ignoring the rest of the world), I wandered around a bit myself, not really expecting much for adults….
Okay, so imagine this You wake up. You’re confused. Everything’s hazy. And then you realize—oh crap, you’re dead. Not just dead. Dead dead. Gone. Finished. But here’s the weird part: you’re still… around. You can see things. Hear things. You’re in this strange in-between place with a bunch of other dead people who are just…
I did not know what to expect when I picked up First Person Singular. I had heard about Murakami for years. People talked about his surrealism, the talking cats, the wells, the women who disappear. I thought I was ready for something wild and strange. What I got instead was something much quieter. And somehow,…
Before you even get to the love story, before you meet the painter or the woman who turns his world upside down, you meet Malgudi. And Malgudi, as anyone who has spent time with R.K. Narayan’s writing will tell you, is not just a backdrop. It breathes. The streets are noisy and full of life….
You know the Ramayana. Everyone knows the Ramayana. Rama is the perfect hero. Hanuman is the devoted servant. And somewhere in the background, there are these monkey warriors—Vanaras—who help Rama defeat Ravana and rescue Sita. That’s the story we’ve all been told. The story where Rama is right about everything and anyone who opposes him…