Book Review - MEMORY POLICE by Yoko Ogawa

What will you do if things start disappearing from your life? Not just physically but the memory of it too! That is what happens in this small island town. Hats, birds, music, perfume - things begin to disappear and as they do, they are wiped off from people's memory as well. People of the island gather together to burn or bury the last bits of those items that have disappeared, so that they are completely gone from their lives, and then they go on with their lives. The ones who are fortunate (or unfortunate?) enough to remember things that have disappeared are taken away by the Memory Police, not to see them ever. When the protagonist (a young novelist) finds out that her editor (R) remembers everything, she is determined to save him and hide him from the memory police. With help from her only friend and acquaintance she builds a hiding place for R. The story takes a different turn from there. R tries to help the author and her friend to remember things that have disappeared. He says it is their only way to live and revive the parts of themselves that they have lost along with the memory. As they refer, it creates a "hollow" in them and they just learn to live with it. 

A very unusual and haunting plot. Yet written with such beauty, makes it almost poetic. The author's ability to create this surreal world and make it believable is what makes the book stand out. As the protagonist is a novelist, there is also a parallel story that she is writing. Amazing how this second story is weaved into the actual one and how they become one in the climax. Her helplessness in not being able to remember anything and finally accepting it are few of the heart breaking moments that will stay with me for a long time. Her way of consoling herself by saying that the hollow will remain and slowly we will move on with it. Won't we all leave everything behind at the end?  

Book Review : Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant, a 29 year old woman lives a very mundane life. She lives alone, eats the same lunch every day, spends her weekend over two bottles of Vodka and talks to her "mummy" once every week. Her lack of social skills has made her unacceptable at work and also at other places, where people want to conform to certain norms for being acceptable. It is a situation Eleanor has made peace with and she is happy staying away from people. With an unhappy and traumatic past she indulges in drinking over the weekend to keep those memories away. It is only when she meets a fellow colleague Raymond and they together save an old man from dying, things start changing for her. Her relation with the old man and his family, with Raymond's mother, brings her face to face with family life, which she never got a chance to experience and thus begins her transformation. Her courage to face her past trauma which she had kept hidden for years, her struggle to confront her "mummy" who has been unduly dominating her, is a tale worth mentioning.

The story begins by getting us familiar with Eleanor's day to day life, her mundane work, her colleagues who make fun of her behind her back, her boss who does not think she is capable enough. Her once-in-week call with her mummy talks about a traumatic past. Growing up in foster homes, where no one is willing to understand her, shaped Eleanor to who she is today. Her panic, her trauma, her anxiety and her sadness and helplessness makes our heart go out to her. The suspense build in the first half of the book is really well deserved, it kept me invested in the book and wanting to read further.

However, I felt the book fails to hold the fort towards the end. The suspense built with regards to Eleanor's childhood was not really revealed that well, it was given out suddenly and quite out of the blue. The way the whole story was being built I was expecting a lot more insight about her past. To me it felt like a very abrupt disclosure and too little information about her past. The incidents towards the end of the book did not seem very coherent as well as if the author was in a hurry to finish the book.

Overall it is a good read. A woman's ability to conquer the most traumatic situation of her life and to heal and transform from it is worth mentioning.

Book Review : Levels of Life by Julian Barnes

I was first introduced to Julian Barnes when I read "Sense of an Ending" and I absolutely loved the book. So, I had no doubt that Levels of Life will also be an amazing experience as well. This essay about photography, ballooning, love, life and loss in Barnes unique style, will hook you to it. The book is divided into three chapters and each one looks at a different level of life.

The first chapter :Sin of Heights" talks of three different people : An English Colonel Fred Burnaby, the bohemian French actress Sarah Bernhardt and the balloonist and photographer Nadar. All three of them have a common passion for ballooning. Here Barnes uses the metaphor of ballooning and photography to describe the thrill of flight, of conquering God's territory. As every love story is potentially a grief story, every balloon expedition can potentially be a disaster, but it also can lead to adventure and freedom. And if you can combine ballooning with photography - the world is changed. 

“You put together two things that have not been put together before And the world is changed"

The second chapter "On the Level" is where we see Sarah and Fred together. They have a lot in common, their bohemian way of living and their passion for ballooning, but when Fred falls in love with Sarah and proposes to marry her, she refuses. Engrossed in her own life, Sarah chooses to float in the air like a balloon than come down on earth and have a settled life. This chapter is a midway between the highs of chapter one and lows of chapter three. 

"Why do we constantly aspire to love? Because love is the meeting point of truth and magic. Truth as in photography, magic as in ballooning".

The last chapter, "Loss of Depth" is where we come face to face with the searingly painstaking memoir of Barnes. In this chapter he talks of the death of his wife Pat Kavanagh and the grief and mourning that follows. From being angry towards people who carefully avoids talking about her, and also towards people who talks about her, to contemplating suicide, Barnes takes us through his plethora of emotions and his constant attempt to cope with it. How he imagines her all the time and is in constant conversation with her, is something we can all relate to. 

Even thought we have a huge range of literature talking of love and loss of love, we all find ourselves at loss of words while describing grief our struggles to deal with it. In this book, Barnes pens down these emotions with such simplicity and authenticity that you cannot help but find yourself soaking in this heartbreaking experience. 

"It hurts exactly as much as it is worth, so in a way one relishes the pain, I think". 

Book Review : All the Lights We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Background : World War II

Story 1 :

Marie - Laurie Le Blanc, is a French girl who looses her eye sight at the age of 6. She lives with her locksmith father in Paris. Her father makes a wooden replica of the neighbourhood, so that Marie-Laurie can easily walk around. In the museum where her father works, she hears a story of a very rare and costly diamond which is cursed. Anyone who possesses the diamond will never die but misfortune will hover around him. The museum takes enough precaution to hide this diamond and also makes replicas of the same. When Germany attacks Paris, Marie-Laurie and her father take refuge to her great uncle's house in the walled city of Saint-Malo. Her initial days in Saint-Malo is full of anxiety as she wants to go back to Paris. As a thirteen year old, who does not understand the complications of the war, not being allowed to go outside to the beach, makes her angry. But when she finds out that her father is making a wooden model of the neighborhood in Saint-Malo, she realizes that their dream of going back to Paris is far fetched. The war takes a more devastating turn and she has to do things which is nerve racking for someone like her. 

Story 2:

This story is of a German boy Werner. Werner and his sister, Jutta, lives in a children's home in Germany. Werner has an acute knack for science specially in mending old radios. He repairs an old radio and listens to a broadcast by someone from France. The person mostly talks to kids about the wonders of science and the Universe. Werner and his sister loves that broadcast but as war progresses the broadcast stops. Werner's prodigy catches the eye of a German Commander who gets him admission in the infamous Hitler Youth Academy. For Werner it was his only way out from the children's home and pursue his dream of becoming and engineer. Werner does well in the academy, but the horrific events in the academy makes him realize that he will have to bury his emotions and his sense of right and wrong. 

All through the book we get to learn about the war and how it changes people's lives on both sides. Marie-Lauri's anxious wait for her father, her eagerness to go out and her frustration in not being able to do so. Werner's shock and disgust at the sight of people being killed at the slightest of doubt, not even sparing kids. The author has been able to portray these feelings extremely well and it would seem as if you can visualize the war right in front of you. 

The way these two stories have been brought together at the climax is something that makes this book worth reading. Inspite of the war and all the devastation around at the end the book talks about how goodness and selflessness triumphs over the evil and makes life worth living.

It took me first 10 chapters to actually get a grasp of what is happening, but once you get that, the book is unputdownable!! The chapters are very small, which makes it easy to comprehend and not loose track of the story. Though Marie-Laurie and Werner were the two main characters and the story revolves around them, there are other important characters in the book, and the author has woven stories with them as well. And, all these characters are brought back at the end of the story, thus giving conclusion to each story. Author's strong command over the language will make you smile and cry along with the characters.

Overall. this is the kind of book, whose effect will linger on for quite sometime.

Book Review - Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

"There was something else beside laughter in her eyes. Hercule Poirot shook his head doubtfully.

'She cares too much, that little one,' he said to himself. It is not safe. No, it is not safe.'"

And safe it wasn't.   

Linnet Doyle, is on her honeymoon in Egypt with her husband Simon Doyle. Linnet is rich, beautiful, sophisticated and an extremely clever business woman. There is nothing that Linnet cannot do. Anything she wishes for she has it, including her husband, who was engaged to Linnet's best friend Jacqueline de Bellefort. Jacqueline had requested Linnet to get a job for her would be husband Simon in her estate, but Linnet ended up snatching Simon from Jackie and marrying him. Jackie's agony and her desire to kill Linnet was quite evident. So she arrives in Egypt and sails in the same boat as Linnet and Simon. 

The boat however, has many other passengers including our esteemed Detective Hercule Poirot. Othe co passengers include Mrs Allerton and her son Tim Allerton, who is upset at the sight of the Detective. Rosalie Otterbourne and her novelist mother Mrs Otterbourne. Socialite Marie van Schuyler, her nurse Mrs Bowers and cousin Carolina Robson, communist Mr Ferguson who is unhappy with all the people around him because of their social status, Austrian Dr Bressner, Linnet's trustee Andrew Peddington, her maid Louise Bourget, Italian archeologist Richett and Mr Finthorp. 

Linnet is particularly upset seeing Jackie, who is following her around in the trip. She asks Hercule Poirot to help her, but Poirot refuses to work for her. However, he agrees to talk to Jacqueline. Jackie tells Poirot that she carries a gun and is very eager to kill Linnet someday for what Linnet has done. So when Linnet Doyle is actually found dead in her cabin, everyone suspects Jackie. And to top it all, it is Jackie's gun which has been used to kill Linnet. Along with the murder there is a theft also that has been committed as Linnet's precious and expensive pearl necklace is also found missing. As if things were not complicated enough, there were two consecutive murders the following day -  one right in front of Hercule Poirot and his friend Colonel Race.

The investigation begins and Poirot and his friend questions everyone on the boat and also searches their cabins. How Poirot solves the case and how he finds out the killer and also the thief who had stolen the necklace is something absolutely extraordinary. Christie's way of creating suspense and then solving it is brilliant. 

I am very fond of Agatha Christie's novels, specially the Poirot ones. Her way of detailing the characters, laying out the plot is like no other. What I like most about her novel is Poirot's philosophy on life, death and crime. He solves the crime no doubt but does not pass judgement on the criminals and tries to help them in some way, even if that means helping the criminal to kill themselves.

Book Review : The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Anthony Webster, a man in his sixties, recollects his old days. His school days. His two other friends Colin and Alex and how a third boy named Adrian made to the group. Together they went through their school life and parted with the promise that they will always remain friends. But life has different plans. In University, Anthony meets Veronica and they are in love with each other, but they broke up eventually and surprisingly enough they end up having sex after they have broken up. Later, Tony, through a letter from Adrian, gets to know that Adrian is going around with Veronica. A few months later Tony gets to know that Adrian has committed suicide. Till here we feel it is a mundane story of a sixty year old man's life who is easy going and has a "go with the flow" attitude. 

But then you start the Part Two of the book where Tony gets a letter from a lawyer and things take a very different turn. As a part of a will by Veronica's mother, Tony is left Adrian's dairy and five hundred pounds. But Veronica refuses to part with the dairy. As we read through the book we get to know that Tony, in a moment of rage had written a letter to Adrian. A very cruel and disgusting letter which only a dumped lover can write and Tony had conveniently forgotten about the same. And thus unfolds the very unusual and thriller-like gripping plot of the story. 

When you read through the second half of the book, you will find yourself wondering about Adrian's dairy. What is there in it? Will Tony even get it? The plot becomes more gripping whrn Veronica sends a photocopied part of the diary. But little do we know that the story is much more than that. It is this unconventional teasing of your thoughts which hooks you to the story. You keep reading with something in your mind but what unfolds is absolutely different and unfathomable. Tony's way of grappling through his emotions, his guilt when he confronts the letter he had written years ago in a state of rage. But as Veronica says "You will never get it. You never did", neither will us the readers get what the story is unfolding until the very last page of the book. And even at the end we are left wondering about the child, the mathematical equation which is there in the part of Adrian's dairy that Tony was handed over.

A brilliant piece of work, the story line, the way the story unfolds, the way it provokes you to predict something completely different and you keep thinking "ok, so what next" is what makes the book a worth reading. A must read according to me!

Book Review - A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman

Book Review A Man Called Ove by Frederick BackmanOve is 59. Ove is an "archetypal, grumpy old sod". Does not like cats. Does not find why there has to be any extravagance in life. He has his own way (which he thinks is the right way!) of doing things - "Why you need to make saffron rice, when potato and meat and sauce can do just fine", Ove wonders. Why do you have to break rules when there are sign boards all around stating you should not be doing something like this. Basically, Ove is someone whom you would love to hate. Someone who is not fit to stay in the modern society.But as the book progresses, you get to know this grumpy old sod. Orphaned at a very young age, Ove lived a very lonely life, his only passion being automobiles and houses. His life was pretty mundane and colourless till he met the love of his life Sonja - the only person who understood Ove. But life had a different way of mocking him and once again, with the turn of events Ove was left alone. Then moves in a foreign family of 5 right next door. From a not so pleasant first meeting, things move to something beyond people could comprehend about Ove. His liking for the family, specially the pregnant Iraninan woman and her two daughters, brings out the compassionate side of Ove and he goes to extreme levels to help people out in his neighborhood. He even starts liking cats and lets one stay with him! Parvaneh, the pregnant Iraninan woman, is the complete opposite of Ove, talkative, full of life, expressive, but she somehow sees in him things that others fail to see. It is her way of dealing with Ove that brings about the change in Ove. My favourite is the chapter where she learns driving from Ove.The story revolves around Ove, who is the main character, and things that happen in his neighborhood. It unfolds, slowly, one chapter at a time and gives you the details of Ove's past. His parents, his marriage, his house, his car. We experience the life events of Ove and feel his joy, pain, frustrations and anger. His lone fight against the authorities. The narrative is so free flowing and beautiful, that even though it takes us through a lot of harsh realities of life, there is still a lot of optimism and humour in everything. The descriptions are so vivid that you can clearly visualize each and every scene, as if they are happening right in front of you.Overall, "A Man Called Ove" is about empathy and optimism. Inspite of all the harsh things life throws at you, you cannot help but realise that happiness lies more in giving than anything else. A wonderful reading experience.