Purple Hibiscus-A book Review

 

Purple Hibiscus is the very first book of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and was short listed for the Orange Prize. Before, we delve into the multifaceted angles of the book, knowing the Author is a must. She is a Nigerian  and has over the years became a prolific writer and spokesperson for women.

Purple Hibiscus is a testament to her profound ability to describe people and their lives encompassing all its complexities and layers in the most simplest language yet all the while, leaving an indefinable impression on the reader. From page one, till the last word, the pace of the events stays the same but the lows, highs and the turns are felt as intensely as a ruthlessly done ,edge of the seat suspense thriller or a heart breaking tragedy.

Our protagonist is a young school girl  and  the story unravels through her thoughts, actions and interactions. It happens against the backdrop of Nigeria as it goes through civil unrest and  the culture and life of Nigerians permeates stealthily and slowly across the tale. She lives with her family with all the luxuries one could think of. Her Father, who is a  rich and well respected Catholic Priest  is a tyrant at  home and  mercilessly imposes religious ideals on his wife and kids. Her mother is an epitome of love, tolerance and deeply entrenched in the belief systems  that society had created for her. Then there is her brother who is strong, loyal yet there is a storm raging in his heart and head. But our protagonist is silence personified. The book is full of her thoughts and she actually says very few lines which is very unusual considering she is the central character. Their lives goes through unimaginable changes after a short vacation with their cousins. The transformation does not hit you like a tornado but the effects are unmistakable.

The other aspect of the book is it shows how blindly following beliefs can actually do more harm than good. It justifies faith over religious practices and life's worthiness measured in laughter, togetherness and freedom from fear.

The brilliance of the book, i think, is the way it is written that can make you cry, tense, happy and fearful without you knowing it. As you move through events, you learn more about the characters and their changes. It is relatable to a common person because she appeals to people basic desires and interests. The yearning to experience freedom ,respect, joy is universal and that is the crux of it all.

This book is an intense but a beautiful read. Every page is special ,even the title is, as hibiscuses are rarely purple but the reason behind it is symbolic to the depth and range of this book.

Enjoy the read!

 

When Breath Becomes Air-A book review

 I had finally read this book  after a wanting to do so for a really  long time. After a huge hiatus of not reading (!!!) for around 3-4 years, i  finally, after a new year resolution, brought back my reading habit into action last year. This book took a prestige place in my reading list for this year.

It is a very thought provoking autobiography. The author is Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon in residency who sadly dies after succumbing to metastatic lung cancer at age of 37.The book has additions from his friend and his wife as well. This is a life story from  childhood to his death. The picture develops of an young, ambitious, brilliant mind  who throughout his life and career seeks to find answers to questions of identity, life and death. He narrates his experiences as a doctor through its layers of professional, medical and ethical dilemmas. Never does he shy away from voicing the truth or self criticism. At the end, he confronts death in the most honest and graceful manner. The decisions he takes as a husband and doctor is nothing short of absolute grit and fills you with a deep sense of admiration. He writes this book in the last few months of his life and is testament to his resolve in "living until death".

He is an eloquent writer and there is a real expectation to think between the lines. He weaves philosophy into the day to day human life. In short, he creates an undercurrent of value and meaning to the simple things we do in life.

Personally, the questions and answers the book presents demands you to think and rethink one's actions and thoughts. More so as a doctor, it invites to pause and consider our attitudes towards patients and to consider how intricate and sensitive these relationships actually are!. At the end of the day, I truly believe, his words and actions ,if one is willing, can make you a better person.

The book is definitely for a read especially for healthcare professionals and those who aspire to be one. The time that you spent will be worth as you feel a great sense of pride for knowing a fellow human being as wonderful and remarkable as he was.

Imprisoned

Words or knives, the decision too eloquent

Behold the former as nothing too subtle but powerful

 Brimming yet  aloof  akin the glances of a lover ,silent.

A gaziilion thoughts,

A pandemonium of emotions,

A treasure chest of experience,

Screaming, raging and imploding,

To break free and to flight,

 Alas, chains Imprisoned!

Links of doubt,

Links of imperfection,

Links of rejection,

Bind thee, thou and them forever.

Need a nod, Need a pat, Need a helping hand,

For words to flow and leave footprints on sand.

For generations to  Lead and Inspire.

Words or knives, decision eloquent

Befriend the former and from here the tomorrow is born.

A book review-A thousand splendid suns.

 A Thousand Splendid Suns

This is my second read of the year. "A thousand splendid suns" is a beautiful book that is an amalgamation of genres from across the spectrum. It has friendship, love, tragedy, comedy, suspense, strife, cruelty and satire .It relates the life of 2 women and how their friendship and love for each other triumphs over their fears. They are 2 different people in nature, childhood, background, but bond together to live a life and death. Yet both possess a determination and strength of character that surfaces though their tolerance to suffering and revolt. At the end of it all, one feels deep sense of empathy and admiration for them.

The story is set on the background of a war stricken Afghanistan as one regime over another crushes a great nation to an abyss of poverty, destruction and the subjugation of people especially its women. Many of the events in this book, in all probability, is something we have heard of or read about in the comforts and protection of our homes. As the Journey unfolds, it makes you laugh, cry and seethe with anger. The author makes no judgment calls about how women are treated under the mirage of traditions and beliefs but his opinion  is sublime and is hidden behind the satire weaved into the lines.

It's a wonder, almost unbelievable that these women who do nothing but care, love and protect their people get the most cruel treatment in forms of oppression, beatings and ostracisation. This is the grand irony that i felt and troubles me even after i shut the book since a week ago.

The book in its prose and presentation is not as eloquent as "The Kite runner", Mr Hosseini's first book but somehow, the characters in this book are  so real that i am raptured to say the least. 

Book Review: Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu(my grandfather had an elephant)

 This is a story  of a young girl who hails from a Muslim community in North Kerala. The author, Vaikom Basheer, weaves an honest, simple tale of this innocent femme from the time she was a child to her womanhood. The language is simple  and is in Malayalam. It is written in first person and is in the voices of a little girl and then a woman yet there is this underlying flavour of a unique personality which is obvious as the story unfolds. The local dialect is evident right from the title to the end of the book and adds to the  whole feel of the tale. The writing is an absolute beauty in its ability to convey emotions, situations and actions that tugs at your heartstrings from page to page. Apart from it story line, the author dwells into the core thoughts, practices and lifestyle of the community ,never taking sides but yet provokes your mind ever so subtly. If anybody is wondering why there is a mention of an elephant in the title, i would encourage you to read the book to find out because saying it aloud now would damage the experience. 

Personally, this book is a feather in my cap. I have always secretly felt embarassed that i have never read a book in my native language which is Malayalam (outside school books of course) and  therefore completing this book has been redemption.

Anyone who would like to treat yourself to a Malayalam book, i would recommend this one.

Cheers!!

Book Review-A Short history of nearly everything!!

 

That's exactly what the book is! The book is authored by Bill Bryson and is a marvellous work of non-fiction. The book explores the origin of our universe with us and everything in it, unravels how earth formed, plunges deep into the world of microparticles-the atoms, neutrons, electrons and many more and then weaves delicately through the world of dinosaurs, microorganisms and finally, humans. 

My personal experience while reading this book was that of wonder and admiration. I cannot but take a bow of respect to the level of preparation, commitment and hardwork that must have gone in making this happen. It is not out of place to feel whether a complete work of non fiction would be boring in some way but on the contrary. The way it is written keeps you intrigued and curious to find out more. I suspect the reason for this that all these facts are expressed through stories of the works and lives of great men and women. The language is simple yet has a certain rapture of mystery which makes you turn pages.

To state an example: A paragraph from the book "When you sit on a chair, your body is not actually in contact. The bottom is levitating at an angstrom level( a hundred milionth of a centimetre) above which is not evident to the naked eye. The rationale is your and electrons will oppose as they come close and push each other away. So essentially, we are floating but at micro-micro-micro units".

So you see, the books shows the mysterious world we live in. It gave me  glimpses into the lessons of physics, chemistry and geology that i had done while in school and hence, there was this whiff of kind nostalgia that could not be ignored. I think it a brilliant book, long and brain-racking but definitely worth a read.

As I Lay on the Turmac Black

I saw the clouds of dust before me.
Not large but scant and fine.
They rose above the turmac black,
A glimpse of the world above,
And settled quietly back.
It would again do the same,
With every breath, I struggled to let in and out.
The dance of the dust lingered before my eyes,
As I lay chained to the turmac black.
 
I heard muffled voices,
Shouts or cries, couldn’t say.
It seemed to emanate far way,
Sorry, strained and struggled.
Neither did it reach nor enlighten ,
But I did hear the voices!
As I lay imprisoned to the turmac black.
 
I tried to scream, shout and plead
But he never did heed.
The dust swept in as I cried,
Numbed the mouth,voice and speech.
I tasted dust and injustice,
As I lay traumatised on the turmac black.
My body hugged the ground,
To the earth,I was bound,
By the powerful yet insane.
 The hardness I felt,the heat and the pain.
 As I lay sprawled, alive but lifeless on the turmac black.
 
I smelled the heat, the air, earth and people.
The scents were afloat,
Tugging my sense to take note,
But with every breath a task,
It seemed not a pleasant ask.
As I lay overpowered on the turmac black.
 
I felt the fear, anger and distress,
 Strangling life bare.
I felt it, pregnant everywhere!
Although, unable to understand ,
Discern the origins or reasons.
It stroked my soul.
As I lay beneath the choke of a human limb on the turmac black.
 
I could see, hear, taste, smell and feel.
Yet I could not perceive!!
This helpless body, mind and soul.
As I lay under the weight of his body and anger.
My life, the highs and lows flickered before me.
I am not perfect, I confess, have good and vice,
I may be neat or messy.
But my brother,
Feel my plea!
When I ask for hope, a breath, a life and mercy.
For you and me are one from beginning to end.
 
I leave this world, my friends and foes.
After I do, not flowers do I need or endless songs,
But a promise of never again, a similar story of tragedy and grief.