Author: Meera Rajagopalan
Publisher: Hachette India
What is one memory that you would like to
preserve for eternity?
The Eminently Forgettable Life of Mrs. Pankajam
by Meera
Rajagopalan is the story of Mrs. S Pankajam who has always lived two lives. One
that of the normal and ordinary family life, and another of desires and sharp
observations on her view of the world. When she starts losing her memory, she
decides to inscribe her thoughts into a diary to keep the semblance of sanity
alive. As she starts documenting her live, her observations and the things her
family starts disclosing to her, she finds her childhood coming back to her as
a reminder that it cannot be outrun. A tale of a person slowly losing their
memory who is trying to retain her life as she knows it, this is a story that pushes
the reader to question their beliefs and try and make amends.
The plot of the book seems quite simple and straightforward in the first glance, and one is tempted to take this book to be a narration of the diary entries of a senile old lady, but the actual plot is quite far from that. Meera has created a plot that is filled with multiple themes, and this is a story that will make you pause and think at various places and evaluate the way you conduct yourself with your family and friends. The plot spans almost 20 months and through that we are introduced to the world as Mrs. Pankajam sees it. Meera explores how the changing world affects people from an older generation and how societal constructs might actually stop people from being as progressive as they would want to be.. Another track that emerges is that of Mrs. Pankajam’s past and how it affects her life in the present. I loved the way it is teased bit-by-bit throughout the first half and how it emerges and blends into the main plot towards the end. The storytelling is fluid and keeps the reader engaged despite it being told from a first POV. The language is extremely familiar, and I would urge the readers to not ignore the footnotes wherever present because they form an interesting element of the story and should be read as an explanation from Mrs. Pankajam and not Meera. The key idea that impressed me was Meera’s attention to detail and how that flows out into the story. The elements of the scenes are described to the very last detail, and it was as if I was almost a part of the events. The climax has layers of complexity and not only addresses the primary plot, but answers a very crucial question that, frankly, was plaguing me subconsciously.
TEFLoMP has a set of wonderfully created characters
that play a very interesting role in the life of Mrs. Pankajam. The titular character
has been sketched as a person who has a very interesting way of looking at the
world. She is sarcastic to a fault and the footnotes in the diary are the
perfect example. Srini as a character reminded me of the people I have met, and
are a part of my family. The scene after the first dance was extremely delicate
and I would tip my hat to Meera for sketching the entire sequence so beautifully.
I also loved how she wrote the character arc for Pari and how she comes out as a
queer person. This character arc is explored to support Srini’s and Mrs.
Pankajam’s arc and I loved the way she weaves it into the story. Overall, I
fell in love with the characters of the story and somehow I could relate to the
instances that take place in her life.
Overall, this is one book I would definitely
recommend to people who love their characters sarcastic and stories meaningful.
TEFLoMP scores a 4.93/5 for me.
Get a copy of the book from Amazon India Here!
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