Author: Anju Darshini
Publisher: Bluerose Publications
What is your take on assorted collection of
short stories?
Tiger in the Portico and Other Stories by Anju Darshini is a collection
of 5 short stories that deal with varied human emotions and relationships. The
titular story is the story of the encounter of a man-eater by two young girls
and how the events unfold. The second story Adhira is the story of how
guilt can eat a person from inside. In The Kidnapper, a story of the events
unfolding a strange kidnapping is told, one that talks about how people can influence
others. The Manor House is a story of friendship, love, and everything in
between as Sandeep grapples with responsibilities and emotions. The last story,
The Dark Room, is a tale of how feelings can transcend time and how a
chance encounter with an intruder makes Paddy relive her past. This is a unique
collection of stories that explores various aspects of life.
The stories are well told and each of the story deals with a specific aspect of human life that becomes clear as we read them. The language is simple and easy to understand, with the focus on exploring the minds of the characters, rather than pulling the story ahead. Anju has taken her time to build up the context, and that is precisely the reason why the stories vary in lengths. The titular story is quite short as the idea to explore how deep emotions between two people can stay is told in a fast-paced manner, while Adhira is the longest as it attempts to explore guilt through two different characters and the author has taken her time to set the context so that the true aspect can shine through. Anju has also used poems to accentuate the emotions being explored which make the reading a wonderful experience. The Manor House deserves a mention as it explores friendship and love but the way it is told is quite interesting where the idea of familial responsibilities vs love is explored. Each of the story has a unique ending and very well suited to the style she uses in the stories.
Each of the five stories include a wonderful
set of characters and they are the ones who propel the stories forward. The
characters are sketched beautifully and are very relevant to the stories being
told. From the first story to the last, each story has unique characters and I loved
how their strengths and weaknesses are explored and detailed. The minute
details are mentioned and each of them are quite relevant to the story at hand.
Overall, a definite recommendation as the
stories would appeal to you as they develop out of emotions and relations. The
book scores a 4.63/5 for me.
Grab a copy of the book here.
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