Silk Route-Sachin Kundalkar (Tr. Aakash Karkare)

Book: Silk Route
Author: Sachin Kundalkar
Translator: Aakash Karkare
Publisher: Penguin India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

How do you navigate societal expectations when the odds are stacked against you?

Nishikant leads a quiet life, going for long walks around Pune with his older sister, fantasizing about the handsome next-door neighbor and lingering in bookstores while dreaming of being a writer. But when a love affair claims his sister’s life and takes the handsome neighbour far away from him, his middle-class parents pack him off to Mumbai to shield him from the scandal. Through his relationships with Shiv in Mumbai, and later with Sreenivas, in London, Nishikant is able to break apart the shackles his past have placed on him. When Nishikant moves back to Mumbai, he has become a writer and a professor and the only escape from his solitary existence are the long letters he receives from Srinivas, until one day, Sreenivas disappears mysteriously. Silk Route translated from the Marathi Reshim Marg, invites readers to go on a journey along with Nishikant on his many travels through cities and people in a way that has rarely been seen in Indian literature. As the series' first part, the novel lays the groundwork for this expansive narrative journey that questions love, identity, and the false veneer of societal expectations.

Silk route is a book that explores the story of Nishikant and how his life is shaped by the experiences he has. I loved that Sachin uses different aspects of the story to let the story move forward, rather tha just storytelling. We see time pass by through the eyes of different characters, and not just Nishikant, giving an interesting perspective on the story as it proceeds. There is another interesting of the story which is about books and reading. The opening of the book, as well as an extended scene in London directly relates to books and reading, and it shows how books can directly impact a person’s psyche as well as his lifestyle. While the book does focus on LGBTQ representation, it is commendable that Sachin does not make that the highlight for the book, rather it is a fact of how the characters are, and that I believe, is how representation should work. The entire plot about the ashram, amma and the redacted letters, the first part of this series promises to give us an excellent story that is in parts a thriller, partly a drama and partly social commentary. The climax of this book leaves enough room for us to wait for the next book in the series.

Coming to the characters, I loved how Nishikant’s character has been presented. His journey from a Kid to a professor has been wonderfully captured. Sachin pens the life experiences through his own narration as well as through the eyes of the others and his emotions for the people around have been wonderfully captured. Another interesting character was that of Srinivas. The change in his life and lifestyle has been nicely penned. The relationship he had with his family, specially considering his lineage, was the highlight of this section of the book. Apart from these, Jules was another character that did impress me.

Overall, the book is a wonderfully written story of love, personal discovery, and relationships. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you.

An Absence of Squirrels-Aparna Kapur (Illus. Siddhi Vartak)

Book: An Absence of Squirrels
Author: Aparna Kapur
Illustrator: Siddhi Vartak
Publisher: Duckbill

How would you feel if an animal were to disappear from your city completely?

Welcome to Thutta. We have a train, an ocean and 5,120 people. One of these people is Katli, although she pretends to be seven people ― making up new versions of herself is her way of dealing with being a thirteen-year-old on an island where nothing much happens. Until one morning, when she follows a cat off a train and sets off a sequence of events involving absent animals, mysterious meetings and sneaky schemes. As the secrets grow into something much bigger than Katli could have imagined, she knows one thing for sure: life on the island will never be boring again. Oh, and whatever you do, don't say SQUI―

On the surface, Aparna’s book seems like a kids book about a missing animal and the kids looking for it, however when you finish the book, you realise the undertones that she is bringing to light through the book. As a writer, I really liked that while the plot and storytelling is kept simple, the message in the book is intact from start till the end. As you go through the book, the genre of the book keeps changing and you are engaged as you figure out whether this is a general fiction title, a YA story or a full-blown whodunnit. The writing is quite fresh and engaging. Keeping in mind the target audience of the book (10+ Years), the story is gripping to keep the attention of the reader with questions, school bingo and the interactions between teenagers. I also loved the Groundhog Day effect that Aparna brings into the storytelling, and how the chapter titles are also arranged according to that. Each chapter in the book is a highlight to brilliant writing that Aparna has exhibited, and these chapters are a good example for the young readers to adapt and improvise when faced with a challenge. The climax in the book is a good example of collective consciousness, and from the perspective of a reader, it shows how young people can affect change when they come together. The symbolism of the squirrel is very interesting, and specially in the current times, the story feels right on point.

Coming to the characters, I really loved how the character of Katli is penned. She is a very relatable character in terms of a young adult, curious about the events near her home. I also liked how Aparna presents the psyche of a young girl, unsure of how to respond to people basis the mood she was in. The idea of different versions of Katli was a good aspect of writing to show how can a young adult deal with different emotions they start to feel. Abhay as a character is another interesting character that highlights the importance of friends and how they help us stay on track as well as how we can be ourselves near a true friend. The captain is an interesting character and I really liked that she is shown as an enigma, always heard, never seen. Her persona is carefully built and I really liked the way she is developed throughout the book.

Overall, this is a book that is recommended for its brilliant content and some best in class writing. The book scores a 5/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India, Puplio Books or from a bookstore near you.

The Scent of Roses-Adithi Rao (Illus. Krishna Bala Shenoi)

Book: The Scent of Roses
Author: Adithi Rao
Illustrator: Krishna Bala Shenoi
Publisher: Duckbill

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think that the environment around affects kids?

When Abu disappears one night, Bram Bram Chok comes to live inside Sajad’s heart, making him hop in anger and stomp to its tunes. Does Sajad want him to stay? Can anything make him go away?

As a book focused on an audience of 7+ years, it is very well written. We see Kashmir from the eyes of a kid and how he interprets the people going missing. Adithi also reinterprets the internal conflicts in the mind of a child as a wolf and how it rears up. The importance of family support is also highlighted quite interestingly, and I liked how the relationship between Sajad and his grandfather is nicely penned. Another aspect of the book I loved was how Adithi keeps the book simple, keeping in mind the target audience, however the message and the essence of the book comes out wonderfully. It was also good to see how a kid sees the family dynamics and the relationships between the members of his family. The climax of the book comes a perfect circle and I really loved how the book ends.

Coming to the illustrations, Krishna has done a wonderful job imagining Sajad, Abu, Bram Bram Chok and the other characters in the book. The scenes are presented quite nicely and I completely enjoyed how he brings to life the viewpoints, especially the bridge with the barbed wire. I think that was one of the most powerful scenes in the book.

Overall, this is a book that I would highly recommend to parents whose kids are starting to read. The book is a 5/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or Puplio Books, or a bookstore near you!

The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles-Hemangini Dutt Majumder

Book: The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles
Author: Hemangini Dutt Majumder
Publisher: Olive Turtle (An Imprint of Niyogi Books)

If you had a heightened sense of smell, how would you use it?

OLLIE HAS A SUPER POWER! Well, kind of. As she remarks tipsily on a hilarious date, ‘I can really smell…You see, in a way, I’m almost like Batman.’ This peculiarity in Ollie’s life—her uncanny sense of smell—she discovers is derived from her oscillating hormones, an unusual symptom of a health condition she has. As it happens, this unique trait serves her well as a rare female wine sommelier and beverage consultant, as she can sniff out and create complex flavour profiles. Ollie’s life changes quite dramatically when she and her entire family decide to relocate to their ancestral estate, Neelbari, in Chandannagar. Strange and mysterious incidents start occurring as soon as Ollie, her aunt, cousin Laura, and their cat, Habey, move in. Is the malevolent spirit of her great-grandmother really haunting Neelbari? And why has their arrival caused so much alarm? What secrets are the walls and gardens of the hundred-year-old estate hiding? Why does no one seem to be telling the truth? Ollie and Laura try to solve these puzzles, only to find themselves in situations fraught with danger. As the finger of suspicion keeps moving, can Ollie sniff her way to solving this whodunnit? More importantly, can she save Fishy before it is too late? Read on to find out!

The book is an interesting mix of humour, romance and crime that explores family history, secrets and an old estate. Hemangini’s writing is fresh and keeps you interested in the story as it plays out. The book is heavily reliant on Ollie’s sense of smell and the way each of the characters smells become an important aspect of the storytelling. Every time we see a change in the scene or the entry of the characters, the olfactory notes are mentioned, keeping the reader engaged as you start looking at events (or rather smelling them) from Ollie’s perspective and that forms a very interesting method of telling the story. I liked the fact that the self-deprecating humour has been used unsparingly and it is an essential part of her writing. The humour comes out surprisingly and it is so well written that the chuckles are quite guaranteed. Moving from the olfactory and the humour part of the storytelling, the mystery element in the book is equally well written and you are presented with the ghost of the Chaterges which adds another flavour to the tale of what happened at Neelbari. The needle of suspicion keeps moving from one character to the next as you start learning of the past events in the lives of the residents of Neelbari. I loved how the author does not definitively take you in a single direction, and through the trail of smells, you are entangled in the web that is slowly spinning. The climax has been written quite nicely and explains most of the things that had happened in Neelbari. While I did feel that it was a bit sudden, the overall satisfaction of the completion is there.

The characters are the soul of this book. Each of these characters have been meticulously crafted and there is a wonderful individuality to each of them. From the names of the characters-Olympia, Ellora, Fishy, Habeas Corpus, to the story behind each of the names is what made the story life like. Ollie’s sense of smell and steadfastness is something that I really loved in the book. I also loved how she has this innate ability to come up with quips on the spot that just hit right on the head. Laura’s no-nonsense character was another aspect I really loved in the book. Habey as a cat did steal the show more than once, specially in the climax, where I was truly surprised by its appearance. Pramanik and Halder as the investigating officers were genuinely interesting, even though their presence was in pieces.

Overall, this is a book that is highly recommended for its exceptional writing, bone-tickling humour and an interesting set of mysteries. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India, Niyogi Books or from a bookstore near you!

Geisha in the Gota Patti-Chetna Keer

Book: Geisha in the Gota Patti (A Gulmohar Suspense Saga #3)
Author: Chetna Keer
Publisher: Readomania

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What if a tea set could lead to a murder?

An exotic global tale of tea as a healer in these times of world strife and wars. When a high tea for former diplomats is hosted in honour of an enigmatic relative from the Orient visiting an old Dilli kothi, what secrets and scary prophesies scrape off, layer by layer, like its crumbling plaster? Death dangles over whose head at the ex-diplomats’ reunion in a posh Delhi Club? What are the ghastly shadows, guile and grey sunset lurking yonder the grand Gulmohar nestled in this ancestral kothi, presided over by a Grande Matriarch? Sareeholic sleuth-on-the-side, book blogger Lollita is back in this destination drama navigating Delhi’s old-world ethos to a Himalayan tea terrain cradling folk wisdoms and ancient secrets. A heartwarming tea tale about love and loss, hope and healing.

The third book in the Gulmohar Saga brings the story close to home where our in-house sleuth has to uncover a tale of treachery that might just implicate someone very close to her. Chetna explores the culture of tea as a background in the book and through the pages, you get to learn the various facets of tea preparation, drinking and its symbolism through the residents of Ekaanth as well as the members of the Book Club in the lush foothills of Kangra. Chetna’s writing is quite interesting with loads of similes and metaphors that add a lot of flavour to her storytelling. She also manages to blend in local cultures, importance of various traditions as well into the story, both local and international while telling this tale. Using various tea-sets and through Bade Beeji’s storytelling, the author sets the tone for the book and the core mystery of the book that Lollita must solve. I liked the fact that the murder-mystery part of the book was short and succinct, but the build up was always there in pieces in each chapter. The author also explores the themes of love and loss as each of the character narrates a part of their live, and how each of them chose hope and healing, when it was easier not to. The climax is well-written and while some readers might call it sudden, I think it was needed to close the story that was brewing through all the sub-plots that we read.

 Coming to the characters, Lollita impresses as always through her sheer deductive skills and the power of observation. Her interactions with the Jaapani Bahu were quite interesting to read, specially considering the climax. Badi Beeji’s storytelling as well as her memory of each of her tea sets was lovely to read, and how that becomes a core aspect of the storyline. The Gulmohar Tree and the Roshandan were the two elements that I really loved. How she uses there 2 mute objects to provide the big picture that everyone involved in the story misses.

Overall, this is a wonderful addition to the series and a definite recommendation from me, specially to lovers of tea and tea sets. The book scores a 4.69/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you.