Blurb- What forces an innocent girl to become a sex symbol? Her desires? Or cruel fate? Is a lifetime enough—for avenging a betrayal? How do you hide secrets that never stopped haunting you?
Can vengeance and secrets of your past devastate your present? How can long-buried crimes of yours suddenly raise their head? Can sinning be saving?
Is your spouse your soulmate? What if they never understood your feelings? Can you still live with them?
Lastly, does life give only two options? Live or die? What if there is a third?
In her debut anthology, Rubina Ramesh tries to find answers to these questions that are often from the heart and yet makes the mind ponder over the solution. Or is it the other way round? Either way, Knitted Tales is a bouquet of emotions that is bound to touch both your head and your heart.
Review:
A Secret in their Closet - I read this book on a train and this particular story got me in an awkward situation. I had tears in my eyes, and all that managing public space, kohl etc. It was a tough moment. Not going into the details. But A Secret in their Closet is the ugly truth of urban India. it reminded me of Kharij, a 1982 Bengali film by Mrinal Sen fo which Sen had won the National Film Award for the Best Screenplay.
Betrayal- Sudesh who narrates this tale believes a wife is ‘for serving in the kitchen during the day and warming the bed at night’. And how many in this country still believe in the same. Sudesh from his POV takes us through his journey, of his narratives of being abusive towards his sister, mother, his brother and of course his wife. The end is chilling and the author reminds us of the ugly stories that remain behind many closed doors.
Chiclets- The story is a short one, but holds a very important message. Lives of immigrants aren't easy. But maybe if we look beyond the debates and hatred, it is as easy as the message the author has for us through the young girls in this story.
Forgive Me, For I Have Sinned and Lolita- Two stories from the world of glamor, remind us of the broken lives that many public figures lead.
No Regrets: No Regrets made me smile. The story of a love marriage between a Bengali girl and a Tamil boy, and then the mundane lives that people are forced to lead. Raima here, however, has a unique way to set things straight. I wonder if I would give similar kind of advice to my married friends.
Suvarnarekha- I just visited Suvarnarekha, the serene and beautiful river, now situated in Jharkhand last month. The story though essentially has nothing to do with the river made me think why we cannot love flow like the free flowing rivers? Why do young men and women have to die every year for making their own choices?
The Little Godmother, The Missing Staircase, Daddy, hear me out- From sibling rivalry and acceptance to parenting; the author has woven her stories around a host of subjects.
The other woman- The story had an unexpected twist, but again holds a mirror to the dual lives that people have begun to lead.
Cliff Notes- I had read this story earlier too but was refreshing to read it in this collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment