Many would say that Apricots at Midnight is an outdated book: old-fashioned and preachy. Yet, the simple childlike stories made it altogether loveable.Imagine a patchwork quilt, in which each little bit of cloth has a story to tell. I wish I had one! Apricots at Midnight has the sense of a collection of stories, united by this idea. A young girl listens to her aunt Pinny talking about her childhood and the making of the grand quilt. Affection takes away the sordidness of poverty, and imagination makes every tiny bit of cloth a wonderful new world.There's nothing at all romantic and exciting about poverty, Aunt Pinny is quick to point out. Poverty coupled with the attempt to appear respectable makes everything even more difficult. Clothes need to be made out of old drapes and cushion covers. Even the tiniest sliver of soap is a treasure. Yet, the biggest … [Read more...]
Reflex
If I don't read, I can't write. It's as simple as that.My mother introduced me to Dick Francis years ago, and I never imagined I would like more than one odd book about jockeys. I'm not horse-mad, and I don't like the idea of horse races. It's a lifestyle about which I know nothing. In Reflex, Francis too answers the question as to how racing contributes anything at all to society and to humanity. Yet, I find myself turning to Dick Francis every now and then for different reasons - the stoicism of his characters, the simplicity of the narrative, and the pace of the story.Reflex, like so many other works by Francis, explores a world about which I know little, or rather, two worlds about which I know little. It is, as usual, set within the racing circle, but the narrator is also a passionate photographer, solving puzzles left to him by another photographer, George Millace. The … [Read more...]
The Ant Colony
Books that I've loved and re-read time and time again have nearly always emphasised character over plot. Take, for example, Anne, Emily, Little Lord Fauntleroy and the little princess. There's something about character that just warms me, perhaps because it's like discovering a friend, rather than having an experience. Stories with exciting plots are certainly a joy to read and do give me a thrill, but sometimes, I need more than that. I need to know all those people who are having those experiences.The Ant Colony was one of those books where I got to know the people in the book, and wanted to get to know them better. I just kept reading it until I had finished! It's one of those books that makes you smile and cry and wonder. So many books that I've read recently have concentrated on complexity of plot at the cost of fullness of character. This one had a simple plot … [Read more...]
Thank you, Santa!
Yesterday, I went to my old school to meet my librarian and give her a copy of The Story-Catcher. She still had the book in her hand about half an hour later when children from class III were lining up to go into the library.One excited girl saw the book and exclaimed, "That's The Story-Catcher, isn't it?"Both the librarian and I were surprised. "Yes...""I have the same book at home!" said the girl."Wow! Where did you get it from?" I asked. I've found just one copy in a bookshop so far, and was curious about where this child I did not know had found it."Santa gave it to me."I did not want to ruin her Santa-romance by asking her who her parents were, but thank you, Santa, whoever you are. It would also be nice if you could get her to read the book, though! … [Read more...]
Toto Funds the Arts
Long-listed (but not short-listed) three years in a row. Surely, that's a record of sorts!For The Story-Catcher (now published) and Vanilla: http://totofundsthearts.blogspot.com/2011/01/toto-awards-2011.html For Ridhima and Sacrifice: http://totofundsthearts.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.htmlFor Laying an Old Ghost to Rest and Ethics: http://totofundsthearts.blogspot.com/2012/12/long-lists-for-toto-awards-2013.html … [Read more...]
Pirated Books
I don't like pirated books. I have repeatedly been very vocal and passionate about my criticism - I don't like the quality of paper, I don't like the quality of ink, I don't like how cheaply reproduced it looks. All this, from the point of view of the reader. From the point of view of a potential writer, right through college, I actively discouraged people from buying pirated books. An author gets paid so little anyway - a budding writer gets about ten rupees per book! Is it even fair that people photocopy the book, sell it cheap, and pay the author nothing? I've spoken extensively on the subject.A few years ago, though, when writing was really becoming more and more my chosen profession, I was walking past a pavement book-store that was proudly displaying its wide range of pirated books. I was walking with a friend, also a writer."What would you feel if you saw your book here?" I … [Read more...]
My Name is Rose
I could say that Smarties Gold Medal winning author Sally Grindley's book is about a Romanian gypsy being integrated into a dysfunctional recomposed English family. Orphaned during a road accident, she has to find her way into the affections of a money-hungry man, an attention-seeking girl and a guilt-ridden woman. She has to surmount the obstacles of race and language, understanding that she is sometimes discriminated against only because she is a dirty gypsy. She has to construct her own identity, sometimes in deliberate negation of the English family around her.All of that would be true. And then, we could deal with the authenticity of the depiction of the Romanian girl, the life of a gypsy (as depicted in literature) and other stereotypes. Everyone would have an opinion and become excited about voicing it.Yet, maybe My Name is Rose is about non of this. Maybe it is, very … [Read more...]