Book Review : ‘The Fifth Gospel’, Ian Caldwell

Book Review of ‘The Fifth Gospel’ by Ian Caldwell.

Slow burn. Exquisitely slow yet immensely pleasurable burn. The kind that is Caldwell’s literary forte – reading this one, it’s easy to spot his contributions to ‘The Rule of Four’, which he co-authored with Dustin Thomason.

The book is set in the Vatican, a place that continues to remains secret and secretive in so many ways, and is essentially the story of two brothers, an ancient manuscript, and the most famous and controversial relic in Christendom. Tying together these diverse threads, are the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), and the fifth that attempts to unite these into a single compelling narrative of the life and times of Jesus Christ.

Parallel to the main arc, is the personal tragedy that the protagonist is still coming to terms with, and trying to make sense of, when the worst happens, and he has no choice but to play Vatican detective, and go looking where no one wants to, or rather, chooses not to.

The only reason this book hasn’t take the world by storm, the way ‘The Da Vinci Code’ did, is because of its slow pace. Much of the book is set in the short span of three days, but it reads like a chronicle of a lifetime, since the story of the protagonists is as important as the historical background of the manuscript and the relic, and the schism between the Orthodox and Catholic Church.

That’s what I liked most about this book, that unlike a DVC it doesn’t take you on a thrills on wheels style frenetic chase, but still retains an essence of urgency, and an overwhelming need to know – what really happened? Why is the eccentrically brilliant curator of a mysterious upcoming exhibition dead under suspicious circumstances? Why is the priest accused of his murder quiet and why does he refuse to defend himself? And above all, what’s the truth about the ‘Shroud of Turin’?

Incredibly well researched, slow and measured pace, a contemplative narrative, and an outstanding first person voice in ‘Alex’ – this is the kind of book that’s well worth the eight year wait!

Avoid it if you like your thrillers fast, because this book is tantalizingly slow.

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Book Review : ‘The Graveyard Book’, Neil Gaiman

Now why exactly would you hand a kid a book with a title as spooky as that; and one that starts off with a murder?

Maybe you want to introduce them to grim realities, to the genre of mystery and spook, and to the fact that the world is a very mixed up place indeed, full of equal parts kindness and otherwise. In which case, Gaiman hands us a tale well told that starts with a family murdered while the baby crawls out of the house and all the way to the nearest graveyard, where he’s promptly adopted by a kindly couple and raised as their own. Obviously though, the couple is ghostly, as are all the people around ‘Bod’ (they name the baby ‘Nobody Owens’), who grows up with all kinds of interesting graveyard privileges, exciting (but macabre and spooky) adventures, and a very colorful cast of characters.

What I loved most in this book is the simplicity of Gaiman’s writing – even as a ‘grown up reader’, the child in me was utterly fascinated by the manner in which Bod’s adventures are narrated. Big words are seldom bandied about carelessly, there’s always a context and a certain manner of writing that will make most readers curious to know more about the word itself. So even though the vocabulary used is one that most kids will find enriching and easy to use, the prose itself is not didactic.

I grew up reading stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Guy de Maupassant, but when it came to introducing ‘spook’ as a genre to young minds (8+), so far I’ve always hesitated handing out books written by the above, fearing the experience may be too macabre at that age. This book, in my opinion, is the right bridge between childhood naivete and the reality of life, and may make perfect sense for children who don’t want to read ‘happy’ stuff all the time, and have outgrown Lemony Snicket.

Book Review by Shikha Uma Agarwal : ‘Sister of My Heart’, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Sister of my heart is the 2nd book that I’ve read from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. After I finished reading The Forest of Enchantments, I sat speechless for a while. When my mother called out for me, she could have easily guessed from my muffled voice that I was crying. It wasn’t the storyline, rather the ‘Sitayan’ version of Ramayan and the details of all significant women in the story captured perfectly by the author that urged me to read nothing else but something from her again.

So Chitra Banerjee’s ‘Sister of my heart’ happened to me. The moment I started reading it, I was plunged, engrossed and immersed into it. Did I just say I found it compelling?

This book strengthened my belief (at least my conviction) that there cannot be a bond stronger than that of a sister ; it reaffirmed that it is absolutely ok to have shades of grey to one’s side, and most importantly the fact that a woman can indeed be a woman’s saviour in the truest sense.

The manner in which the story emerged, characters are revealed, mysteries unfolded, and truth exposed, does not overshadow the plot nor does it deviate from the storyline.

So what all does the story includes to engross you?

A mother and her undying love for her daughter, the plight of a widow, the vulnerability of a father (yes, men are also allowed to be frail), a man who longs for some alone time with his beloved, attempting to keep her daughter away from her for a while, a married man secretly admiring his wife’s soul sister, a mother in law hungry for a grandson to keep her ‘vansh’ alive…and amongst all these, the two sisters whose strings are attached to each other through their hearts. The characters and their conversations remain very real and raw, mixed with innocence, fragility and strength at the same time.

The protagonists, Sudha and Anju, display mixed emotions throughout the novel for each other. Sudha believes that her father’s lies and scheming had led to the untimely death of Anju’s father, which has now cast an obligation on her to give back to the latter in every way possible through her sacrifices. Anju, on the other hand, has her own insecurities and jealousy pangs towards Sudha for the fact that her husband is besotted by Sudha’s beauty. They make mistakes in their quest of finding the truth, get judgemental from time to time, behave impulsively at times and even blurt out their inner fears (they are humans after all). But their love for each other beautifully transcends these emotions which further fortify their relationship.

All in all, this is a must read novel, for nowhere it takes you away from any reality. You can hate them for a moment, yet relate to them in a split second.

So, Happy Reading Folks!

Book Review : ‘Ballad of a Belle’, Rahul Tushar

Ballad Of A Belle starts off with a small note from the author, beautifully penned and self-effacing, and in that it manages to set the tone for the reader’s reaction to the story that follows.
The book has a story to tell, and it’s a good story, an honest story, an eminently relatable story. There is a lot of poignancy in the life that the author etches out for ‘Aarti’, the simple ‘belle’ of this beautifully melancholy tale.
The let down though, comes from the typically ‘Indian’ style of narrative, replete with excessively descriptive sentences, with the occasional redundant passage and meaningless dialogue between characters. The pace of the book is uneven, sometimes speeded up and suddenly slowed ; nearer the end the reader is left with a distinct feeling that the author wanted to finish quickly.
Interestingly enough, none of the aforementioned ‘let-downs’, detract from the strength of the story itself, or the lead characters of ‘Aarti’, and ‘Priya’. The book managed to hook my attention within the first 10 pages, and kept me engrossed enough to finish reading too.
This is a book that positively screams for a Netflix series to be based on it – it may be flawed in places, but like all imperfect people, the quirks only add a certain charm to the overall tale told. I for one, would definitely enjoy seeing the characters from this book brought to life on the TV screen.

Be warned though, it is a melancholy tale indeed! Reserve the reading for a day when you’re in the mood for clouds and rain, there ain’t no sunshine in this one!

Recommended for anyone who enjoys reading melancholy fiction by Indian authors who write better than most.