A review by violetturtledove
The Man Without Shelter by Indrajit Garai

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This is a strange little book, both simple and subtle. It's a moral tale, and possibly too obvious in this for some, but the way it's told has some interesting aspects. Some of the phrasing comes across as a little odd, possibly the author has English as a second language but it's quite charming for that and some of the descriptions and imagery are really quite beautiful.

I'm a bit torn on the storytelling style. Sometimes it feels like we are receiving a summary of the story, the story is being described rather than told. For instance in a conversation, we are told overall what information is exchanged but not told the exact dialogue.

Now on one hand, sometimes pages and pages of dialogue can be off-putting for readers, so maybe this is a blessing. But for me it means that, while I like and sympathise with the characters, I don't feel I know them as well, without their exact words.

Also, a lot of this plot involves legal proceedings: lawsuits, criminal courts, etc. So while I found the storytelling style a little strange and plain, it's also not an aspect of the story I want embellished as legal drama is not really my thing!

The whole it's a sweet and inspiring story, I personally didn't completely click with the writing style, but there were some lines which were beautifully poetic, and I would have liked to see more of this aspect in it.