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simranpradhan's reviews
122 reviews
Gods And Ends by Lindsay Pereira
3.0
Gods and Ends • 3/5 ⭐ • Contemporary Fiction
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TW: Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment, Pedophilia
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Chronicling the lives of the tenants of Obrigado Manson in Orlem, Gods and Ends is a story about a Roman Catholic parish in suburban Bombay. In a world where men escape to the Gulf to earn thousands of rupees in Dinars and come back to beat their wives and abuse their children, the novel throws light on the levels humanity stoops to by feeding on years of poverty, generational trauma and frustration.
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This will be more of a personal + academic review, because the lines were blurred for me when I read the book. On first hand, it is obviously well written- I haven't researched on the author's background, so from what I believe there must have been a lot of research that went into this book. On the other hand, it did not make me think as normal Indian contemporary makes you think. I was expecting more metaphors and juxtapositions, thoughts that made you close the book and relate your own life to those words as contemporary usually made me feel- that is a characteristic of female contemporary Indian authors. This was my first ever contemporary by an Indian male author, and though I wasn't disappointed- I looked forward to more pondering.
One thing that is striking is the beautiful characterization. It is, to say the least, very detailed & surprisingly very unique, because the author relies on dialogue more than anything for development. I think the reason I am not giving this a higher rating is because the themes were disturbing, the ending making me revolted. I have read such themes, but those books were so immensely emotional that you were bound to feel. Lindsay Pereira on the other hand gives us exactly what domestic & sexual violence looks like in real life- bleak & utterly unromanticized. From one point of view, abuse is the best character in the book, for nothing else is as realistically depicted. Maybe I need more time to digest such books, for I am used to stories that almost always end on a happy note after such themes.
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TW: Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment, Pedophilia
.
Chronicling the lives of the tenants of Obrigado Manson in Orlem, Gods and Ends is a story about a Roman Catholic parish in suburban Bombay. In a world where men escape to the Gulf to earn thousands of rupees in Dinars and come back to beat their wives and abuse their children, the novel throws light on the levels humanity stoops to by feeding on years of poverty, generational trauma and frustration.
.
This will be more of a personal + academic review, because the lines were blurred for me when I read the book. On first hand, it is obviously well written- I haven't researched on the author's background, so from what I believe there must have been a lot of research that went into this book. On the other hand, it did not make me think as normal Indian contemporary makes you think. I was expecting more metaphors and juxtapositions, thoughts that made you close the book and relate your own life to those words as contemporary usually made me feel- that is a characteristic of female contemporary Indian authors. This was my first ever contemporary by an Indian male author, and though I wasn't disappointed- I looked forward to more pondering.
One thing that is striking is the beautiful characterization. It is, to say the least, very detailed & surprisingly very unique, because the author relies on dialogue more than anything for development. I think the reason I am not giving this a higher rating is because the themes were disturbing, the ending making me revolted. I have read such themes, but those books were so immensely emotional that you were bound to feel. Lindsay Pereira on the other hand gives us exactly what domestic & sexual violence looks like in real life- bleak & utterly unromanticized. From one point of view, abuse is the best character in the book, for nothing else is as realistically depicted. Maybe I need more time to digest such books, for I am used to stories that almost always end on a happy note after such themes.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
5.0
Scythe • 4.5/5 ⭐ • SciFi
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In an utopia where the Thunderhead governs the world, it's upon the Scythes to keep the population control in check. Their task is to 'glean' people and end their exostenc permanently. When Citra & Rowan are both chosen for a Scythe apprenticeship by Scythe Faraday, they go through a series of mental & physical ordeals and personal losses and a battle a brutal competition with eachother to get a Scythe's ring while trying to keep their conscience alive.
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This book was nothing, absolutely nothing less than perfect. I love how the author didn't try to get into unnecessary elaborate details, and how the setting is as clean as a slate- keeping the plot, the premise and the writing the main character here. It's very creatively crafted- each chapter is headed by a public general entry by a Scythe, there are twists and suspense by the end of almost every part, and it's BOUND to keep you hooked. It's SciFi in its core and core and does an absolute perfect job on it. A special shoutout to the cover design, as the author said in the next book, it was one of the biggest attractions- for me as well.
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In an utopia where the Thunderhead governs the world, it's upon the Scythes to keep the population control in check. Their task is to 'glean' people and end their exostenc permanently. When Citra & Rowan are both chosen for a Scythe apprenticeship by Scythe Faraday, they go through a series of mental & physical ordeals and personal losses and a battle a brutal competition with eachother to get a Scythe's ring while trying to keep their conscience alive.
.
This book was nothing, absolutely nothing less than perfect. I love how the author didn't try to get into unnecessary elaborate details, and how the setting is as clean as a slate- keeping the plot, the premise and the writing the main character here. It's very creatively crafted- each chapter is headed by a public general entry by a Scythe, there are twists and suspense by the end of almost every part, and it's BOUND to keep you hooked. It's SciFi in its core and core and does an absolute perfect job on it. A special shoutout to the cover design, as the author said in the next book, it was one of the biggest attractions- for me as well.