Books I completed

It is a accomplishment from my perspective that I am completing a book. Two in a row is a big record. Both are by Amulya Malladi.

Mango Season:


The first one I finished reading last month was the Mango Season. I loved it for its simplicity and the so many Indian things I could relate to. The story is about an Indian girl who spent so many years in US goes to India to tell her parents about her non Indian boy friend with whom she has been living together.

The tiny little things that bring a smile on your face - like how the mom cuts plantain (vazhakka or some such vegetable) and puts it into water to prevent it from darkening. The mom daughter relation - you would resonate if you had such a relation with your mom. The heroine wonders how she is finding it hard to adjust to things which were part of her life for years together. All that was fine, but I could not stomach some arguments made by the girl. How could she become so modern and how come her marriage becomes her own business..she is torn between mixed feelings all right, but I felt she is too much! Anyway, a good read and I could not put the book down.

A Breath of Fresh Air



This made me pick another book of the same author Amulya Malladi - the first novel she wrote on a victim of Bhopal gas tragedy called "The Breath of Fresh Air". Again very simple language that captivates interest without having to look for a dictionary. Very suitable for me. Different chapters are being narrated by different characters and the sequence of past events is slowly unfolded in each one's perspective. I stayed up till 12 for past two nights to finish the book. The climax was touching. How one night of inhaling the poisonous gas changed the life of Anjali and her future is beautifully narrated.

Happy weekend all, if you dont see another post from me!