Elinor’s Bookshelf

My rating: When you both hate with a vengeance and love how a book made you feel, you know you are holding more than a bunch of words scattered on paper: A Work of Art - both moving and consuming. The story is sordid and beautiful, melancholy and captivating. Its intricate and entwined storyline makes it not the easiest or fastest to read – yet very appealing to the detailed mind. It is very sad, real, and raw – any glimpse of light you may get lulls you into a false sense of security only to be later blanketed with despondency. Many see in this book a story about homosexuality - I do not. It is about psychological destruction, sexual abuse, resulting self-harm, the paradoxical opposition between looks and reality, and how we get ensnared in the shortcomings of our own habits and patterns of thought. If you don’t want sadness or too many negative feelings, don’t read this book. It is a difficult, emotionally wearing read, the balance tipped always towards the dimmer side of an...

My rating: To me the book is interesting and gives some information about the American prison system. It does feel like many things are left unsaid in particular about her friendships and relationship to her ex-girlfriend, which come over a little shallow. I believe Piper Kerman has lots to say about the prison system, why it isn’t working, and how it can be improved. That, to me, is the crux of the book - such a shame so little is actually said about it - it could be so much bolder, and blunter! View all my reviews

My rating: This debut novel by Deepti Kapoor reflects on Indian culture and its paradoxical stance with regard to womanhood. The protagonist, a respectable unmarried young lady, gets secretly involved with an older man. The book starts the moment he gets killed, and all that is left is a story to recount. In my view, the title refers mainly to the heroin of the book, "A bad character" by Indian standards. That is "old India", of course. The book depicts, through the adventures of this raw and sometimes feral young woman in Delhi, how the country is at a captivating crossroads where old and new mingle, irreversibly intertwine against their own wills, pushing both forwards and backwards at orthogonal angles, neither being quite able to prevent, ignore or subdue the other. This is an intense book, with an original, rich, and intriguing writing style. I can still smell the spices and feel the vibes of colourful Indian night-life. View all my reviews