If You Are Afraid of Heights - Raj Kamal Jha
I was enticed into buying this book by the image of the lonely girl in a red frock on the cover, and the description on the back that promised "a glimpse into a looking-glass world where nothing is quite what it seems and yet everything is strangely familiar". I did not expect it to be a regular fiction - the story-telling kind, but more of a set of impressions and interpretations, and exploration of the thoughts, dreams and feelings of the girl on the cover. I would say my expectations were partially fulfilled.
It is a beautifully written book, with a vivid imagery and almost lyrical prose. It comprises of three distinct stories, with repeating images and motifs - each of these stories perhaps represent the viewpoint of a different character. It blurs the lines between memories, dreams, imagination, reality and fantasy, and the reader needs to draw his/her own inference on the meaning of the events, and the inter-connections of the characters. The portrayal of (what I believe to be) an alter-ego - Rima to Amir, and Alam to Mala - was quite a novel concept. Also interesting was the portrayal of observer/narrator flying through and above the city on the back of a crow.
However, with all the beauty, I was rather disappointed - I do not know of anyone else who has read it, but I was not able to extract the theme, and interpret how the stories connect together in the conclusion. It is what can be described as a very "literary" book. It could have been a very good book, if all the narratives could have been brought to a proper closure. But, with all the loose hanging threads, it feels kind of incomplete, and therefore, after finishing the book, that particular satisfaction is missing.
It is a beautifully written book, with a vivid imagery and almost lyrical prose. It comprises of three distinct stories, with repeating images and motifs - each of these stories perhaps represent the viewpoint of a different character. It blurs the lines between memories, dreams, imagination, reality and fantasy, and the reader needs to draw his/her own inference on the meaning of the events, and the inter-connections of the characters. The portrayal of (what I believe to be) an alter-ego - Rima to Amir, and Alam to Mala - was quite a novel concept. Also interesting was the portrayal of observer/narrator flying through and above the city on the back of a crow.
However, with all the beauty, I was rather disappointed - I do not know of anyone else who has read it, but I was not able to extract the theme, and interpret how the stories connect together in the conclusion. It is what can be described as a very "literary" book. It could have been a very good book, if all the narratives could have been brought to a proper closure. But, with all the loose hanging threads, it feels kind of incomplete, and therefore, after finishing the book, that particular satisfaction is missing.
1 comment:
It seems like tht u r doing appraisal bhabhi ... :)
LOL....
-GAURAV
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