Skip to content
ISSN NO. : 0970-4175 (Print)

 

Search

The Book Review, Monthly Review of Important BooksThe Book Review, Monthly Review of Important Books
The Book Review, Monthly Review of Important Books
  • HOME
  • THE BOOK REVIEW
    • ABOUT
    • FOUNDER TRUSTEES
    • THE JOURNAL
  • SUBSCRIPTIONS
    • PRINT & DIGITAL EDITION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • ARCHIVES
    • Table of Contents
    • Reviews
  • MEDIA & EVENTS
    • EVENTS
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISEMENT
  • HOME
  • THE BOOK REVIEW
    • ABOUT
    • FOUNDER TRUSTEES
    • THE JOURNAL
  • SUBSCRIPTIONS
    • PRINT & DIGITAL EDITION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • ARCHIVES
    • Table of Contents
    • Reviews
  • MEDIA & EVENTS
    • EVENTS
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISEMENT

Carving out Centralities

Review Details

Book Name: EXQUISITE CADAVERS
Author name: Meena Kandasamy
Book Year: 2019
Book Price: 399.00
Reviewer name: Semeen Ali
Volume No: 45
Publisher Name: Westland Books
Book Pages: 100

Now you see us…

Now you don’t.

The quote above was a part of Barbara Kruger’s untitled work (a Photostat print) created in 1987 that depicts a woman’s fingers holding a light bulb and these words are inscribed on the artwork. The first line is in bold and clearly visible while the second line remains less conspicuous. With Exquisite Cadavers, Meena Kandasamy creates two sets of narratives that run parallel with each other. The voices are distinct. In the borders of the book runs the voice of the writer, introducing snippets of her life as well as herself while the main page is left for her characters to negotiate their identities in the spaces that they have created or have been given to them. Throughout the book, the voice of the narrator converges and diverges as if twilling and that maintains a very interesting relationship between the two accounts. I won’t call them stories, as the descriptions and the recalling of events tend to give them an autobiographical element. As one begins reading through these two narratives, two modes of reading crop up, one where there is an active participation required from a reader and at the same time, a detached observation is expected of the reader. It takes a little bit of an effort to come to terms with these demands on a reader but as one becomes comfortable with these binaries, is when the book opens up for a reader.

Please Login or Register to Read Entire Article !

Username:
Password:
Register
Lost your password?

Post navigation

PreviousPrevious post:Situating the Novel in Socio-Cultural ContextsNextNext post:Leaving an Imprint

Related posts

Gandhi’s Tryst with Modernity
April 5, 2021
How a Farman Gave an Inch and Lost a Mile
April 5, 2021
Lending Centrality to the Humble ‘Coolie’
April 5, 2021
Of ‘Vanished’ Glory
April 5, 2021
Beyond Conversions
April 5, 2021
Evolution of Heritage Conservation in India
April 5, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

clear formPost comment

Current Issue
  • Gandhi’s Tryst with Modernity April 5, 2021
  • How a Farman Gave an Inch and Lost a Mile April 5, 2021
Search in website

ABOUT US | DISCLAIMER | ADVERTISEMENT

All Right Reserved with The Book Review Literacy Trust | Powered by Digital Empowerment Foundation

FacebookTwitter