As events come to a close, the DO’s family threatens Kamala, she is humiliated by all in the presence of her parents. Further disaster is averted only because the DO’s retirement is round the corner. Kamala never speaks for the major portion of this narrative. When she does speak up it is to acknowledge strategization: ‘He tortured me tirelessly.
‘Shadow Crow’ has a masterful narration. The meeting of Narayana Guru with Buddhist monks and the ensuing conversation is a delight to read. The author’s voice on mental health in the story ‘Brother’s Shadow’ is not so complex. They may be informed by his life experiences with a set of professionals.
The story begins not with Krishna’s birth but when Krishna’s life is drawing to a close. Jara, the hunter, accidentally discharges the arrow that pierces Krishna’s leg. When the hunter rushes to see from where the cry is emanating
Elsewhere, Roy turns to a speculation on literature and history as she reminiscences on the pronouncements of tourist guides in cities marked, particularly since the 1970s
Again, the naming word’s evocative powers are affirmed: Mrinal Sen’s city was Calcutta of a certain taste and flavour. The third sign is the opening sentence of the first chapter: ‘My earliest memories do not prominently feature my father.’ A memoirist’s truth comes twinkling on tiny steps; the sentence lets you know, and overruns convention.
‘Strangers in the Park’ unveils the story of fifty-something Sudha, widowed for a decade, who befriends a stranger on her evening walks in the Lodhi Gardens, and much to the consternation of her large joint family—a mother-in-law, a daughter-in-law and sundry aunts of her late husband—decides to go for a holiday to Europe with this new-met friend! And no, he didn’t ask her to marry him.