By Lakshmi Kannan Olive Turtle

The title story captures a tableaux moment when Bhagyalakshmi emerges. The baby elephant not only leaves its mahout out of breath but also splashes water on Pratibha, Sashi and Indira, who are on a trip without informing their families. The exuberance of the baby elephant matches the first taste of freedom by the young women. The story, ‘A for Apple’ highlights the longing of a young boy to taste the luscious apple that is printed in his textbook. When he does manage to steal some money, buys an apple and eats, it becomes a moment of disappointment. In an act of repentance, he buys flavour-rich guavas to share with his family.


Reviewed by: V. Bharathi Harishankar
By Shahnaz Habib

Habib’s anecdote about her trip to Paris with her partner and the insurmountable barriers encountered by her will certainly hit home to residents of a Third World country! The anxiety to ensure that her travel comes through by the end of the chapter will meanwhile compel the reader to encounter a degree of racial discrimination that the travel industry rests upon. And so, through a series of examples


Reviewed by: Suman Bhagchandani
By Aishwarya Iyer

Another theme running through the poems which strikes the reader is that of desire. But to understand how desire functions in Iyer’s poems, it will be fruitful to recollect Sara Ahmed’s question in her book, The Cultural Politics of Emotion, namely, ‘What do emotions do?’; she later elaborates, ‘Emotions are simply not something “I” or “we” have. Rather, it is through emotions that surfaces and boundaries are made: the “I” and the “we” are shaped by, and even take shape of, contact with others.’ It is through this framework of illuminating both the object and the subject that the desiring-subject functions in Iyer’s poems.


Reviewed by: Ankush Banerjee
By Sharmistha Mohanty

Sharmistha Mohanty has a voice that has the ability to stay with the reader long after Book One has been read. In fact, this book would make the reader want to read more of her latest writings as well. It is a book that seems to come from a place of personal relevance; it carries within an unhurried pace, thus mirroring human thought itself. In these days of insta-living and gratification, it is only in the mind that we can lead a slow and defined existence.


Reviewed by: Sonya J Nair
By Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi. Illustrated by Stina Wirsén

Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi who works and lives in a village in north Goa has won many awards for his writing, like the Betty Trask Award, UK, and the Premio Grinzane Cavour in Italy. He has been shortlisted for the Man Asian Prize for his novel The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay.


Reviewed by: Nita Berry
By Bijal Vachharajani. Illustrated by Rajiv Eipe

Through Amit’s experiences with Pokey, the author highlights that having a pet demands patience and involves responsibilities. From badly wanting a pup at home to wishing it leaves their home soon to embracing it wholeheartedly, Amit comes a full circle at the end.


Reviewed by: Divya Shankar