Author: Radhika Jha
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 244
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0143030450
Description
Set in locales as cosmopolitan as Delhi and as remote as Mangladi, these stories, ranging from the whimsical to the bizarre, constitute a fascinating ride through the lives of everyday people grappling with themselves and with circumstances they can neither fully comprehend nor entirely control.
A freak episode involving an elephant and a Maruti has unforeseen consequences; a seething communal cauldron boils over in grotesque fashion in a half-forgotten hamlet in south India; love, fear and intrigue come together in a heady concoction in a restaurant in faraway Paris; and a diffident young schoolgirl in awe of beauty discovers its darker side in a surreal encounter.
With all the flair and insight that marked her best-selling debut novel, Smell, Radhika Jha weaves a rich tapestry of characters and situations in this delightfully off-beat compilation of short fiction which provides a unique glimpse into disparate worlds.
REVIEWS
Perhaps no Indian since Ruskin Bond, has used the English language so beautifully. (Radhika) Jha's use of language is often surreal.
-The Statesman
Amazing first novel with philosophical tidbits strewn about…a dark and fiercely intense novel.
-India Today
Intensely felt and beautifully written, (Smell) is a remarkable debut.
-Sudhir Kakar
Contents
Acknowledgements
The Wedding
Hope
Beauty
The Elephant and the Maruti
Sleepers
The Cook