Ghachar Ghochar
To be honest , this was the first time I read a translated book originally written in another language ( a language which I am not familiar with).
And I am glad to say it proved out to be the perfect choice.
I am still perplexed as to how the book managed to hold my attention throughout without trying too hard to do so.
No fancy vocabulary, no nail- biting chapter ends, no cliffhangers , yet a nagging persistence to go on and turn the page...why?
Difficult to pinpoint , but a few things that stood out for me:-
1) Simplicity- the simple narrative cleverly hides the devious plot and you keep guessing what could possibly be wrong with a simple family's journey from rag to riches.
2) Subtlety- This book is a classic example of how to keep the reader engaged and in anticipation without use of gore, graphic violence, erotica or horror.
There is an undercurrent of tension which nags you all the time and hats off to the author for pulling that off.
3) Smooth- The narration just flows.No jarring changes of voice, smooth transition between past and present , and relatable dialogues make it such an easy yet compelling read.Storytelling at its best.
4) Smart play of words and sentences- Just when you settle in for a story about relationships , there are words ,sentences or metaphors which nudge you towards something amiss? something dark or sinister?
something deeper than meets the eye.
Eg.
"we had no compunction towards our enemies, and took increasingly desperate and violent means of dealing with them"
The above sentence is used for ants and when you go back to it after finishing the book...whoa!!
5) Show and Tell( yes , its not ' not tell')- The author has used both in balance.
His keen eye for detail is ' shown' beautifully by sentences like
"a bright rectangle rectangle on the wall where we hung the calendar, indentations where the back of chairs had pressed against the wall, purposeless nails, a piece of paper soaked in oil, the smell of the kitchen; in these scraps were markers of our home.
A few more philosophical sentences that won me over
- if you think about it, even those held to be gods incarnate seldom speak of profound things.Its their day to day utterances that are imbued with sublime meanings.
-When you have no choice, you have no discontent either
-its true when they say its not we who control the money; its the money that controls us.When theres only a little it behaves meekly, when it grows, it becomes brash, and has its way with us.
Would recommend picking up this book. Ninety seven pages later, you are bound to wonder and ponder how the author managed this with such elan.
For all the writers here, reading this can be a priceless lesson in subtle writing.
~*~
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