Land Where I Flee by Prajwal Parajuly

Four grown-up grandchildren are gathering from London and US on the occasion of chaurasi - the celebration of the 84th birthday - of their strong-willed grandmother Chitralekha in a region in India with a stong Nepalese minority. A hilarious dysfunctional family  with whom we are invited to spend about a week together.

Land Where I Flee by Nepalese-Indian author Prajwal Parajuly has a cast of very unique characters that are into a lot of unexpected, morally doubtful situations - created by them or just casting - while rich in cultural and historical details about this part of India. 

It may be just another book about a dysfunctional family, due to the conflict between ´Westernization´ and local traditions - the grandchildren mostly speak English to each other. Who will buy a read a book about ´normal´ people, anyway? But I´ve personally read about some of the interactions between characters laughing out loud and took note about many of the cultural and traditional remarks I clearly was not familiar about.

I can easily see this book serialized, as it keeps a soap opera glamour and state of permanent crisis. The choice of reading was completely random, but felt like I was right with my choice as now I have some new cultural topics to think about it.

Landd Where I Flee is a recommended read for any curious reader looking to discover some special ideas and traditions of Nepalese in India.

Rating: 3 stars

Random Things Tours: Wasteland Girls by Anna Bailey

 

I love short stories, particularly those powerful enough to evocate world in just few pages. The precision and attention to detail, while building characters and elaborating sometimes complex story structures are particular writing skills in itself. 

Those thoughts were generated by my latest reading of a short story collection, Wasteland Girls by Anna Bailey. Ten stories about relationships, human connection set against the very specific North American context. 

It connects both lives and worlds, particular landscapes and timelines, through the expression of deep, sometimes violent, human feelings. I was particularly drawn by the ambiance of the specific places where the action is taking part, but also about the ways in which it sometimes resonates with the personality and emotional status of the characters.

Each story is a well chiselled world in itself, keeping the reader constantly connected, including through unexpected twists that do surprise, shock or just put you back on the reading track.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own 

Random Things Tours: The Lover by Mary Watson

A bit over a year of reading The Cleaner, South-African bestseller author Mary Watson is back with a mind-wrecking story about dangerous love.

Hallie and Rafe, the main characters in her latest, The Lover, were two people in love, an illicit love though, that they may rekindle. Rafe is Hallie´s boss as well, a charming and intelligent man who gives you reason to dream of happiness. But one day, Hallie wakes up with her murdered lover on the other side of the bed. She is the one to have seen her alive, hence she may be the main suspect? But what dark episodes was he hiding?

I´ve read this book with few breaks in between, unable to get my mind out of this book. It follows the rules of a classical whodunnit, but it builds more suspense and action, and the mystery surrounding the case is hard to decipher. 

There is a high tension that increases towards the end of the story, as more personal details are revealed, displaying, as usually happens, a less perfect lifeframe as expected, especially in the case of Rafe. The details are carefully built building relevance and adding twists that are magnifying the circumstances. 

For me, it was a passionate read that I always appreciate, especially when I have plenty of time to delve into the thriller, betting my horses on different ends - which, in this case, were all wrong. I usually love when a book challenge me to ask question after question, and this was fortunately the case with The Lover. 

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

I can count on one hand the amount of books set in Asia under the Japanese occupation. For various traumatic reasons, such topics are rarely approached both in Japan and the countries who were the direct victims of it. 

The Storm We Made, the debut novel by Malaysian author Vanessa Chan, reflects the terrible events of the Japanese occupation through the experiences of an average family. The mother, Cecily, turns into an accidental spy, driven by her own ambitions to be considered an equal partner and equal of a man she fells obsessively in love with. Part of her temptation to spy, providing the Japanese with documents stolen from her husband, a middle employee at a local company, was also the escape from a boring life. 

The children of Alcantara family, whose voices are adding individual layers to the story, are dramatically affected by the duress of times, but also through their small individual decision may determine the fate of the others and of the society as well.

The writing is entincing, making you to want to know what happened with the characters, particularly Abel, although for some of the children characters, like Jasmin, her voice was way too strong for her young age of 8. 

The Storm We Made is a well-researched work of historical fiction that hopefully will be followed by more similar novels. As the traumatic moments are becoming more distant, so is the clarity brought by the separation, leaving more space for finding inspiration for bold stories.

Rating: 4 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Novel Detective by Teresa Dovalpage

Teresa, the main character is The Novel Detective by Cuban-American writer Teresa Dovalpage is having a successful active life in the States, when she is requested by a former high-school colleague to return back to Cuba in order to investigate the suspicious death of a former professor.  

As a mystery author, she may have also a professional interest into the story, but feels also intrigued by Estrella´s involvement into the case. She may accept the challenge, which open up some interesting plot directions. Her return may bring her back to her early teenage years and her curious interests. 

The Novel Detective smartly combines the passion for classical mysteries with the Latin- and Central American magical realism. It is a rare encounters, but such a welcomed diversion from the usual literary canon. The references to the two Cubas - in the 1980s and now, inspired by the author´s own experiences - create a very complex frame for a story that cannot be separated from the geographical and political context that generated it.

The diversity of perspectives shared in the story as well as the rich timelines created an interesting story that will clearly think about for a long time. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Random Things Tours: A Farmhouse in France by Rachael Lucas

How does it feel to find out without any prior warning that the father that never cared about you left you a farmhouse in France and a bit under 100,000 Euro to start all anew? Especially when your pub in Yorkshire is seriously struggling? This is the beginning of the story of Daisy, the main character of A Farmhouse in France by Rachael Lucas. 

The farmhouse, which require a serious attention and renovations, comes also with a very handsome neighbour. What do you need for starting your romantic escape to France?

I was caught into the story from the very beginning particularly by the vivid dialogues who are promising a lot of action and surprises. Daisy was given a chance when she was expecting the least, although in deep need to a dramatic life change. Although reluctant that this unexpected inheritance will create tons of problems, in the end it looked like things were much smooth and easier - there is also a European stereotype that France bureaucracy is a maze which is myth, believe me. 

The writing is very engaging, taking the reader as witness and participant to the story. Especially when there are new beginnings in sight, you need the character to win, as new beginnings are uplifting, but often we need the courage to start over. 

I am clearly interested in more France-based romantic content, therefore anything that may continue this story is on my TBR. 

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Il Mantello di Rut by Paolo Rodari

 

I´ve continued my Italian reading adventure with a very profound book about freedom and belief during terrible times. 

Il mantello di Rut (Ruth´s Cloak, which is the biblical Ruth who willingly followed her mother in law Naomi in her belief, for Jews a symbol of dedication on behalf of the converts, although the Christian interpretation escapes me right now) by journalist and teologically trained Paolo Rodari is set during the end of WWII in Nazi-occupied Italy. The main date that put into motion the tragic chain of events is the 16th of October 1943, a Saturday, the day of the Holy Shabbat, when the German forces raided the Jewish ghetto of Roome, arresting 1,259 persons. Out of 1,023 sent to Auschwitz, only 16 survived.  

Remo, the Catholic monk storyteller, is writing to Aida, a little Jewish girl who saved during the German occupation, with whose mother he fell in love. Inspired by his own tortured relationship with his emotionally numb mother, who sent him to the seminary due to lack of financial resources after the death of his father, he is sharing his story to the little girl, who stayed hidden without being forced to be baptized as often happened with other Jewish children ´rescued´ by the Church - until her uncle found her and picked her up in her new life. 

He writes to keep Rachel´s memory alive, who most probably was killed by the Germans, but also to explain his own choices, his difference compared to other people of faith. Remo is talking a lot about the freedom to decide: to stay or to go, to help or stay indifferent, to fall in love or follow the faith. The approaches are nuanced and very direct, echoing the thoughts someone may have about life, humanity and religion during terrible times.

Il mantello di Rut is a condensed yet very thoughtful read which is trying to counter the documented cases when the Catholic Church and its representatives were complacent with the Germans and manifested antisemitic attitudes. 

Inspired by the topic, I may continue some individual researches about this topic soon. 

The Italian is level B2 mostly, easy to understand without using a dictionary more than 25% of the reading.

Rating: 4 stars