Ladies Coupé by Anita Nair

Distinctly feminine, this novel explores the life of Akhila who had to give up her dreams to become the family breadwinner. Akhila's life is examined through the lives of other women in the coupe. Each has a story to tell and all of them are unique, none of them offering a straight answer for Akhila but each giving something to help her know herself better.

Through the stories of all these women, Nair tackles many subjects including Lesbianism. Nair has tried to bring to light many social and emotional issues which shape women to be who they are and how they find their place in society and family. She examines the lives of dependent and independent women and those in between, trying to find the path for Akhila.

The writing style is simple but the description of south Indian food and life is very interesting. More interestingly, the book has recipes in the end for the food mentioned in the novel!

Pleasure Seekers by Tishani Doshi

This is a story of a Gujarati Boy and a Welsh girl who meet, fall in love and get married. The novel is possibly inspired from her parent's story. It takes you through the life of Babo and Sian and how their love for each other shapes their future. The story is sweet and the characters are apt in every way. Each character is well defined, described and consistent. The novel flows smoothly throughout.

In terms of the writing style, it a touch different because Doshi has used 'smells' and 'fragrances' through the character of Ba, the grandmother, to describe the others. She has explored their feelings but not in the philosophical style, rather she has expressed raw emotion, stripped to the core, yet written in a poetic fashion. The use of Ba's character to string the whole novel together is the most beautiful part. I would say Ba is the Sutradhar as used in Gujarati Dramas. Doshi is a dancer and a poet which makes the way she describes emotions of her characters very unique. There is a flow to the writing like there would be in a poem or dance, its like she has not written but the book but choreographed it. 

Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry

Like other works of Mistry, this too is tender in its description and understanding of human nature. This novel deals with the subject of ageing and dying and how these natural phenomena affects the daily lives of those who are in its vicinity. How the old can get discarded to make space for the new and yet how the old continues to shape the new, is the essence of this novel. It also beautifully weaves a picture of how desires which never come to fruition can leave a mark on the future and the way it can affect the quality of death or the process of dying.

I suppose I make it sound rather sad but it is not so. Mistry's prose captures the sadness in everyday life but does not make the reader depressed, rather it nudges the emotional cord within you and makes the characters live forever in your mind. He helps the reader form a bond with the characters.

In terms of style, it is distinctly the Mistry style with Parsi characters, dishes and daily life. Written in the same fashion as his other works which I have read, it continues to keep your interest alive throughout. I never rush to finish Mistry's novels because each line is meaningful and skipping a few will leave the experience incomplete. The story and the characters linger in your mind as if they are real people with real issues.