Book Review
Title: Story of Tublu
Author: Jahid Akhtar
Publisher: Lifi
Publications, New Delhi, 2015
Pages: xii + 204 Price: Rs200
Every individual carries at
least one story within him/her: his/her own story. Life is a series of inevitable ups and downs
which can be formulated into a beautiful tale with a little imagination and
some effort. Jahid Akhtar succeeds in weaving one such tale in his debut novel,
Story of Tublu.
It is not an
autobiographical novel, of course. It
reads like a story that could have happened really. Every line reads as if it is taken from
actual life. Every character is like
someone we may actually meet in real life.
The author does not take recourse to any literary embellishments or
sophisticated techniques to narrate his story.
It’s a straightforward narrative that comes in the simplest language
possible and tells the story of some children who eventually grow up into young
adults going through the inevitable ups and downs of life.
Tublu (Tanmay) and his
father are rendered homeless by the inundation of the Brahmaputra and they
travel a long distance to the city in order to seek the assistance of Mr Sharma
who is a contractor-turned-educator.
With the benign assistance of Mr Sharma, Tublu is able to get good
education and move on to a successful career.
Maina, Mr Sharma’s charming daughter, occupies a prominent place in
Tublu’s affections. She falls in love
with someone else, however, whom she is not able to marry due not only to the
difference in their religion but also to her father’s tragic illness. The man chosen for her by her parents ends up
as a failure in more ways than one.
While the plot revolves
round mostly Tublu and Maina, there are other interesting characters too: Maina’s
brother who studies in America and marries an American as well as Tublu’s
various friends. The novel looks at the
nature of human relationships which can transcend certain boundaries made by
man such as religion and nationality or which may in some cases remain at the
level of sheer superficiality. The plot
moves from Assam to Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, as the characters
travel for studies or jobs. It crosses
the national borders too occasionally.
It’s a fast-moving
plot. About two and a half decades pass
in 204 pages. While the pace helps to
keep the reader glued to the pages, it runs the risk of rendering the narrative
slightly superficial. Perhaps, a slower
pace would have helped the author to take deeper looks into the complexity of
each major character’s psyche. The
novelist’s intention, however, seems to tell a good story in the simplest
manner possible and he has succeeded in that.
The foreword does an
injustice to the reader: it lets out the climax of the novel thus potentially
damaging the reader’s eagerness which would have been better sustained by suspense. The reader may skip the foreword and return
to it after reading the novel. Young
readers are particularly likely to find the novel thrilling.
A well penned review. Will surely pick Jahid's book since it sounds interesting. Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Archana.
DeleteI'm not going to read this review. I received the book today. I'll read, review and return to this post to read your views :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice decision, Maniparna. Let not my judgment cloud your perceptions.
DeleteSeems a potential read for me. :)
ReplyDeleteGo ahead, Ravish.
DeleteI follow Jahid's blog that makes me also nervous about the reception for his debut novel.. May be also, because its my dream too, to write something meaningful and get published one day :) Reading the reviews the desire gets stronger :P
ReplyDeleteLet me have the privilege to review your book too, Roohi.
DeleteWe all have at least one story to tell, as I have already said. It's a question of sitting down and doing the work. All the best.
Thanks for the heads up Tomichan regarding the foreword. Shall read it as an epilogue! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a wise decision, Deepka.
DeleteI will surely read the book, I really liked the review and happy you did not let out the suspense :)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't, Shweta. I'm now a seasoned book reviewer, you know :)
DeleteSir its an excellent review for young reader.... it helps me to find a good novel.. sir i too made an attempt........ just read........http://chinchujose.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteRight, Chinchu. Will be there soon.
Delete