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Books and 2017

My little library

2017 was a relatively bad year for me where books are concerned.  First of all, I couldn’t read as many as I wished.  Secondly, quite a few of the books I read don’t deserve a second read. 

Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness disappointed me.  “The socio-political activist in the author has superseded the literary artist,” as I wrote in my review.  I concede that we live a painfully fragmented world and writing fiction is a highly challenging job.  How does a writer fathom the depths where too much debris of fragmented things and people, fragmented gods and legends lie scattered in utter chaos?

PaulaHawkins’ The Girl on the Train is thelast book I reviewed in 2017.  “The Number One Bestseller” is a good entertainer and not serious literature.  Evil reeks heavily in every page of the book.  I was left gasping for fresh air by the time I reached the last page of the book.  Once again I was left longing for good literature.

Two of the best history books I read during the year are Christians, a Malayalam book and Sapiens:A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.  The former traces the history of Christianity in the world and in Kerala with the dispassionate authoritativeness of a historian.  The latter is a brilliant look at mankind, its evolution, follies, achievements, and possible future.

Jose Maliekal’s Standstill Utopias? is a book with a difference.  Written by a Catholic missionary priest, it questions the nature of much religious activity carried out in the country with a particular and academic focus on the Madiga people of Andhra.  Teesta Setalvad’s TheFoot Soldier of the Constitution: A Memoir could have been a much better work with a little more editing.

The best book I read in the year (end of 2016, in fact) is MyName is Red by Orhan Pamuk.  Uniquely crafted, intellectually challenging, imaginatively stimulating, the novel is wonderful though it won’t extract a second read from me. 

I look forward to a better year as far as reading is concerned.  I hope to discover some good works in 2018, works that explore the human dilemmas and agonies with breath-taking imaginativeness.   


PS. Written for IndiSpire Edition 201: #Books2017

Comments

  1. Pranju chakrapaniDecember 28, 2017 at 10:20 AM

    I have read three of the novels mentioned here. I found the ministry captivating,didn't find it bias, and although raw at the start, the novel went ahead to create a literary piece, with questions that still persists in my mind. With more experience, perhaps, I would be able to get the answers to those questions.

    Of course, Sapiens is the best book in non fiction category which had a tremendous impact on me. The history of mankind through evolution both biologically, intellectually and politically revealed the dynamics of why our world is so and what can we expect to converge into in the distant future.

    The girl, as you have mentioned is entertaining and I really don't mind reading such thriller once in a while.

    I am keeping my name is red on my to be read shelf for the coming year.

    Right now, based on your suggestions in multiple blogs, I am reading Zorba the Greek. And my, my! That is a novel! Simply loving it. The contrast between buddhu and zorba is evident. And am eager to see what zorba does after making the slop on the mountain, and how the narrator comes in piece with his inner buddha. Such a masterpiece. I am awed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 28, 2017 at 9:33 PM

      I missed you here for quite a long while.

      I never said Ms Roy is a biased writer. Far from that, she is a committed writer. As committed as a religious person. Every leftist is as committed as any religious person. A good novel rises above that commitment. Rises to the level of deeply learnt personal truths. Ms Roy does not seem to have learnt those personal truths.

      Zorba remains my favourite even now, years after I read it first.

      Delete

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