_head_full_of_books_'s reviews
62 reviews

She was a cook on a merchant ship. At one port stop she meets Samsa and the connection is instant. Samsa nicknames her Boulder. We never find out Boulder's real name. Between port stops their relationship develops. Samsa is a geologist who gets a good job in Reykjavik, Iceland and the couple decides to move to Reykjavik. Boulder who is used to living on ships and docking on land only for supplies finds herself lost. Gradually she builds her life on land by opening a food truck that serves empanadas. Samsa, who is greatly successful in her career, finds herself wanting to be a mother. Boulder who just came to like the town, finds herself lost again. Samsa wants to be a mother but Boulder doesn’t. Boulder finds herself dragged thru the process because of her love for Samsa. 

Boulder and Samsa's love sat more in desire than in heart. Raw sexuality is the essence of their relationship and it makes you wonder how long can it last. Baltasar boldly expresses the heat and intensity of their desire. Boulder is honest in her thoughts which I loved. She's someone I want to be friends with.  While we get Boulder's perspective, we never know Samsa's. And here's why the book lost some its points from me. Samsa was one-dimensional to me; an important character who never got her say.

Even though the story fell short for me, I absolutely loved the writing. Baltasar's writing is bold, at times lyrical and brimming with raw emotions. I buy books I loved the most for my shelf but I will make an exception for Boulder. The story was not my favorite, but the writing earned its place on my shelf.

Whale is a multi-generational saga of four women. Geumbok, our protagonist, is an ambitious woman. She flees her small village in search of a new life. She is a beautiful woman whose scent is appealing to men. She takes on partners for survival, to satiate her endless sexual appetite and more importantly to help her achieve her dreams. Geumbok is an ambitious woman full of ideas and rigor to make them happen. Geumbok knows death from early on in her life. Her attempt to escape the dull grey of death leads her to everything that is shiny and big. Her first sighting of whale motivates her for life. In her quest to be the best and forget her past, she ignores her daughter, Chunhui, our second protagonist. Chunhui cannot speak but has an imposing physical strength. Ignored by her mother, Chunhui finds a friend in an elephant. Jumbo, the elephant guides Chunhui with everything around her. The other mom-daughter duo is the old woman and her one-eyed daughter who controls an army of bees. The stories of these four women intertwine by happenstance and end up shaping their futures.

Whale, written as an oral narrative, is storytelling at its best. The story weaves in varied characters, magical realism, political and social changes seamlessly. Some parts have more color and for some parts we never know the truth only hearsay. Drawing from the text, that is the law of folktale. The author frequently uses "That is the law of ..." at the end of an explanatory paragraph. To give a few examples, that is the law of rumors, love, pleasure quarters, stupidity, obesity, fate, ideology, intellectuals etc. I wish I noted down all the laws. I had a hard time connecting with the story at the beginning but couldn’t put the book down. The author captured me with his writing style.

Against a changing political and social backdrop in Korea, Whale tells us about what it is to be woman in these changing times. Our heroines are attacked, insulted, and tortured to the point of death. Whale tells us what it takes to go from being a fearful woman to being a feared woman. It satirizes the myriad laws of life and society. At times, the author interjects himself like an oral storyteller would, giving his perspective. I found myself rooting for the survival and success of these women. I could relate to Geumbok’s ambition although wasn’t a big fan of hers at the end of the story.

It’s a story I’ll remember forever. The violence is too much at times but, past that there are colorful characters whose captivating stories are larger than life. 

Thank you Archipelago books for my copy! 

Saroja and Kumaresan are in love. They eloped and got married with the help of some friends. The newly weds head to Kumaresan's village with a dangerous secret - theirs is an inter-caste marriage - a secret powerful enough to destroy their lives. Kumaresan is naively hopeful that after few enquiries, his mom and the village will accept Saroja. As the story progresses we learn about the harsh treatment the newly weds face, intensified by the harsh terrain of the village.

Pyre attempts to tackle the ever prevalent caste issues in India. Unfortunately, even in this day and age, caste discrimination is present in the Indian society, specially in the rural areas. Given the size of the book (200 pages) I was skeptical of how the author tackles the beast. On the surface, Pyre hits all the talking points of rural India and how the poisonous beast slowly divides people. We learn about the culture through conversations and internal monologues. This is where I wish there was more narrative. The conversations are from the character’s perspective and lack the depth a new-to-caste system-reader will be looking for. As someone who grew up in India, I could relate. For a new reader this book will be a great introduction. 

The characters are well developed. Kumarsen’s and Saroja’s forbidden love story is very Bollywood like - no complaints there. Think falling in love even before hearing each other’s voice, conversing through your eyes - cue in Isharon isharon mein Dil Lene wale song.

All-in-all, a quick engaging read that opens door to a topic that can be explored further. I am looking forward to reading other works by this author. 

Originally written in Hindi by Geentanjali Shree and translated in English by Daisy Rockwell @shreedaisy , Tomb of Sand explores the traumatic impact of India Pakistan partition. A sad event in the history of the Southeast Asian continent that left many separated from their families, friends, and homes. The story also touches on feminism, climate change, politics, and our modern way of living.

Tomb of Sand is an ‘acquired taste’ sort of book. You might stop reading it after the first 100 pages (like I did when I picked it last year). If you persevere the 700+ pages, the writing will grow on you. You will find that the meandering tale is bordered with unusual side characters described in the most artistic way possible. Don’t let the word border fool you. Border is not supposed to be restrictive but adorning the edge. As Ma says in Tomb of Sand, “A border increases recognition. Where two sides meet and both flourish. A border ornaments their meeting.” This tale is of Ma, an octogenarian who rediscovers youth, and who is determined to return from whence she came. But the tale encompasses within it everything around it – family, home, walls, door, crows, sunshine, rainbow … everything you can think of. It weaves them in Ma’s story and pushes past the border. 

Ma insists on retuning to Pakistan so Ma’s daughter, Beti, an independent woman, crosses the partition drawn border with her. What ensues after that is a shocking revelation for Beti. There’s not a lot I can reveal without giving out spoilers.

The plot moves slowly, almost sidelined by the beautiful prose. I loved that for a select few lines in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Sanskrit, the English translation has the original text and its English translation. They add depth to the story and also shows how commendable the work of the translator is. Translation is not easy. 

Tomb of Sand requires patience and time. Give it that and it will reward you with a tale and wordplay you will never forget. If you made it this far, thank you!

Tomb of Sand is my pick for a book by BIPOC author for the #bigbookreading2023 challenge by @time4reading. Thank you, Harper Collins Canada, for my e-copy.

The first colony on Mars had a good start - no wars, no poverty, no climate change. Almost an ideal place to live until things start to go bad. Colonists start to disappear and the communication to Earth is lost. Leo and Ariel are Mars's newest colonists who were not in the original flight list. No comms don't help with the situation. Unlike other colonists, Leo is off to a rough start. He is targeted by the law force, is assigned a dull job and to make matters worse, he doesn't remember signing up for this trip. Back on Earth, the lost communication with Mars sends Alex in a panic mode. Alex is a rising star in the space program. He finds himself on the next spaceship out to Mars to fix this problem. Alex and Leo battle against time to uncover the truth.

This was a quick and engaging read. I enjoyed learning about way of life on the Martian colony. For a sci-fi book, the science is not intimidating. Thru Leo and Ariel's stories, the author briefly touches on the topics of loneliness, societal expectations and suicide. I was hoping it was explored further. Alex's trip to Mars was eventful, keeping the reader at the edge of their seat. While the plot moved forward, I found that the writing lacked a smooth flow. But the author more than makes it up with the unpredictable twist. I did not foresee it. It was a good closure to the story and one that leaves you thinking about it for days. I would highly recommend this book to sci-fi fans and also to readers who want to explore this genre further.

Thank you Ryan Lailvaux for my copy.