books – Page 2 – Literature, Poetry and Reading.

Igifu by Scholastique Mukasonga, tr. by Jordan Stump

Igifu,
Scholastique Mukasonga tr. by Jordan Stump
Published by Archipelago Books
Genre- Autobiographical fiction, Short Stories
Rating: 5/5

“In Nyamata,’ my mother used to say, ‘you must never forget: we’re Inyenzi, we’re cockroaches, snakes, vermin. Whenever you meet a soldier or a militiaman or a stranger, remember: he’s planning to kill you, and he knows he will, one day or another, him or someone else”.

Igifu, or hunger, is a collection of autobiographical stories by the French-Rwandan author Scholastique Mukasonga and is translated from the French to English by Jordan Stump. In the centre of these stories is the collective grief and predicament of Tutsis -the living, the dead and the exiled – before and after the Rawandan genocide. Each story is heartwrenchingly beautiful, visceral and permeates through all yours senses.

The first story in the book is called ‘Igifu’, where the author takes us through a literary experience of hunger- of what it means to have this implacable tormentor within and what it does to the human body and mind. They knew how to satiate Igifu when they had their cows but the cows were taken away and killed, and the Tutsis were abandoned on the sterile soil of the Bugesera, Igifu’s kingdom. (“Igifu woke you long before the chattering birds announced the first light of dawn, he stretched out the blazing afternoon hours, he stayed at your side on the mat to bedevil your sleep. He was the heartless magician who conjured up lying mirages: the sight of a heap of steaming beans or a beautiful white ball of manioc paste, the glorious smell of the sauce on a huge dish of bananas, the sound of roast corn crackling over a charcoal fire, and then just when you were about to reach out for that mouthwatering food it would all dissolve like the mist on the swamp, and then you heard Igifu cackling deep in your stomach.”)

The second story is called “The Glorious Cow” where the author reminisces the halcyon days of when they had a lot of cows. The cows were given names, looked after and were the most important members in the family. Here, we learn the cultural and agricultural importance of the cow in Tutsi families. Milk after all, helped keep Igifu away. The third story, which almost had me in tears is called “Fear”- the fear of the sound of boots, of soldiers planning to kill, where you have to be quicker than death. Fear is their guardian angel, it helps them stay alert and awake for when death knocks, you have to run faster than death. The fourth story is called “The Curse of Beauty”- of how beauty was the greatest sorrow in the life of a Tutsi woman that extricated her from her husband, her son and herself. The last story in the book is “Grief”- here, the author writes about what it is like to lose people to a genocide and what it takes to come to terms with it (“That strength lives in you too, don’t let anyone try to tell you to get over your loss, not if that means saying goodbye to your dead. You can’t: they’ll never leave you, they stay by your side to give you the courage to live, to triumph over obstacles, whether here in Rwanda or abroad, if you go back. They’re always beside you, and you can always depend on them.”)

Igifu was my first read for Women in Translation month. WITMonth started in response to literary blogger Meytal Radzinski’s observation that only around 30% of books published in translation were by women. The purpose is to support women writers in translations and to bridge the gap through reading, reviewing and discussing books by women writers in translations.

Season of Crimson Blossoms by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim

Season of Crimson Blossoms,

by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim,

Published by Speaking Tiger (2017)

Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary fiction

Rating: 5/5

The writing in Season of Crimson Blossoms is unlike anything I’ve ever read. I was interested in the title since the book is centered around Nigerian Muslims- a place and religion that I know next to nothing about. I would definitely call this literary fiction since the book focused more on characters rather than the plot (which I loved).

Plot and Other Thoughts

The book indubitably has one of the best opening lines I’ve ever read- “Hajiya Binta Zubairu was finally born at fifty-five when a dark-lipped rogue with short, spiky hair, like a field of miniscule anthills, scaled her fence and landed, boots and all, in the puddle that was her heart“. Hajiya Binta is 55, a widow and falls for a 25 year old Reza, a hoodlum who breaks into her house one afternoon but aborts this mission of his as soon as he notices a golden tooth in her mouth because it reminds him of his mother. In each other, both the characters find someone from their past that they loved and lost – Hajiya sees a glimpse of her deceased son in Reza and Reza sees a glimpse of his mother in Hajiya. Hence, their illicit love affair and longings unfurls against a backdrop of political corruption, violence, religious fundamentalism and patriarchal society in Nigeria. Their clandestine story is one that walks a forbidden path and defies age, class and religion. Through Reza, Hajiya is able to enjoy herself and no longer has to repress her desires of love and lust- which she did in her marriage with Zubairu (someone she was forced to marry at a very young age).

In an ideal world, Hajiya should be free to love and have sex with whomever she chooses to without having to think about others. Hajiya should not have to hide the most basic desires in life from her friends and family, but she does. These are the costs that we pay for loving and longing someone of our choice in a country and society that is marred with religion, patriarchy, violence and corruption. The book’s plot, religious settings and people’s mentalities were not very different from those found in my own country and hence it was relatively easier for me to ease into the story and understand the characters. Hindu or Muslim, India or Nigeria- we (not me, trust me) like our women (and also men) to be a certain way and to live up to harsh standards of a patriarchal society.

The novel is not only about the love affair between Hajiya and Reza but also builds up really well on the moods of other characters- their thoughts, experiences and desires in a violence and corruption ridden country. Throughout the course of the novel we read about the intense desires, troubles and emotions; such as trauma, jealousy and loneliness of each of these characters.

Conclusion

I love a book that is this layered and that peels off beautifully. The characters and some of the incidents linger long after you’ve read the book and I think that is wonderful. Definitely one of the best finds I’ve made this year. I also loved the literary references made in the book, I made a list of all the books that were mentioned in the novel. The only problematic thing about the book was the umpteen number of phrases and words in Hausa, I would have preferred some translation in parentheses. I’m definitely looking forward to more of his writing. After reading the book I realized that there is a glossary of the Hausa phrases available on the internet, please click here to find it.

“When I think about my childhood, I feel the best times came before one began to seek pleasure in the bodies of others…”: Sachin Kundalkar’s ‘Cobalt Blue’ (Translated by Jerry Pinto)

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There are books that you read through which you’re able to uncover undertows of your own existence- this is one of them. My penchant for heart-wrenching stories emanates from a sense of my own being. All of us are inextricably linked with one another and we like things that remind us of ourselves and our lives, the sense of familiarity is comforting and what’s unknown is exciting. Looking for bits and pieces of us in things and people is inexorable, which is why we love things that are “relatable”. Cobalt Blue was one such book, it was more like an experience that brought lumps in my throat at times and I loved every bit of it.

What a heart-wrenching tale of love, or rather two distinct lovers- Tanay and Anuja who happen to be siblings and who fall in love with the same person- an anonymous tenant. It is narrated by the siblings in two parts- first Tanay and then Anuja. Cobalt Blue is a story of commonality of love, loss, and longing that is shared between Tanay and Anuja, that takes them on nothing short of a roller-coaster ride; yet they do not communicate this with each other. The book was replete with familiar surroundings and feelings for me- Pune and love found and lost. The author has beautifully brought to life two relationships together, one homosexual and the other heterosexual. Truly a masterpiece and one of the finest pieces of translated fiction I’ve ever read. I’m looking forward to reading this in Marathi, the language in which it was originally written but rest assured, Jerry Pinto has kept the translation faultless.

Following is a quote borrowed from Jerry Pinto’s Translator’s note ~

“You realize that this is how we grieve, how we remember, in the present tense and in the past, all at once, because the imagined future must now be abandoned”

Perhaps this is how stories end, quickly, and with a future suddenly left uncertain with the absence of the person you didn’t imagine you’d have to live without. At the intersection of the beautiful prose by Pinto and Kundalkar’s intentions, lies a magnum-opus of LGBT literature; not only does it touch upon a gay relationship but also a bisexual one. Also, on another note, pride month ends but pride continues.

Post Script– Wrote this review last month immediately after finishing the book, hence the pride month reference. I did not read this because I should be reading LGBT literature during Pride month by the way, LGBT literature should be consumed as naturally as any other. Consume them like you consume your greens or legumes. I’ve had a reading hangover since I’ve read Cobalt Blue, this book is intoxicating and one that I’m definitely going to re-read.

“The circle of an empty day is brutal…”: Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante tr. by Ann Goldstein

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I read Ties by Domenico Starnone and loved it, I was particularly interested in Days of Abandonment because both books explore the fallout of a husband’s fidelity. The book was an emotional ride for me, it was depressing and I loved it. Starnone and Ferrante are married to each other and both their books touch upon the theme of a husband who leaves his wife and two children for a younger woman. Both also involve an old neighbor and a pet. Ferrante explores the mental agony of the wife after her husband abandons her and the turbulent aftermath of the marital betrayal; whereas, Starnone writes about the mental agony of the wife, the husband and lastly the children in three parts.

The novel is set in Turin where Olga lives with her husband Mario, her children Illaria and Gianni and their dog Otto. One day, Mario declares that he does not want to be with her anymore. The novel captures the wife’s descent into madness and finally finding some semblance after her husband deserts her for a much younger woman. Their neighbour Carrano also plays a significant role in the novel. Reading the book was almost similar to experiencing a real life vertigo- Olga’s suffering throughout the novel was portrayed brilliantly. It was raw, vulnerable, and a true description of the id. There is no sugar coating. Olga has given her husband everything- she carried him through his education years to raising his children and their home (quoting Olga, “I had taken away my own time and added it to his, to make him more powerful. I had put aside my own aspirations to go along with his. At every crisis of despair I had set aside my own crises to comfort him. I had disappeared into his minutes, into his hours, so that he could concentrate“).

She mentions at one point “We don’t know anything about people, even those with whom we share everything“. The veils of marriage, striving to be perfect for one another, the facades of personalities and pretence of being someone else for the sake of one another are shattered one by one throughout the novel; if only Olga had displayed this vulnerable side within the marriage. Not giving spoilers but the novel does not end badly, Olga learns to move on, to accept that life outside Mario is possible (quoting Olga,”What a mistake, above all, it had been to believe that I couldn’t live without him, when for a long time I had not been at all certain that I was alive with him“). She realizes that she did not feel like herself with him, she felt like another version of him, always adjusting and evolving according to his needs and desires.

Concluding Thoughts

I’ve already mentioned how reading the novel was similar to experiencing a vertigo for me. All in all, Ferrante paints a terrific picture of a wife’s mental descent during the days of her abandonment. It was beautiful, raw and visceral. Moreover, it is a reminder of how fragile human relationships are, how indecipherable people can be and how overcoming is difficult yet possible.

Domonico Starnone, Ties (Translated by Jhumpa Lahiri from the Italian ‘Lacci’)

Think of the book, Starnone’s writing and Lahiri’s translation as a puff pastry- there are so many layers to it, when you eat it you don’t realize, but the moment someone takes you through the process of making that perfect puff pastry you realize the intricacies of making the pastry, the umpteen number of layers and the richness between those layers. The book is exactly like that.

Domenico Starnone's New Novel Is Also a Piece in the Elena ...

****.5/5

I just finished reading Ties earlier toady, thus completing 20 books this year. More than the number of books, the quality and diversity of books that I read matter more to me. So I’ve been reading a number of books at once- Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa by Kenji Miyazawa, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez and Modern Love. As much as I want to finish An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jaminson, my mind is inching closer to DNF’ing it.

If you’re reading Ties, please start by reading the Introduction by Lahiri, it provides some context to the family of Vanda, Aldo, Sandro and Anna and their tumultuous relationships with one another and as a family. Read it also because it is an interesting anecdote about Lahiri’s tryst with the book.

“Ties” is a story of a marriage and but also extends to other relationships, such as one with children, and lovers outside marriage. The book speaks about empty spaces, dead ends and about the communication that is dead between spouses. There is a lot more to it which seethes under the surface as beautifully imagined by Starnone. Think of the book, Starnone’s writing and Lahiri’s translation as a puff pastry- there are so many layers to it, when you eat it you don’t realize, but the moment someone takes you through the process of making that perfect puff pastry you realize the intricacies of making the pastry, the umpteen number of layers. The book is exactly like that, in the beginning it does not strike you as anything extraordinary. As you start progressing and as the author takes you through the different viewpoints of the characters, you understand the underlying emotions, the fault lines and everything in between. Starnone delves deep into the hearts and minds of the characters and makes the ordinary, extraordinary. It is a multi-faceted story about a broken marriage with children as its innocent victims. It is about what works, what doesn’t, who pretends and who doesn’t.

Concluding Thoughts

I loved Ties, it is one of those novels that just covered me with a sense of equanimity and warmth. I do not understand Italian but Lahiri’s translation of the book did not feel inadequate anywhere throughout the novel which is often the case with translated works. What disappointed me about the book was the characters’ reluctance to communicate effectively with one another, it was always expressed through frustration and repression, but maybe that’s the beauty of it. Domenico Starnone is married to Elena Ferrante who is the author of The Days of Abandonment, another story about a broken marriage, so I am really looking forward to reading that one next.

Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air

*****

I’ve read various books and memoirs of people battling life altering diseases such as Tuesdays with Morrie- a story about life from conversations between a student and his professor who is diagnosed with ALS, The Last Lecture- lessons on life from a computer science educator diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I was recommended to read this book by a friend last year who told me it was ‘crazy'(she meant deeply moving and crazy in a good way). A little late to the party but like the adage goes- better late than never.

Paul Kalanithi was an Indian-American neurosurgeon and writer and he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer towards the end of his decade long training as a neurosurgeon. He provides an insight into his life as a literature student, as a scientist, as a doctor, as a husband, as a father, as a son, as a brother and as a person battling cancer. The book is divided into two halves- the first half is about him training to become a doctor and treating the dying and the second half is about him coming to terms with his cancer and the prospect of death. According to goodreads, this books is about Kalinithi wrestling to answer questions such as- What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away?

Concluding Thoughts

I was able to understand and muse about many philosophical questions pertaining to life and death through Kalanithis writing. His descriptions of life, death, suffering, relationships, children and allusions to multifarious pieces of literature paint vivid images for the reader to understand. I’m going to keep this short because nothing I say will compare to the emotional roller-coaster that this book takes you on. It is not a joyride, but surely a ride worth experiencing. The most heart wrenching part of the book indubitably is the epilogue, written by Lucy Kalanithi, Paul’s wife which was deeply moving and I could feel tears roll down my face. It was empathizing, emotional and relatable because I lost someone I loved dearly few years ago. To me, the book was more like a memoir on being alive rather than dying.

Sally Rooney, Normal People

*****

I’ve managed to read quite a few books in the past two months (not a lot by normal standards but compared to last year, this is quite A LOT for me since I do not recall reading anything other than Shaw, Brownlie, numerous ICRC reports on autonomous weapons, ICJ judgements and a plethora of other international law stuff that Jessup required) and I devoured this book in almost one sitting. I heard so much about this book ever since it was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize 2018 but I ended up buying Milkman, the book that went on to win the Booker Prize 2018, from Blossom Book House and ignored this beauty. To be honest, I still haven’t gotten around to finishing Milkman. It’s quite rare for me to find fiction books nowadays that keep me hooked till the very end and books that I read while on a call, while eating, while brushing my teeth but finally- I was so glad I picked this one up. I kept reading it even when I was on a call with my boyfriend (sorry, if you’re reading this) and while waiting for my pizza to bake in the oven.

This book touches upon class, gender, sexuality, mental health and human relationships revolving around the microcosm of love. Connell and Marianne have grown up in the same rural town of Sligo in Ireland and also attend school together. Connell belongs to a working class family and his mother works as a cleaner at Marianne’s mansion. Connell goes to Marianne’s house after school to pick up his mother so that they can go home together, within this time he gets familiar with Marianne. Marianne is ordinary, least interested in parties, far from popular and friendless and Connell is quite the opposite- not the kind who loves parties but the kind who attends them anyway. They get intimate once and Connell is persistent on keeping their relationship a secret from everyone else at school. Hence, a connection blossoms between the two of them which they carry with them throughout the novel. Both of them apply to Trinity for college and both of them get in and things take a sudden turn. Marianne is popular, admired, a party goer if not a party person and Connell finds himself on the opposite end of the spectrum- less friends, unpopular and quite lonely. They get together, they part ways and see other people only to come back to each other. They discover that their lives are inexplicably related and they fall out only to fall back into each other’s lives one way or another.

Concluding Thoughts

I’ve already written about how much the book was un-put-down-able for me. I absolutely loved it even though at times I detested a few things that Connell and Marianne did but life’s not perfect but makes sense as a whole and that’s what the book is about. I also loved the writing, Rooney’s writing flows like poetry, it felt as if I was really present and that I was actually experiencing the story in Sligo, in Dublin, in Marianne’s mansion, at Connell’s house and everywhere else. Cannot think of a better book to enjoy with my umpteen number of green tea cups and coffee mugs when Bengaluru rains.

Slavoj Žižek, Pandemic!: COVID-19 Shakes the World.

****

Just realised that my so-called reviews have been devoid of ratings. Personally, I think ratings are overrated hence the absence.

The Slovenian philosopher, Zizek says that the greatest act of love is to stay distant from the object of your affection and provides a brief record of the coronavirus pandemic that is engulfing us. He draws parallels from Hegel, Marx, Lacan and pop-culture figures such as Quentin Tarantino, H.G. Wells. Mostly he talks about the need for a global solidarity to beat the pandemic since we’re all in the same boat now. He writes about how countries all around the world including the ones who are far right in their ideologies are adopting socialist measures to fight the pandemic and how a new form of communism may be the only way of averting a descent into global barbarism. (The Trump government in the United States is taking over the private sector. Boris Johnson wants to nationalise the British railways. A universal form of basic income is being contemplated across much of Europe.)

In his view, it isn’t humankind itself but our current institutions and ways of life that constitute the real virus. The virus does not see ideology and our fight against the virus must take precedence over our ideologies for the greater good. He writes how only a mutual trust between the state and its citizens can prevent the pandemic from escalating further. I particularly liked hoe beautifully, he is critical of the Italian philosopher Girogio Agamben, according to whom; the ongoing lockdown measures are frantic, irrational, and absolutely unwarranted for a supposed epidemic of coronavirus, which is just another version of flu.

Concluding Thoughts

Cogent in his thoughts and witty in the arguments he puts forth, Zizek does a decent job in this book. I enjoyed reading the book, it was really informative. Absolutely loved his critique of the alt-right and fake left. Kind of read like a pamphlet to me at times but loved it nonetheless.

Osamu Dazai, No Longer Human

I came across this book on my goodreads homepage in the form of a review. I read the review and was intrigued by the character’s feelings of isolation and stoicism and hence, decided to read the book immediately. I’ve been trying to read authors from around the world lately and No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai is my latest addition to reading Japanese authors after having read Haruki Murakami and Hiromi Kawakami. I like to read up on the author before venturing into a book since it helps me understand things better and from what I read, his style of writing seems to be semi-autobiographical. I shall, however, refrain from drawing parallels from the authors life since you can do it yourself.

The book is divided into three parts, referred to as ‘books’ and the third book has two parts. The book starts with the protagonist Oba Yozo’s childhood and chronicles his odyssey as a troubled and taciturn person. Since the inception, he experiences a sense of isolation, an inability to express his true feelings to the world and also a peculiar dislike for human beings. In the first memorandum, he starts to feel a deep sense of alienation, finds it difficult to converse with other people and experiences a mortal dread of human beings. He feigns emotions in everything he does or says . I start developing a distaste for the character after his self-destructive streak of bottling up and feigning emotions exacerbates in the second memorandum due to excessive drinking, smoking and encounters with prostitutes. It also sort of deals with human relationships in the context of an adverse socio-economic status. To me, the third memorandum felt like an extended and more intense streak of destructive behavior not only towards himself but also towards others. He finally feels disqualified to be a human being.

I had mixed feelings from reading about a character such as Yozo. I was able to relate to some of his fears and sense of alienation but at the same time was unable to comprehend his lack of empathy for those around him. The way I comprehended the book, it felt like his lack of empathy arose as a defense mechanism to avoid pain due to his troubled relationship with his father and this dangerous habit of feigning emotions and reclusiveness followed him throughout his journey in the book. I personally feel like this is a book about depression and addiction, and it is way way way more real, beautifully written, raw and better than what kids read nowadays like ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’.

It was quite a struggle for me to continue reading this book because it felt asphyxiating at times. I also felt like some of the book was lost in translation and the translator could have done a better job with the translation, perhaps?

Sohaila Abdulali, What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape

What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape eBook: Abdulali ...

After reading what is now in my ‘100 books to read in a lifetime’ list, I realized how inadequate and superficial the conversation about rape and sexual assault is. Anyway, cutting to the chase, I loved this book.

Sohaila Abdulali is a writer, counselor, activist and survivor who delves into multifarious questions surrounding sexual assault and rape globally. For this book, she draws on her own experience, experiences of others, heavy research and her work as a head of a rape crisis center in Boston.

The book was brilliant for me because it’s a step forward in decrying the awkward silence that comes with conversations around rape and assault. It felt like a conversation full of insights, personal experiences and experiences of others. There are people from all over the world narrating their experiences with rape and abuse cutting across class, across profession and across regions.

The book made me pause and re-evaluate my preconceived notions about rape, objectification, humanity, and consent. The book opened my eyes, for instance, I did not know people could experience something like dentophobia after a horrifying experience. Or the story of Thordis & Tom. For those who don’t know, Thordis Elva was raped by her boyfriend Tom Stranger, an exchange student from Australia and after several years of torment she wrote to Tom to tell him of the pain he had inflicted on her. This marked the start of an eight-year correspondence culminating in the two of them meeting in Cape Town in 2013 and they later went on to start “The forgiveness project“that shares stories from both victims/survivors and perpetrators of crime and conflict who have rebuilt their lives following hurt and trauma. I found this story particularly fascinating.

I also had my light-bulb moment after learning that rape does not just happen because of objectification of women, there are multiple factors at play. The fact that one seeks vengeance, or seeks power over someone or seeks to humiliate is not because they view their victims as objects. We don’t feel the urge to humiliate objects. She also talks about mercy, about the taboos, incest, the prevention (if there really is one), difference between sex workers and trafficked humans, sexual autonomy, patriarchy and most importantly about rape.