bookstagram – Literature, Poetry and Reading.

Elastic by Johanne Bille tr. by Sherilyn Hellberg

Publishers: Lolli Editions
Genre: Queer literure, literary fiction, bildungsroman, coming-of-age
Rating: 5/5

Elastic- stretchable, malleable but also prone to slacking over time. That’s how I would describe Alice’s story- something that she herself doesn’t understand before it is too late. The book starts with the protagonist, Alice examining her vagina and feeling alienated from her own body and disconsolate about her sexuality.

She is content with her partner Simon, they love each other and live together and things are fine. Enter Mathilde, and Alice’s life changes. Mathilde is Alice’s colleague and Alice is drawn to Mathilde like a moth drawn to a flame. Enter Alexander – Mathilde’s husband – and things take an even more complicated turn. Alexander and Mathilde are in an open marriage and to get closer to Mathilde, Alice starts to sleep with Alexander. Alexander is merely the means to get to the end, to Mathilde.

Eventually, Alice also discovers secrets from Simon, and after that, it’s a roller coaster ride that takes us through this quadrilateral relationship- of love, of intimacy, of desire, of jealousy, of hate, of queerness, of identity and of feminine struggles.

Johanne Bille did a marvelous job with this book- amalgamating the many sides to human identity and relationships into one story narrated by Alice’s complex character. Despite the many themes and the many moods of Alice that the book touches upon, the writing is perspicuous through and through.

I thought, I thought and I thought and could not think of any adjectives to describe the book. The imagery is wonderful, the translation is lyrical, the writing is brilliant, the story is emotional and I just choked up in the end. Please read it, NOW.

“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.

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.

Basharat Peer, Curfewed Night

*****

“Srinagar is a medieval city dying in a modern war. It is empty streets, locked shops, angry soldiers and boys with stones. It is several thousand military bunkers, four golf courses, and three book-shops. It is wily politicians repeating their lies about war and peace to television cameras and small crowds gathered by the promise of an elusive job or a daily fee of a few hundred rupees. It is stopping at sidewalks and traffic lights when the convoys of rulers and their patrons in armored cars, secured by machine guns, rumble on broken roads. It is staring back or looking away, resigned. Srinagar is never winning and never being defeated.”

A vivid portrayal of the sufferings of the Kashmiris, this book is a part memoir and part collection of reflections on Kashmir by Basharat Peer. This book chronicles his life and experiences in Kashmir from his childhood to his adulthood. Born in Anantnag, a teen aged Peer initially develops an interest in militancy considering the deteriorating situation in Kashmir but is soon discouraged to do so by his family. This was the time when many young boys crossed the LoC to receive training and arms from Pakistani terrorist groups. But only a few returned safe to their homes in Kashmir. The Government of India responded by adopting a heavy counterinsurgency approach to crush the popular armed rebellion against Indian rule in the region, deploying paramilitary forces to deal with the militants and more than often, the common man had to bear the brunt of the atrocities committed by both the parties- the militants and the military.

After Peer’s family is made aware of his interest in militancy, the Kalashnikov rifles, the dream of an independent Kashmir, he is called home from his boarding school. His father is an erudite government official who believes in the power of education, and this is what he had to say about his son’s interest in militancy-

“If you want to do something for Kashmir, I would say, you should read.”

That was all Peer needed to hear to curb his appetite for militancy and pursue his most powerful weapon instead- education. Soon, he leaves for Delhi to pursue higher education, getting his degree in law and later practicing as a journalist in the city. The novel also offers snippets of the Parliament attack trial of 2001.

After his parents’ narrow escape from a militancy bomb blast, Peer soon returns to Kashmir to report the chilling atrocities committed in Kashmir, the fear of militancy and the heinous atrocities committed by the Indian paramilitary forces- the “interrogation” center called Papa-2 which is a requiem of the holocaust, a woman’s wedding turned into a carnage, rape, wanton shootings of civilians, etc. There are also times when Peer does not criticize the Indian army but thinks of them as normal citizens doing their job. Although, I wish there were more anecdotes from the Indian paramilitary’s point of view and more about the pro-India Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits. Peer condemns the acts of militants as they killed hundreds of pro-India Muslims ranging from political activists to suspected informers for Indian intelligence. The militants killed hundreds of Pandits on similar grounds, or without a reason. Here’s a conversation between Peer and a member of the Indian paramilitary-

“The power of the caste system was evident in his first smile. He showed signs of relaxation and turned towards me. I talked about my friends form my Delhi University days. He was from Delhi University too. ‘I was in the law faculty, where were you?’ I asked. He had been in a college next to mine. I talked about the university, about the college festivals, the hangouts, the rivalries, the girls’ hostel nearby, almost everything one misses about university life. He seemed to have transformed into a Delhi University alumnus and forgotten he was an Indian paramilitary officer posted in Kashmir. His language changed as he spoke……’Give me a fag, man! And get me some tea,’ he smiled. We had tea and smoked. He apologized; the room full of journalists apologized back. Peace was made. As he began to leave, he said, ‘I was a different man before I joined the force and came to Kashmir.’ “

Peer ends his book with the hope that they (soldiers, militants, etc.) would cease being part of processes that reduced individuals to suspects or military targets, shorn of all human complexity; processes that left them with bare nomenclatures like militants, soldiers, paramilitaries. He hopes that some day they would return to their homes.

Concluding Thoughts

To be very honest, I had grown up with a sense of contempt for Kashmiris who do not want to be associated with the Indian State. It is only in my formative years that I was exposed to the other side of the story about the various atrocities carried out against Kashmiris by the State. This book played a huge role in shattering my chauvinism. I remember tears forming in my eyes when I read about the rape of a woman on the day of her wedding by the Indian paramilitary men and later, when I read about Papa 2- a torture chamber reminiscent of the gas chambers during the holocaust. Peer’s writing is lyrical and pulls you into the stories of the disappeared, the tortured, the neglected, the raped and more.