Review :Where Shadows follow :[short stories by Deepti Menon]
E-Book: Where Shadows follow- Tales that twist and turn-[Kindle edition]
Author: Deepti Menon
Publisher: Readomania, 2020
Price Rs. 199
PP 60
Just finished reading the eight
stories in this collection of short stories by Deepti Menon, and I must say, I found
each one of them intriguing, all with a twist in the tale, which, in turn, left
me twisting and turning.
I had earlier read her book Shadow in the Mirror and knew what to expect from this delightfully charming raconteur. To tackle the story-line, characters, conflict, plot and setting, in a convincing manner, is indeed a daunting task, and Menon has done it admirably well.
The eight stories [A Man of habit, How Blue is my Sapphire, In The wake of love, The Lady in white, Happily ever after? Put out the light! Smoke and Mirrors, Time in a Bottle] have been brilliantly crafted with some very interesting characters, intriguing plots, riveting dialogues and red herrings, aplenty.
She begins every story with a famous quote which encapsulates the entire essence of the tale. The chills that went up my spine after I finished reading A Man of habit refuse to leave me a week after I finished reading the story. And the lines of Jerome K Jerome, ‘It is no more effort for a man to be a saint than to be a sinner; it becomes a mere matter of habit,” says it all.
I had earlier read her book Shadow in the Mirror and knew what to expect from this delightfully charming raconteur. To tackle the story-line, characters, conflict, plot and setting, in a convincing manner, is indeed a daunting task, and Menon has done it admirably well.
The eight stories [A Man of habit, How Blue is my Sapphire, In The wake of love, The Lady in white, Happily ever after? Put out the light! Smoke and Mirrors, Time in a Bottle] have been brilliantly crafted with some very interesting characters, intriguing plots, riveting dialogues and red herrings, aplenty.
She begins every story with a famous quote which encapsulates the entire essence of the tale. The chills that went up my spine after I finished reading A Man of habit refuse to leave me a week after I finished reading the story. And the lines of Jerome K Jerome, ‘It is no more effort for a man to be a saint than to be a sinner; it becomes a mere matter of habit,” says it all.
How blue is my Sapphire, a heart- warming story, with a twist in the tale, which left me with a lump in the throat, is easily my favorite in this collection. The rest of the stories are equally enchanting and I keep going back to them- the fluid prose, the uncluttered language, the O. Henry flavor-
Dodging red herrings, enjoying the spontaneity of the dialogues, soaking
in the descriptions of nature that Menon is really very passionate about, I enjoyed
every moment with the book, and believe me , I did not mind the unsaid words,
yakking away at all odd hours, making me go over the stories all over again. It
is indeed the trait of a good writer to leave many things unsaid, which she
does with panache.
But she is guilty! Yes, she is guilty of making me forget all important chores, and tempting me to finish reading her stories in one day, so gripping are they all.
I am told that it is not easy to confess guilt, but I am a die- hard optimist and will continue to hope, as I wait for her next literary offering.
But she is guilty! Yes, she is guilty of making me forget all important chores, and tempting me to finish reading her stories in one day, so gripping are they all.
I am told that it is not easy to confess guilt, but I am a die- hard optimist and will continue to hope, as I wait for her next literary offering.
Dear Santosh Ma'am, thank you for your delightful review of my book. I consider myself blessed.
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