Alamelu Janaki

  Days at the Morisaki Bookshop – Satoshi Yasgisawa A warm, fast paced single sitting type of read, an absolute game for beginners! And Yes, the book gives you a bear hug- familiar and comforting!       Takako, a young girl who is often at odds in explaining herself suffers a heart break and later rediscovers her purpose by staying at her uncle Satoru’s rundown Morisaki bookshop. To stay among thousands of books is indeed a delight, as Takako explores the place and the bookshop her passion for life is rekindled.      The cozy novel is divided into two parts. The first part is about Takako’s self-discovery at the bookshop and the second part deals with her aunt Momoko’s return and how her presence and perspective of life alter Takako’s presumptions. Yet another fascinating thread is that of Wada – a customer at the shop who later becomes the love interest of Takako.        This book was lighter and warmer since my last ...

    The 2024 Butter   written by a Japanese writer Asako Yuzuki, translated into English by Polly Barton, is a crime narrative revealing how the society determines “what women can desire for?”      The Book, l ike the actual Butter, on consumption - slowly melts filling the whole of the self. It is unputdownable and offers an individually distinct experience to its readers.        Based on the real-life Japanese incident concerning “Konkatsu Killer,” the book delves into the psychological triggers and emotional rationale behind the convicted killer of three elderly men and the determined journalist aiming for an exclusive interview from the convict.      The case has spurred lot of curiosity from the  people in Japan, because Kaji, the convict is not beautiful but obese, there is no evident attractive quality about her. This makes people wonder what did the men/victims actually see in her as they mysteriously ...

                                       TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE  by Mitch Albom.                 I have been someone who is haunted by the thoughts of death, the aftermath, the situation of our loved ones, the fear of not knowing what happens next, the purpose of our existence, the things that might possibly go unsaid and lot more. This complicated streak of thoughts and inability to understand the reason behind it has always put me in despair. This book somehow erased the anxiety that surrounds such thoughts. It offered me solidarity, support and comfort around such abandoned areas.  The book concerns an aging, dying professor and his beloved student discussing life, love, death. Questions like 1.                                  ...

  Nobel winning South Korean writer Han Kang’s The Vegetarian (International Booker prize, 2016) rationalizes the inscrutable nature of the black hole kind of thing in every individual, iterating the idea that each one has their own bag of shit to deal with. The book addresses the question of ‘what it takes to be a human?’   and the fragility of the components with which humans are made of.   A woman wants to become a plant, shedding all the human attributes that surround her. Developing from the 1997 short story, ‘The Fruit of My Woman’ this novel is written in three parts narrated by her husband, sister and brother-in-law whose lives are irrevocably altered since the protagonist’ decision to relinquish meat. In the first part of the book, Yeong-hye appears as a normal, insignificant woman marrying a cold and indifferent person; everything about their life follows a monotonous rhythm until she being disturbed by a series of dreams that propel her to become a vegetari...

                    How do you punish or reclaim someone in a wronged relationship?  “A devastated woman’s grief-stricken sigh had the potential to burn down a house.”                                                                                                    (The Poison of love) Love the most debated, celebrated notion has incredible power to replenish, destroy an individual's life, irrevocably. The plot concerns the love of Tulsi, an IIT...

 Pondicherry now feels totally different through Imayam's eyes.  The book Aarumugam  is about the  coming of age of the titular character, born into a oppressed family. The presence/absence of his family has greatly shaped his adulthood, robbing off his innocence. Set in Pondicherry, the book traces the protected boyhood of Aarumugam, his straying away from studies rather life itself by consistently running away from bothersome situations.  The downtrodden people in his society represent the vicious cycle of poverty and the never ending struggle to meet the basic needs. The surrounding he engages in is a microcosm of the real world itself where the fittest and richest survive and the poor, oppressed people run a rat race that sees no light.  Dhanabakiyam, Aarumugam's mother survives him post his father's demise while working at Auroville. she treats her son's wellbeing as the utmost priority and aspires to give him education and all the  opportunities ...