(A short story by Sidharth Vardhan First written on September 2nd, 2020) 1. He was an old man in his seventies or maybe eighties. His health was on the decline but he still walked without any support, could talk clearly, and seemed to have full hold of his sanity –… Read More »The Mermaid and the Old Man
(A review by Sidharth Vardhanof ‘A Tale of Two Cities (1859) by Charles DickensFirst written on September 9, 2015) After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of two very different… Read More »A Tale of Two Cities – Review
(Sidharth Vardhan’s review of‘Never let me go’ a novel by 2017 Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguru (1954-)The novel first published in 2005Review first written on April 18, 2017 ) Hailsham seems like a pleasant English boarding school, far from the influences of the city. Its students are well tended and supported,… Read More »‘Never let me go’ – a review of Ishiguru
(Note – It is the second part of a twin-stories pair. The first story can be found here.) You, psychologists, are rather patient people – or perhaps you aren’t even listening. For here I am talking about my sister and her comfort object when this is supposed to be about… Read More »(Comfort Objects 2) Homelessness
“Ever since my childhood, the concept of comfort objects has been of great importance to me. My mother was from a traditional background and biased towards sons over daughters. That is perhaps why when she gave birth to a twin – one of each sex, it was me who spent… Read More »(Comfort Objects – 1) Nayi
(Sidharth Vardhan’s review ofFever Dreama novel by Samanta SchweblinNovel set in Argentina and first published in 2014long-listed for 2017 International Bookerfor translation by Megan McDowellReview first written on August 13, 2017 ) A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural hospital clinic. A boy named David sits beside… Read More »Samanta Schweblin’s Fever Dream and mother’s love – a review
(Sidharth Vardhan’s review ofMargaret Atwood’s novel‘The Handmaid’s Tale’Novel first published and got shortlisted for Booker Prize in 1985Review first written on October 23, 2015) Summary Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk… Read More »Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ – A 1984 for feminists
(Sidharth Vardhan’s review ofBernardine Evaristo’s ‘Girl, Woman, Other’2019 Booker Winner along with ‘The Testaments’Book first published in 2019review first written on October 20, 2019) Summary Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends… Read More »Bernardine Evaristo’s history of ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ – a review
(Sidharth Vardhan review of 1993 Nobel laureate Toni Morrison’s (1931-2019) first novel‘The Bluest Eye’Novel first published in 1970Review first written on December 27, 2019 ) Summary It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove–a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others–who… Read More »Of Beauty and Black – a review of Toni Morrison’s Bluest Eye
(Sidharth Vardhan’s review of of George Eliot’s ‘The Mill on the Floss’The book was first published in 1860 Review first published on December 8, 2019 ) Summary Brought up at Dorlcote Mill, Maggie Tulliver worships her brother Tom and is desperate to win the approval of her parents, but her… Read More »Maggie – Shakespeare’s sister in George Eliot’s Mill on the Floss
