Chronicling Shame-Veiled Sensual Realities: 'Cockatoo's' Liberating Echo | Cockatoo by Yashraj Goswami

           

"Chronicling Shame-Veiled Sensual Realities: 'Cockatoo's' Liberating Echo"

Cockatoo by Yashraj Goswami

Book Review by Dhiraj Sindhi

Cockatoo by Yashraj Goswami

Author: Yashraj Goswami

ISBN: 978-9389109955

Genre: Collection of Short Stories

Length: 216 Pages

Publication Date: 18^th July 2023

Publisher: Pan

Cover Illustration and Design: Devangana Dash | Website: https://www.devanganadash.com/

Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/3Rrmc6Y

About the Author:

Yashraj Goswami is a writer, poet and teacher based in Delhi. His words have appeared in various publications, including the Indian Express, Huffington Post, Scroll.in, and DNA. His poems and short stories have been widely anthologized. His writing gently probes the varied shades and expressions of masculinity in modern India. Cockatoo is his first book.

Yashraj Goswami (PC: Youth Ki Awaaz)

Instagram: @mubble.fubbles

Twitter: @aviDSays

Disclaimer: This review is only intended for initiating discussions. The opinions and views presented in this article are my own and do not reflect anything about the book's author. 

REVIEW

I finished reading this gem a few days ago, yet I found myself at a loss for words to convey my thoughts immediately after finishing it. I took time to let this paperback sink in. Cockatoo, seemingly a collection of short stories, goes beyond the concept of a novel. It features diverse characters and narratives, all set in ordinary Indian surroundings. It highlights the profound spectrum of emotions and experiences that characterize everyday life.

It's remarkable how authentically the author portrays these themes, given that our society tends to sweep anything unconventional under the rug. A significant part of society, including anxious and conservative Indian youth, remains closed to discussing or destigmatizing natural aspects of life, like desire, sex, sexuality, dating, non-binary gender identity, mental health, and the stigma surrounding infertility. While acknowledging that change is underway, I feel that the pace of this transformation is not ideal, and any halt in progress could regress us to where we began. Goswami also sheds light on critical issues like divorce, barriers to quality healthcare for trans people, domestic violence, and police brutality.

These subjects aren't superficially tackled; Goswami has crafted finely detailed stories with well-fleshed-out characters, intricately woven and nested structures, and brilliant storytelling from various perspectives, utilizing irony and other literary devices to engage with readers on an open canvas that says, "you may see it coming, but I'm going to surprise you anyway." I found myself laughing, shedding literal tears, and experiencing numerous jaw-dropping moments throughout my reading journey.

Despite the episodic and stand-alone nature of the stories, akin to the structure of Arabian Nights, the book culminates in a cohesive whole. Upon finishing the book, readers can piece together a completed puzzle—a comprehensive novel with a clear beginning, middle, and closure. And since this work of joining the dots is upon readers, or you can say because of its open-endedness, readers get a huge enough canvas to make the best out of their reading experience. You can't get enough of it.

Goswami, in this debut masterpiece, demonstrates exceptional storytelling skills and accomplishes a commendable feat in stirring the depths of the reader's mind with thought-provoking narratives. These stories deserve to be read and retold, for they carry significant impact and offer validation to the diverse and queer experiences they portray.

Happy Reading!

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Book Review: Afsaane by Ameya Bondre | Short Stories

Book Review

Afsaane by Ameya Bondre

Afsaane by Ameya Bondre | Collection of Short Stories

Author: Ameya Bondre

ISBN: 978-9389763072

Genre: Short Stories

Length: 191 Pages

Publisher: BlueRose Publishers (27 December 2019)

My Ratings: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠

Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/2TcHVR9

About the author: 

Ameya is a physician and public health researcher, currently working with a healthcare technology start-up associated with IIT-Bombay. Born and raised in Mumbai, he studied at KEM Hospital, and later at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Ameya’s professional life has been rewarding with honours from Johns Hopkins, MIT, Yale and TEDx, and several research publications. Creative writing has been a constant companion over the years, with multiple rounds of writing and editing back and forth, periodic workshops, and continued learning from editors and readers alike. He formally started writing short stories in the winter of 2017, to put them into ‘Afsaane’, his first book.

Ameya Bondre

Follow him on Instagram: @authorameya

Facebook: Author-Ameya-Bondre

REVIEW

Narration

Afsaane is a collection of short stories narrated in a very unique way, represents the intricacy of human relationships combined with a bunch of other subjects that challenge millennials’ anxieties in current dating culture. The writing style is comprehensive and mysterious at the same time accompanied by analogies and the soul of the book I believe, expositions that intensify the feelings. All the stories are narrated in first-person POV except for one. One of the stories is narrated by a drug, fascinating right?

Setting and Characters

All stories take place at different premises, cities, and countries. As I mentioned before, Ameya Bondre has succeeded in creating reliable settings for each story with well-written expositions. For example, in ‘Distances’ author has created a paradise of memories using wooden shelves which helped brilliantly to bring forth reminiscence. There are a good amount of pivotal and critical scenes, executed not perfectly but effective enough; scenes that remain vivid for a lifetime in your memories. There are weddings, break-ups, divorces, child adoption, meetings, and dates. The evocative narration makes them striking and astounding.

What make these stories unique, are the unconventional characters who all stand for reality and connect with young readers. At this time, when a celibate chief of right-wing organization projects divorce as something shameful, it is noticeable that Ameya’s characters are fearless in a way, putting the welfare of their loved ones before sanctions of the society; proves that the newness and uncertainty of the matter don’t make it shameful.

Theme

Firstly, it is necessary to understand that human relations have always been intricate, no matter the time, but times have changed since the last few years. Times and circumstances always offered a choice so unconventional for the society, but now the idea of ‘acceptance’ has made society less intolerant (although there are places where it is exactly opposite for some reasons). There is one story about divorce after many years of togetherness, for better of course and the reasons fair enough. Ameya Bondre has covered all the aspects and perspectives that matter in each story. There is adoption of a child, one attending marriage of his ex, getting over the death of your loved one and moving on, a tale of infidelity that sows the seed for newfound love and reunion of a long lost pair. A few of these stories are incredible and stand out from the others.

My Opinion

Now it’s time for my favorites. I loved how Ameya came up with perspectives of both, the parents and the grandparents regarding adoption. Sensing the gravity of the subject, it is great, how the big picture is compacted in a short story ‘Blinkers on’. ‘Trapped’ is an exceptional story, for its narration through the drug itself about its addict. It gets a bit comical when you realize that. However, it tells not to lose hope that it will be fine. Meanwhile, for drugs, they hope that one snort them soon. After reading ‘A Healthy Home’ one realizes how difficult it would be for Dalit women to raise cranky and physically weak children. In a detached village and home rooted in restricted beliefs, far from newer ideas. Here author sharply remarks and I quote ‘No one had impacted her. Not her family. Not those relatives who got excited about the birth of a male child. Not the health worker.’

I think this review is not enough for what all the book contains. If you will try to look for a meaning, you’ll surely find a few which will fascinate you.

Happy Reading!

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Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Don't forget to subscribe. Don't forget to subscribe for more content. Thank you so much for reading!

Will see you in the next post. Till then buh-bye. Take Care. Peace. ☮