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I have three copies of ‘The Palace of Illusions’ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni on my bookshelf. Every time someone borrowed my copy of the book, I bought another one because I would want to read it again and it wouldn’t have been returned. Now that all the borrowed books have made their way back to me, I have multiple copies. But I don’t mind it at all. I like looking at the forest-green spines with yellow letters and because there are three of them, it stands out.

I recently gave away quite a few books but I didn’t want to give away a single copy of The Palace of Illusions because I know I will eventually recommend it to someone and they will want to borrow it. It’s a book that brings back happy memories as I grew up watching Mahabharat on TV.  This is Panchaali’s Mahabharat. Narrated by Draupadi, the wife of the Pandava brothers, The Palace of Illusions gives a woman’s perspective on an epic that has largely been shown through the eyes of men.

Mahabharat focuses on the Pandava brothers and how they grew up. Divakaruni’s version tells us about Panchali—her birth, upbringing, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, and her secret attraction to her husband’s most dangerous enemy. Some conversations and stories would perhaps not have seen the light of day hadn’t it been for this reimaging. There are a lot of important events of the Mahabharat in the book but it’s the quieter moments, of introspection and affection, that stand out. The peaceful years after marriage, and moments after the battle of Kurukshetra shine light on the essence of life. It makes for an insightful read.

Most of us have watched or read some version of the Mahabharat. But the story will still enchant you as you will see a completely different side to it. You will also come to view Karna, whom we know as Arjuna’s archnemesis, in a renewed light. One of my friends said The Palace of Illusions did what her parents couldn’t during her childhood. It got her interested in Mahabharat. And the book is indeed fascinating. It’s a fresh take on an ancient tale. You get to know the women much more intimately than you do in the original epic. Here, the women are the heroes. And you couldn’t cheer for them any louder if you tried.

Mythology

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1774836.The_Palace_of_Illusions 

The Palace of Illusions

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Published: 2008

Publisher: Picador

Pages: 360, Paperback

“Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. An anniversary they will never forget” reads the blurb of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ by Alice Feeney. I bought the book for my husband as it will be our 10th marriage anniversary in the next couple of years and I thought I would spook him with a twisted book. But Rock, Paper, Scissors is mediocre at best. The setting is eerie but that’s about it. There is also something quite déjà vu-ish about the story but that could easily just be me having read a lot of thrillers and watched as many on Netflix.

Feeney has written several books but this was my first time reading her work. I wasn’t familiar with her writing style and that should have given a sense of newness to the story. That it didn’t do so makes me believe all thriller writers follow a trope and once you are familiar with it, it’s not difficult to see where the story is going, no matter who is writing it.

Rock, Paper, Scissors is about a couple who go away on a holiday. Adam and Amelia want to reconnect and rekindle their bond. They were once madly in love but lately, they find that they are unable to understand each other. The therapist suggests they go on a trip to try to relax and mend things so when Amelia wins a weekend getaway on a work raffle, the two pack their bags and leave. The place they end up at, braving a storm, is an old chapel converted into a holiday home.

The story is narrated alternately by Adam and Amelia, giving you insights into both their worlds and perspectives. As far as characters go, both of them are flawed and selfish. I didn’t like either of them. They were always blaming each other for everything. When Adam is telling his story, he is making Amelia seem bad. And when it’s Amelia’s turn, you are sure Adam is the problematic one. There is another character, Robin, who comes in a little later and adds a bit of intrigue. Who is she? Why does she have a key to the chapel where Adam and Amelia are staying? Is she trying to spook them?

But the problem is that there are only a few characters, and it’s mostly all about Adam, Amelia, and Robin. You know one of them is responsible for everything bad that is happening but you don’t know who and you are given very few clues to guess as well. Adam has prosopagnosia, meaning he can’t recognize people by their faces. He watched his mother get killed but couldn’t describe the driver to the police. He lives in guilt that his mother’s killer walked free because of him. You realize this is an essential part of the story but how it factors in on what’s happening isn’t clear till the author decides to shove it in your face.

As far as thrillers go, Rock, Paper, Scissors is average. Though there is tension on almost every page, much of it feels forced and fake. Don’t read it on a gloomy day because it will make you feel lonely, sad, and hollow.

Thriller

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269064-rock-paper-scissors 

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Alice Feeney

Published: 2021

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 312, Paperback

I watched Spy × Family on Netflix a year ago. I wanted to read the books first as I had heard great things about Tatusuya Endo’s artwork but I couldn’t find the manga anywhere in Kathmandu. The online bookstores, which generally have titles I can’t find anywhere, didn’t have the books either. I was contemplating asking a friend who lives in Japan to get the book series for me when, lo and behold, Bookverse stocked them. I bought six volumes in one go. The manga series has 12 books. I’m hoping the bookstore will bring the rest soon.

The manga series has great artwork. You can get lost in a page for several minutes. The expressions of the characters will blow your mind, and make you laugh out loud. Though the story is simple and engaging, you will want to take your time with it as it’s entertaining and each page has something or the other you will want to look at for a while. For those of you who are new to manga, it might take some getting used to as you have to read it from right to left—the reverse of English which is read from left to right.

The plot is convoluted, crazy, over-the-top, and so much fun. Twilight is a spy. He works alone and he is great at his job. But for his next mission, he has to create a family as he has to infiltrate a school. So, he needs a wife and a child. Enter Yor and Anya. They are meek and thus the perfect candidates. But Twilight doesn’t know that Yor moonlights as an assassin and Anya can read minds. The fake family now consists of a spy, an assassin, and a mind reader, all of whom are keeping their real identities a secret from one another.

Then there’s the issue of Twilight (or Anya) still having to pass a rigorous interview process at the school to gain access to another student whose father is his target. For that, he must train his fake/temporary wife and daughter how to act like the perfect family. All of it leads to some hilarious and heartwarming moments. Twilight, Yor, and Anya are strong and lovable characters, each with backstories of their own. You will identify with at least one of them.

Spy × Family is a laugh riot. It’s also a wonderful tale of a found family. There’s a lot of suspense and intrigue to keep you hooked. The Netflix adaptation has two seasons with a total of 37 episodes. Each episode is 23 minutes long. It’s as good as the manga series. The characters come alive before you and it’s such a pleasure to watch. Read it or watch it, the choice is yours. But don’t miss it. Better yet, do both. You won’t regret it.

Manga/Graphic Novel

https://www.goodreads.com/series/265020-spy-family  

Spy × Family

Story & Art by: Tatsuya Endo

Translation: Casey Loe

Published: 2020

Publisher: VIZ Media, LLC

Pages: 12 book series, Paperback

Gyanu Adhikari’s ‘Sambedanako Samayog’ is a collection of essays. Divided into seven chapters the collection has a variety of essays ranging from personal experiences of the writer, her memories of teaching elderly women in her village, the life of students in Kirtipur, raises issues of females, her travel experiences, and her sources of becoming a writer, among many others.

Written in a simple language, the essays evoke nostalgic memories of the past. Use of sentence structures to make the readers feel the event and sequences, vivid description of the place and events give a reader an appeal to sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.

Making a comparison of the writer with the other women in the society, Adhikari aptly explains the problems and challenges of the working women, struggling to balance the work and family life. ‘Asamyak Sparsha’ is about the personal experience of being a mother and her difficulties in taking care of the child. Her question “Did I become a successful mother?” is not only the question of Adhikari but is a question that many mothers might ask themselves when they leave their child home and go to work. It depicts the problems of women not being with the child in his/her needs despite them running to make a living for the family. Her essays advocate women empowerment.

The essayist in her experience of residing in Kirtipur has come up with fun filled memories of the place. She depicts the life of the students who have rented the rooms in the houses in Kirtipur. She perfectly narrates the life of the students’ struggle of living in Kathmandu—how they are struggling to make a living, living their life in limited income, water, their struggles to prepare for the examinations to enter the government jobs, the limited number of items in their rooms and their techniques for interior designs.

She narrates about the Tribhuvan University and also satires on how the university itself is looking for its history. She says that the central departments in the university have not been functioning properly. She compares the university with a surrogate mother who cannot love the child she has given birth to. The university too is like a surrogate mother—people come here to study, they study, get the degree and go away, never to be seen back in the premises again.

She explains about the historical importance of the old city.

She describes the change of the tenants in the households after the change of the curtains on the windows and also describes the people living there in the rents. Some are serious, while some are lazy. She unwillingly has to listen to the conversations of the students. Use of dialogues in the direct speech in the text has given the essays a real feeling. She too hears the conversations of the students expressing their happiness after them receiving their visas for abroad studies/jobs. She narrates how the students cook at midnight, wash the dishes and sing when Kathmandu is sleeping. She concludes that we can know about the person from the daily activities that s/he does. She narrates the stories that take place inside the rooms of the students in a lively and vivid manner.

Seema Bhanda Para Failidai is a travelog. She narrates about her first experience of seeing a sea, her excitements after being in the see, watching Kanchanjungha mountain her dissatisfaction about the maltreatment of Nepalis in Jaggannath Puri in India by the pandas (the priests around the temple), and her experiences of being in a group of drunkard colleagues. The selection of words and formation of the sentences in the essay ‘Ramailoko Paribhasa’ gives you an exact image of the situation where one who does not drink becomes the onlooker rather than being a participant of the group. The feeling of nationality emerges when one sees and crosses the Tista River in India. Being grown up listening to the song with words ‘Paschim Killa Kangada, Purvama Tista Pugetheu’ the feeling of nationality is overcome when one reaches the river. The writer has aptly portrayed this sentiment in her essay ‘Tista Nadi Matra Hoina Rahecha’ and she is right about it.

She pens downs about the literary figure Shivahari Adhikari. She raises her concern on how the new generation is unaware about the literary figures and their contributions in literature. She unknowingly advises the government and the concerned bodies to save the works of the writer. Her essay in the chapter ‘Shabda ra Aksharharuma’ is about how reading is a spiritual act. Two essays on this last chapter is a research work on which talks about the use of reality and realism in Nepali literature. Those who are not the students of Nepali students are likely to feel the part is boring as it is more technical and is a research based article.

There are a few errors and typos in the text. Though the essays are written in simple sentences there are multiple questions. It seems the writer is trying to seek the answers. Use of multiple questions in the essays though are thought provoking, the use of more questions makes you why there is a question again. The reader finds it unnecessary.