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The bestselling author of ‘The Joy Luck Club’ and ‘The Valley of Amazement’, Amy Tan, recounts her turbulent relationship with her mother, Daisy Li, and revisits traumatic childhood memories—her mother’s mood swings and frequent breakdowns, the death of her older brother, Peter, followed by the death of her father—in her memoir ‘Where the Past Begins’.

I love Amy Tan. I feel she’s one of the finest writers we have today. Her prose is smooth and reading is thus effortless. Even though I might not have liked where a certain story was headed, I’ve always been in love with her writing. ‘The Kitchen God’s Wife’ and ‘The Bonesetter’s Daughter’ are two of my all-time favorite books. (Here, I must confess I have quite a long list of favorites.)

I always found myself wondering about Tan and her upbringing and conditioning while reading her books. What experiences enable her to write so extensively and imaginatively about women? How does she set a scene? And, most importantly, why does she feel the need to write? I was hoping I would find these answers when I came across her memoir. I wasn’t disappointed.

The book starts with a series of exchanges between Tan and her editor, Daniel Halpern, and moves on to her family’s immigrant story, with mentions of her half-sisters in China and her grandmother, before she takes up imagination and how she finally took the writer’s path. Though hers wasn’t a conventional career choice for a child of immigrants (her parents, who migrated to the United States from China, wanted her to be a neurosurgeon), she is glad she was able to fulfil her parent’s dream—she bought her mother her own house.

Besides insights about the writing process, Tan gives you glimpses into the life of a professional writer. You would be surprised to know that even for a successful author like Tan “each successive book is increasingly difficult to write”. She also writes about the inspiration for her characters and stories of The Joy Luck Club and The Valley of Amazement. These bits give you a deeper understanding of how a writer’s mind works and leave you inspired.

At the beginning of the book, Tan confesses she did not want to write a memoir but Halpern thought it would be a good idea. So he urged her to write non-fiction pieces on her creative process. They made a deal—Tan was to send him a minimum of 15 pages a week. Tan started digging through old photos and documents and this unleashed something in her. She began writing about her childhood experiences and of those recurring moments of self-doubt while working on a novel. The memoir is a compilation of the pages Tan sent to Halpern, which is why there are occasional glitches. But the writing is raw and candid and you can’t help fall in love with Tan once again.

Memoir

Where the Past Begins

Amy Tan

Published: 2017

Publisher: 4th Estate

Language: English

Pages: 357, Paperback

The Instagram account of House of Masaba, a clothing brand by fashion designer Masaba Gupta, bursts with bright colors and eclectic prints. I’ve always loved the clothes and find Masaba’s ideas and designs fascinating. Masaba, whose father is West Indies cricketing great Viv Richards, has had an intriguing life, growing up as a half-black girl with a single mom in India. She has been vocal about being bullied in school and applying makeup on the sly to change her skin tone—the butt of ridicule.

On the other hand, I grew up watching my mother watch Neena Gupta, Masaba’s mother, on television. More recently, some of her films have made me realize what a wonderful, albeit underrated, actor she is. She also frequently showcases clothes from Masaba’s label on her social media accounts. In her interviews, Masaba talks about her mother being a strong support and influence in her life.

Both the Gupta ladies are talented, fascinating, and inspiring. It’s no wonder Netflix decided to bring the two dynamic women together in a series, ‘Masaba Masaba’. Here, they play themselves in a fictionalized setting inspired by their lives, which provide enough fodder for good content.

The show touches on the duo’s personal journeys so far, from Masaba’s divorce and business struggles to Neena’s attempt to get good roles in the film industry. It also gives you an insight into Masaba’s work life. The best part is definitely Masaba’s equation with her mother. The mother-daughter scenes are much more enjoyable than when they have their individual stories going on. Masaba’s many ‘foot in the mouth’ moments, as well as exasperation with the world around her, are relatable, especially if you are someone who is always speaking your mind.

One of my favorite bits in the series is the song ‘Aunty Kisko Bole Be?’ Not only does it have a catchy tune and is brilliantly shot, the song also tries to portray the younger generation’s attitude towards older women.

Writer-director Sonam Nair has kept the story peppy and fresh. Nothing is over the top. Masaba, it turns out, takes after her mother and is a good actor. Masaba’s best friend in the series, Jia Irani, played by Rytasha Rathore, is endearing and reminds us of our best friend who is annoying, loving, and scary at the same time. Pooja Bedi, as Masaba’s life coach, makes you giggle with her silly antics, mostly revolving around her supposedly cheating husband. 

There are other celebrities like Kiaraa Advani, Farah Khan, Malavika Mohanan, Gajraj Rao, and Mithila Palkar, who appear as themselves in the series. Though all of them have brief roles, they all feel imperative to the story.

I highly recommend Masaba Masaba. It’s breezy and light but also with moments that will have you contemplate on your own life. And because it has just six half-hour episodes, you can actually binge watch, without the guilt of having spent so much time glued to the screen at the end of it.   

Who should watch it?

Fashion enthusiasts and fans of Neena Gupta will enjoy Masaba Masaba. Though the series is named after the daughter, it’s the mother who shines. The senior Gupta is such a natural actor. She can make a scene come alive by simply being in the frame.

‘Intimacy’ by Hanif Kureishi is one of my most favored novels. I have picked it up so many times, I have lost count—it’s my go-to book in-between reads. I have also read many of Kureishi’s short stories and I must confess I’m a little in love with his writing.

Kureishi mostly writes about love and marriage, or rather the unraveling of one. He is cynical about relationships and that’s evident in all his stories. That cynicism is what gives them that melancholic undertone that is trademark Kureishi.

I also like his characters because they feel very familiar—they are frustrated, angry, confused, and what they are capable of depends on their circumstances. Reading the stories, you realize your flaws are what make you human and unique. And you are grateful to Kureishi for that.

So, naturally, I was ecstatic when I came across an anthology, ‘Midnight all Day’, on a recent horde-for-another-lockdown visit to Ekta Books in Thapathali, Kathmandu.

Sadly, Midnight all Day didn’t live up to my expectations. I would still give it three out of five stars but I know, deep down, that’s because I’m biased towards Kureishi. I have been more brutal in my ratings for fewer reasons in the past.

The anthology has 10 stories. Except the final one, which I found weird but intriguing, all the other stories feel half-baked and forced. Many reminded me of the plot of Intimacy—they explore the psyche behind leaving your partner—but unlike in Intimacy, you simply can’t connect with the characters or relate to their circumstances.

In ‘Strangers When We Meet’, a young actor is supposed to go on a holiday with his older married mistress, Florence. But her husband decides to accompany her on the trip and ruins their plans. In ‘That Was Then, Nick’, a married writer, meets his former lover, Natasha, and goes back to her flat. He does this while his wife is away for the day and manages to get back home just in time to make dinner. In ‘Four Blue Chairs’, a man and a woman who left their partners for each other host their first dinner as a couple.

I had major problems with the narratives. I wouldn’t call myself a feminist but I was disappointed that Kureishi chose to write about men who have left their wives for younger women but none of the stories give the women’s side. Also, in one story, a man forces his way into his ex-wife’s house when she doesn’t lend him an umbrella. The woman, in return, punches him on the face and it’s almost like Kureishi is trying to imply that both their actions were justified.

Midnight all Day is definitely not Kureishi at his best.

Fiction/Short Stories

Midnight all Day

Hanif Kureishi

Published: 1999

Publisher: Faber and Faber Ltd

Language: English

Pages: 217, Paperback

Our favorite karate boy Daniel LaRusso is back, fighting his arch-nemesis Johnny Lawrence again. But this time, the story of the Karate Kid is not as black and white as it used to be in the “Karate Kid” film series that started in 1984. Sensei Mr Miyagi’s prodigy Daniel san is not the same innocent, meekly, bullied kid we’ve known all these years, nor Cobra Kai’s best fighter Johnny the same brute, insensitive bully from 30 years ago.

In fact, the roles seem to have reversed a bit with Daniel now a successful businessman and Johnny a washed-up handyman trying to revive the notorious Cobra Kai dojo in their hometown of San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. But again, the latest installment of the Karate Kid series “Cobra Kai” is still not polarized into a hero v villain story. There is so much grey area for the characters to play in this 21^st century adaptation that taking sides becomes impossible.

Actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprise their roles as Daniel and Johnny respectively in “Cobra Kai” Seasons 1 and 2, consecutively released on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium) in 2018 and 2019. The series, which did get critical acclaim on its release, only got its due recognition from a wider range of audience after its recent Netflix debut. Now at the top of the most watched list on Netflix, Cobra Kai—with each of ten episodes running 22-36 minutes—is something for everyone to enjoy over the weekend and reminisce the good old times.

Daniel and Johnny show the same bitter rivalry we saw 36 years ago, with their teenage students and children now doing the fighting for them. The coveted All Valley Under-18 Karate Championship that Daniel won in 1984 reaches its 50^th Anniversary in the first season and the battle for the prize is as tough for the two aging senseis. In the second season, the rivalry is taken up by the students of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, as competition gets fiercer and the proceedings more violent.

Johnny finds his prodigy in the asthmatic teenager Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña), whom he rescues from bullies in a strip mall and decides to teach karate. Daniel, miffed by the possible revival of the Cobra Kai dojo, coaches his young employee Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), who also happens to be Johnny’s estranged son. Both the newly turned senseis now carry forward the legacies of their dojos—Daniel teaching the defensive, pacifist form of Miyagi-do, with Johnny applying the brutal attack tactics of the ‘no mercy’ Cobra Kai dojo.

Directed episode-wise by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Steve Pink, Josh Heald, Michael Grossman, and Jennifer Celotta, Cobra Kai offers a modern touch to the story of the Karate Kid. While most movies in the series have been about underdogs fighting the evil, the Cobra Kai series widens in perspectives as it also narrates the point-of-views of the people that are considered dark. The web television series, in the most mature way, portrays the travails of broken families, a bullied individual’s coping mechanisms, as well as the fact that there is no sure right or wrong side between conflicting parties.

Although the story of rivalry and competition is similar to its predecessors, the content of Cobra Kai is more mature and personal as it offers many situations people can identify with. The series is more inclusive, diverse, and dispels many social constructs from the 80s. There’s a Season 3 in the pipeline and with what transpires in the first two, the third installment is already highly anticipated.

Who should watch it?

As a biased 90s kid for whom the Karate Kid movie series was an important part of growing up, Cobra Kai rekindles nostalgia not only with its characters and storyline, but also with a lot of classic rock music from the likes of Whitesnake, Van Halen, and AC/DC, to name some. But in all fairness, the web series may be as enjoyable for the younger generations that haven’t followed the original series. (We recommend you do.)

Cobra Kai

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Action/comedy/drama

Actors: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka

Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Steve Pink, Josh Heald, Michael Grossman, Jennifer Celotta,

Run time: 5hrs approx. for each episode