Solo

By Rana Dasgupta

I got the hardcover edition of Solo with a beautiful cover and big, clear letters. It was fun to read on the bus and train without having to strain my eyes. This book is much acclaimed for the author, Rana Dasgupta received the prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize. This is his second novel after Tokyo Cancelled.

Solo tells the moving story of Ulrich, a Bulgarian, looking through his 100 years of life. The later part concentrates on his daydreams fueled by recurrent failures of his life. It starts with a story of exquisite parrots which can talk the native tongue of an extinct society. The parrots die traumatically in an attempt to transport them to linguists for recording the language. Ulrich, now 100 years old, recounts his life to find the wisdom that he could leave the world as his legacy.

Ulrich is a blind old man, living in a tiny apartment in Sophia and cared for by his kind-hearted neighbors. He starts an exhilarated journey through the past. A usual son denied of his budding interest in music, Ulrich travels to Germany to study Chemistry. Meeting Einstein serendipitously, he intends to make a mark as a chemist. When fate decides otherwise, Ulrich is forced to go back home due to the family's depleting wealth and his father's health.

Ulrich takes up a menial job to support his family in Sophia. He gets married and fathers a son in his short-lived marriage. His life gets traumatized by his divorce and by the execution of his socialist friend Boris. The world wars, the socialism, and the independent Bulgaria each contributes in worsening Ulrich's life. After losing his mother to a false accusation, Ulrich engrosses into his chemistry lab set up, where he accidentally spills acid and loses his sight.

The second part of the book happens in the hippy 21st century New York. There is the ambitious Khatuna, a gangster's mistress whose life topples as the gangster falls for the violence. Urich's imaginary self Boris, a gifted musician raised by his grandmother and found by a multinational musical company, struggles in the whirlwind of the corporate ways. Boris finds comfort in Irakli, Khatuna's brother, and an innocent poet.

Ulrich's story spreads through the failures and oddities of a simple man. It is through his euphoric daydreams that he learns life isn't perfect. This ordinary man's story is definitely worth reading. The strangeness of the characters adds a unique aura to it. It is touching, refreshing and everything a book could offer.

Solo is a must-read, albeit it might be demanding sometimes.

The Third Prince

By Phiroz H. Madon

I have not read many historical novels in English, although I am an ardent fan of Tamil historical novels. Deciding to route my historic knowledge from Southern India to the North, I bought this book. The novel is penned by Phiroz H Madon, a technocrat living in the US, originally from India.

Parvati, a young concubine tries to make a mark in Agra as a dancer. Her notable belongings include an important piece of paper and a jewel. The author walks us through her everyday struggle as a concubine and a dancer. Orphaned at an early age and let down by her only aunt, Parvati craves for constant attention. She even proves her dancing abilities by dancing with a snake.

There is a critical situation in Akbar's court. The court has the magnanimous task of finding an heir to the famous Akbar. With Jahangir notorious for his alcoholism and womanizing abilities and his son Khusrau, too young to make decisions on his own, the ministers have their hearts on the third prince. The third prince was believed to be fathered by Akbar in a secret marriage. The vicious Jahangir decides to eliminate the trace of the third prince.

Parvati's life suddenly takes a turn, when she loses her jewel and finds people following her to kill. Being a smart woman, she thinks out of the box to face the danger at every step. A romance with the snake charmer, an affair with the head of the robbing group or a housemaid's role in her best friend's home come in handy for her escape. The rest of the story reveals the fate of Paru and the third prince.

The book was interesting and a decent page-turner, but it was not exactly what I expected. I was trying to find the beauty and richness of the bygone era, which remained elusive throughout. Agra was portrayed as a place filled with just the Wine and Women, there is no glimpse of the Agra's well-known royalty.

Akbar was not what I have always imagined him to be. He was sick, weak and withered. While this portrayal is fine in his deathbed, it was sadly the same in the battlefield with Jahangir. There are some interesting characterizations like Nur Jahan though her transition from the timid Mehrunissa to the vehement Nur Jahan is impractical. The novel might satisfy the ones with no idea of the Mughal empire and its culture, but for anyone with the tiniest knowledge of the Indian history, this will be a letdown.

Read it at your own risk.

The Chapel at the Edge of the World

By Kirsten McKenzie

The book's look and synopsis were so romantic that I bought it the instant I laid my eyes on it. The book was not engrossing, but it was enjoyable in a slow and subtle way. This is a debut novel for the author Kirsten Mckenzie. The story is inspired by a chapel in LambHolm, Orkney, built by Italian prisoners of World War II. I felt that the plot had a deep melancholy and eeriness; that explains the longer time that took for me to finish the book.

The story happens in a flashback as narrated by Emilio, Bertoldo, and Rosa. Emilio and Rosa are childhood sweethearts who were engaged while Emilio leaves to the war front. They judiciously write letters throughout their separation which helped a little for the growing distance between each other. Emilio finds Bertoldo as his friend, but his weird behavior only increases Emilio's loneliness.

Rosa helps her mother Margherita, who runs an inn in a small Italian town. Rosa decides to work for a print shop in Milano to escape the monotony of her everyday life at the inn. Rosa's small adventures of political activism along with her special friend Pietro and her boss Antonio shapes her to a stronger and mature women.

Emilio is captured and after transferring between a couple of locations, the prisoners are finally moved to the Orkney Islands. The cold along with decreased rations, humidity, and Bertoldo's emotional outbreaks depress Emilio. A hope for survival flickers when they were offered a place for worship. The prisoners get along together for decorating the chapel. Emilio brings out his innate talent for painting, even Bertoldo with his far-fetched dream of America contributes for the same.

The characterizations were perfect: the confused Rosa; strong Margherita; matured Emilio; and emotional Bertoldo. Other interesting characters include Rosa's friend Rachel, Henrik, the German Officer and Anna Maria, Emilio's mother. Their stories and struggles are practical and realistic. Emilio's struggles as a prisoner and survival are heart warming.

The Chapel at the Edge of the World is a must-read for the lovely story and the characterizations. A word of caution - It might be depressing at times.