A review of my book by a reader in England
My review for Memories – A novella: The Hilarious nightmare of growing up.
My Rating 5/5.
Let me start this review by apologising to the author of this magnificent book for keeping it on my TBR for so long. Soumya, I should have listened to you a year ago when you asked me to read your book. I am always looking for fantastical beasts and magic and dragons in my books that when I read the synopsis I figured huh this sounds like real life, I’ll read it when I can. In my hubris, I failed to remember that a brilliant author can make real life magical too. So now that we’ve concluded that I’m an idiot, let me share my review.
This is a novella and yet it took me 3 days to finish it. For me, that’s like reading 3 times slower than my normal pace.
The reason I took so long is because the author transported me in his story. It was not just words. It’s a book of memories (as the name suggests quite strongly) but not just authors memories. Mine too or anyone who grew up in India before the cable tv days. The story is biographical and covers our main character childhood, puberty & adulthood. It starts in 60/70s when the “boy” was just a boy and experiences the British Raj hangover through his ancestors. We then move on to typical Indian childhood – Cricket, Railways, School assemblies. We experience “Boy’s” adolescence, him having to learn about sex by reading biology books in secret because India!! 😅. ”Boy” grows up a bit more and moves to meri Dilli (Delhi). Throughout the book we find the insecurities that plague him all his life. Most of us book nerds will relate to this. It is supposed to be a hilarious retelling and yet it made me cry 3 times. Some of them were happy tears, others sad.
I have not had a non-fantasy (if that’s a word) touch my heart so profoundly forever.
Pick this book:
If you’re an Indian and want to remember “the good old days” which sadly include riots and other catastrophes that only an Indian can shrug off and move on.
If you’re an indian, born after the 90s.
If you’re an indian and can read.
If you’re not an Indian and want some chuckles and also learning how your childhood might have been different than the one from third world country.
If you’re not an Indian and can read.
READ THIS BOOK !!!
Finally, I’m sharing my most favourite passage from the book.
“As all truck drivers Boy had seen were Sikhs he thought that turbans were part of the uniform.” 😅
Idyll Dreams of an Idle Fellow 