Are you Listening Now?

I picked Listening Now by Anjana Appachana from a bookstore with just the thought of discovering Indian literature by reading more and more Indian authors after a brief introduction to Amitav Ghosh's Shadow Lines in one of my Literature lectures during college. Nobody had recommended her or prepared me and was I stunned!

Listening Now for me is the most intricately and beautifully written book. You cannot put this book down. It is a journey through the psychological terrain of five women, who tell us their way of looking at the world. You begin to see their pain and at some point their pain became my own. I could see my mother's and aunts' lives unfold as i was reading: Arranged marriage, initial passion, indifferent husband, rapid disillusionment and lots lots more.

I have read alot of books which are much better in plot and characterisation but the narrative stlye of Listening Now is what captures me the most. One incident seen by 5 different women in 5 different ways and 5 different conclusions!

So many events and emotions are bottled up. And believe me when i say that the pleasure is going to be totally yours and the effort (if you want to call it that) totally worthwhile.