Book Review: Ghachar Ghochar

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag is a story of a middle-class family that goes from living in penury to living an opulent life. The family consists of the protagonist, his father, his mother, his wife, his uncle and a sister who is living separately from her husband. After the father loses his job, the uncle comes up with the idea of starting a business. The business does quite well and that changes everything. The novella manoeuvres through how this sudden influx of money changes everything.

The first thing that attracted me towards this book was the title and the cover. The cover is intriguing and it makes you think what the story could be about. My curiosity was piqued. So, I picked up the book and finished it one sitting.  The narrative style of the book makes it an interesting read. The author has an eye for detail. He presents the mundane events interestingly. The story is fast paced. The writing is crisp.

I found the characters a bit clichéd. An authoritative mother-in-law trying to undermine her son’s wife. The character of the daughter-in-law was the strongest. Unlike the family, she is married into that sweeps everything under the rug, she speaks her mind with no hesitation.

The only thing I didn’t like about the book is its ending. The author leaves the story hanging and I really want to know what happens after.

In a nutshell, pick up this book if you want to read something light and quick.

Book Review: How To Talk To A Widower

                                               

                                                      

How to Talk to A Widower by Jonathan Trooper is a story of a widower Doug Parker, who wallows in self-pity after he loses his wife, Hailey. He tries to get back to his normal life with the help of his elder sister who is pregnant. The family like all of Trooper’s families is dysfunctional and consists of a demented father, a mother, and a younger sister. They all come together for the younger sister’s wedding.

The narrative style of writing is succinct. It is witty and sarcastic.  All his characters are very interesting and real. The equation among the family members is interesting to note.  The story line is eventful and it won’t let you put the book down. The writing was tight and the pace was just right-neither too slow nor too rushed.  The family dinner scenes were my favorite scenes to read.

The setting of the book felt strikingly similar to his another novel (This is Where I leave you) that I had read before. I was constantly drawing parallels between the characters.

In a nutshell, pick up this book if you want to read something light and funny.

Leaving you with my favorite quote :

It’s life, that’s all. There are no happy endings, just happy days, happy moments.