Review: ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷക്കാരൻ്റെ ഭാര്യ | Autorikshawkkarante Bharya
ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷക്കാരൻ്റെ ഭാര്യ | Autorikshawkkarante Bharya by M. MukundanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
In a series of short stories, M. Mukundan, the eminent writer of Mayyazhi, paints for us the day to day, slice of life fictionalized tales of the people in everyday lives. The tales he composed range from OK, to good, to head scratching, to thought inducing, a full cornucopia.
But sad to say, there isn’t much meat to these stories, a collected anthology from the stories he’d penned in various news publications. Mukundan himself seems the most soulful and engaging, when delving into the semi fictional tales that he crafts about his beloved Mayyazhi; with its colorful history and ever more colorful coterie of characters.
Out of all the collections of stories which are printed here, the one which connected with me the most, is the one titled ‘Malayali Daivangal’ (Malayali Gods). The tale is about a French tourist couple that come to visit Mayyazhi and Kerala and end up falling completely in love with the people, culture and everyday life; almost feeling more at home here than their own. A with most of the other stories, the ending is something unexpected and leaves you in a pensive mood.
Several others such as the titular ‘AutoRichawdriver’s wife’ or ‘Guardians’ are more jovial and wouldn’t be out of place in your weekly periodical. The whole exercise seems more as a passing effort by the author, to exercise his writing and creative muscles, rather than anything that is borne out of some strong desire to explore the human psyche.
Coming in under 100 pages, this anthology is something you can pick up for an afternoon of light reading, to help you relax and unwind. Nothing more. Nothing less.
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