The Man who Never was

White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky My rating: 3 of 5 stars Not the most engaging of Dostoevsky's works. But it has a certain sobering, melancholic, romanticism about it. As someone who is prone to taking long contemplative walks, especially at the early hours past midnight, this spoke to me. The way that our female character is written, one is also left to ponder, who exactly was it that hurt Fyodor's heart in such a callous way, that now they have the misfortune of having their legacy living in infamy in the annals of literature. Our main character is clearly a stand in for the writer himself. Who somehow managed to be the first simp in recorded literature (I assume), to get friend zoned by the object of his affection, with the good ol 'It's not you, it's me', and 'you're like a brother to me; we can still be friends, right?', one two punch to the gut, that most cohorts would empathize with, to this day. ...

ചിദംബര സ്മരണ | Chidambara Smarana by Balachandran Chullikkad My rating: 4 of 5 stars Balachandran Chullikkad is someone who is intimately familiar to Keralites; at least those who were born in the 90s and 2000s. Well known for being a gifted poet, whose verses are capable of creating embers in your mind, he was also a mainstay on the film scene, often doing small supporting characters in motion pictures. This was something for which he was ridiculed and judged, both by the general public as well as some of his intelligentsia cohorts. Balan, of course, in his typical irreverent and piercing nature, didn’t bow down or apologize, for consorting with the capitalist machinery, a group viewed as the ideological rivals of the intellectuals. While growing up, I too had some amount of reservation, as to why a respected, erudite literary agent would stoop low and star in soaps and commercial ventures like this. As an adult, the reasons are clear enough; very...

A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1 by Umi Sakurai My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews A Man and his Cat tells the story of a soft-spoken elderly widower Fuyuki-san, and the cutest, sweetest, chonkiest of boys Fukumaru, as they deal with their own battles with loneliness, through each other's love and companionship. Now, seeing as how I'm probably going to end up like Fuyuki-san, (Sans the loving wife & kids), being a cat guy, the manga holds some amount of interest to me. Plus, the art style is adorable, comical and whimsical, while at the same time heartfelt and wholesome. Reading the day-to-day adventures of the Ojii-san and his cat, after a long tedious day, was like a cold balm on the forehead, a glass of chilled lemonade after spending all day in the sun. This, and the likes of [b: The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today|57032865|The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, Vol. 1|Hitsuji Yamada|https://i.gr-asset...

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, Vol. 1 by Hitsuji Yamada My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews My procrastination has once again prevented me from writing down thoughts in regard to this wonderfully wholesome slice of life manga which I read months ago. One thing I love about manga is how, the number of subjects covered is so expensive, one can almost always find a story which caters to your particular tastes. Even if those tastes are particularly macabre. I’m reminded of the many works under the Psychological/ Tragedy/ Mature tags, where several acts which can be considered as an affront to nature are put on page. But enough of that; we’re talking about cats. And  ‘Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu’  is the type of manga that scratches the particular mental itch to satiate the cat lover in me. While there have been several other titles featuring cats as protagonists or glorified mascots, the anthropomor...

ഓട്ടോറിക്ഷക്കാരൻ്റെ ഭാര്യ | Autorikshawkkarante Bharya by M. Mukundan My 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 ...

All Princesses Die Before Dawn by Quentin Zuttion My rating: 3 of 5 stars Rating 3 out of 5 | Grade: B; A simple slice of life, coming of age tale All Princesses die before dawn, by Quentin Zuttion is a French work which I presume from the afterword is based on the author's own childhood. It deals with the childhood of a young boy Lulu, who is different from others his age, and has an unrequited love towards his best friend Yoyo. Still too young to understand his own feelings, he seems to be in conflict with what is expected of him, versus what he actually wants. To add to his worries, is the strained relationship between his parents, as well as his pubescent sister, who is going through that phase that teenagers go through, with all of the inner conflicts that come with it. Even though the storyline of Lulu & yoyo is those in the forefront, I empathized more with the struggle of Lulu's mother, who, through a difficult marriage, and e...