Video: Stories

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful imagery; wonderfully different stories
Review: I loved how very different each story was from the last. Nair touched upon many different aspects of modern life in India, but covered lovely fantasies as well. Probably my two favorites were the very disparate "16 Days" and "Welcome Mr. President". The author definitely has a gift for evoking images with her words. Don't let Gita's "review" of this book based on one story fool you...if "Video" is not your cup of tea, keep reading. No two of these 10 stories is like another.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I was expecting
Review: I read the first story, Video from this collection, and I couldn't stomach it. The characters and situations were extremely implausible in my opinion. I think that there's enough material in the Indian, and Indian diaspora experience without going into the realm of fantasy. I prefer short stories that provoke me by making me look at reality or "normal" from a different perspective. Frankly, this first story is like an unimaginative teenagers wet dream... as for the rest of the book, I didn't bother reading it. With soo many other outstanding works of Indian literature to choose from, this just isn't worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful imagery; wonderfully different stories
Review: Nair explores the emotions that arise from the challenges confronting those caught in the midst of a changing and challenged Indian culture. However, each of the stories in Video is original and fresh--not a tireless recasting of the usual subjects that South Asian authors seem to love. Nair writes about family violence, a sculptor's work of breathtaking beauty, the humorous preparations for the visit of President Clinton to a small village, the fear of a murderer close-at-hand. She writes crisply in many moods, from mystical to urgent, from humorous to uncomfortable. I liked many of the stories; one of my favorites was "Summer", about a family reunion in the beautifully evoked Kerala countryside--a scene with which many South Asian readers may be familiar--which becomes the setting of silent tragedy. This is a new voice definitely worth hearing.

Rating:
Summary: A new voice worth hearing
Review: Nair explores the emotions that arise from the challenges confronting those caught in the midst of a changing and challenged Indian culture. However, each of the stories in Video is original and fresh--not a tireless recasting of the usual subjects that South Asian authors seem to love. Nair writes about family violence, a sculptor's work of breathtaking beauty, the humorous preparations for the visit of President Clinton to a small village, the fear of a murderer close-at-hand. She writes crisply in many moods, from mystical to urgent, from humorous to uncomfortable. I liked many of the stories; one of my favorites was "Summer", about a family reunion in the beautifully evoked Kerala countryside--a scene with which many South Asian readers may be familiar--which becomes the setting of silent tragedy. This is a new voice definitely worth hearing.