In The Mirror

                               BOOK REVIEW: A Whole Summer Long By  Aditi Krishnakumar

Much before the emergence of the new era of Indian writing – there was a person who undoubtedly was the uncrowned Empress of Indian paperback industry. Shobhaa De. The passion she showed in her novels is unparallel and unseen long. And, they were not books merely to be read rashly during a journey, but the taste could have been cherished long after.  But later, precisely after 2004, the rash-read genre books meant for Wheelers overcrowded the shelves.

A Whole Summer Long 

Far from being in the genre of De’s and neither in the 100 bucks, Aditi, in her debut novel attempted a mint-fresh genre of her own. Not market-driven, she has honestly tried to cater the long-starved intellect minds of India.  Based on the backdrop of a Tamil Brahmin family, “A Whole Summer Long” revolves around newlywed Sowmya. The plot is simple. The character sketching is excellent.

But what steals the show is the intrinsic humor in the whole story. Be it in the dialogues or narratives, the writer intelligently mixed humor of class. The humor never went down as slapstic. It was inherent throughout.

Very true the course she is pursuing – the writer is in love with English Literature.  The sentence construction is excellent. The vocabulary she used is apt. the character introduction and carrying is perfect. And, not in a single place she faltered with the technicalities of writing a story. And, this deserves kudos.

A special mention required for the naming of the chapters. Most of the names are taken from the creations of John Keats. She has rightfully matched the contents and the names of the chapters.

The story has a pace of its own. It starts slowly but refreshingly. The characters took time to evolve. But, as the plot progresses, the pace borders on the verge of becoming slow. Though it does not literally test the patience, given the plush humor associated, it traverses on the line of “boredom”.

Most of the dialogues, conversations and narratives are allegoric and dramatic. The characters throughout speak in an unworldly dramatic manner. Though it brings humor but it distances the characters from being known. And, also, fails to capture the right emotions at times. The style, though unique, was unable to create a gripping momentum.

But, it is excellent as a debut attempt. The detailing of the narratives and character sketching is awesome. The mood maintained throughout the book is perfect. 

The book in all gives a pleasure. It touches the sensibilities and humor with a class apart. And this brings the hope of many new possibilities. May be from the same author. May be from others who refrained of taking this risk on debut.