Review of "Bandilanka's Forgotten Lives"

[Melisa Jane]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of ""Bandilanka's Forgotten Lives"" by Kamakshi Pappu Murti.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The more we go through challenges in life, the more we learn to navigate them and come out more experienced. We may suffer from rejections, injustices, or even losses, but the way we choose to face them will determine how we'll come out of them. Bandilanka's Forgotten Lives by Kamakshi Pappu Murti is a short story collection that revolves around several themes.

This is a collection of eleven short stories with the themes of love, loss, religion, discrimination, among others. As mentioned above, this is a collection of eleven short stories. However, in this review, I'll only summarize three of them. The first story, An Immigrant's Black Hole, discusses racial discrimination. For instance, Shah Nawaz, one of the characters, suffers several injustices because of his skin color. The second-last story, Widowhood Across Generations, talks about what widows go through after losing their companions. Another story, A Washerman's Dream, talks about a washerman who is grateful to his family for supporting him even amid rejection.

The book contains ninety-five pages. Most of the stories are told from the third-person point of view, although the author occasionally uses dialogues. The story is narrated in both the present and past tenses.

There are several things I liked about this book. First, although the author uses some Indian vocabulary, he provides their English translation at the end of the page. This will be very helpful to readers who can't understand these vocabularies. For example, on page thirty-nine, we are told that 'Akka' means older sister. Second, I also liked how the author created suspense in most of these stories. This made me curious, ensuring that I kept on turning the pages. For example, in Tradition's Stranglehold, I was curious to know how Madhu's parents would react when they find out that she's in love with another woman, especially considering that lesbianism wasn't common in that society. Third, the author writes about common problems facing society. This expands this book's audience base since most people will relate to these subjects. Moreover, each story has lessons to learn. This will ensure that the society doesn't make the same mistakes some of the characters made, ensuring peaceful coexistence among the members of every society. Fourth, most of these stories were very short. This ensured that I enjoyed each story and learned the lessons without getting bored. Since I didn't find any grammatical errors while reading, this book was exceptionally edited.

Although this is a great book, it has one flaw. Since most of the stories tackle relatable societal problems, most storylines were very predictable. This made it less entertaining, as I could tell the ending of the stories before I finished reading them.

In conclusion, I enjoyed reading this book. However, the predictability of the storylines made me deduct one star. I, therefore, rate it three out of four stars. I didn't rate it lower because, apart from the aforementioned flaw, I enjoyed reading it. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading stories about current problems faced by most societies. Those who enjoy reading stories with several lessons will also enjoy reading this book.

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"Bandilanka's Forgotten Lives"
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[Amy Luman]

I don’t enjoy short stories. I find that they aren’t long enough to keep me engaged in the story. It does sound like Kamakshi Pappu Murti works on that. They seem like a good author.

[Asiaa Szn]

A collection of stories seems like an intriguing read especially after reading your review which has given me insight on what the book is about. Great review.

[Ghuddie]

A short story collection that motivates us to get beyond our challenges and live victoriously will be such a motivation. Great review.

[QualityAndQuantity]

This seems like a book my little brother will be hooked onto. Thanks for the review.

[Asiaa Szn]

This seems like a story with enough moral for both young adults and children. This looks like an interesting read. Adding this to my shelf

[Nwadinso Okoro]

The book is a short one but it's quite engaging. The characters in the book undergo challenges and hells them navigate through life. Although there are different stories in the book, there's a central focus. I think it would be a good read for me. Thanks for your review.

[Aisha Yakub]

I love short stories. The themes discussed in this book are integral to our lives. Great book. Thanks for the review.

[Elleine]

Short stories are interesting and fun to read. The book is definitely a must read. Thanks for the review.

[Amenrodion]

Ooh, I love short stories. Going on my bookshelves asap