Review: Insecurities of a Middle Aged Indian Expatriate
Thought I'd review this story (look at the end of this post for links) blogged by a friend fo mine. Let me start with : definitely worth a read.
The story is told in a series of three posts (over 2 1/2 months! - agonising for anyone who followed it, i am sure). The plot itself is something every expatriate can relate to. In fact, it is actually a matter of considerable worry for expatriates living in some parts of the world. The story is set in one such part, the Middle East (no specific country mentioned). It is about an Indian guy, Appan, working as an Engineer in a power station, who is due to have a medical check-up for visa-renewal. The bulk of the story is set within the span of a couple of days. Most of it deals with the mental battles that Appan faces. I will not divulge anymore than this, as it is bound to spoil it for the reader.
One thing I do wish to point out about the story is the continuous improvement the writer makes in his literary style. The first post kicks off matters pretty normally - being very 'to the point' - and seems more of an account than a story. The second post shows the writer experimenting more with the descriptive subtleties that are essential to any good story. The writer looks to develop the backgrounds more thouroughly - in particular, he adds a more human appeal to his characters. And the last post, is by far the best. In fact, it has some real flashes of brilliance. The author really captures the sentiments of normal humans beings. The story develops a very real feel and suddenly the characters appear much more life-like. The following lines, especially, have a lasting effect on the reader:
'He already started making a list of dos and donts....coverup a few years.....'
I think it was really awesome. And, anyone who reads the whole story will notice that the author finishes off in style.
One negative for the story is definitely the grammar/spellings. They are a put-off at times. But, it is clear that the errors are more because of the author's negligence than his inadequacy.
Finally Review: As mentioned before, definitely worth a read.
links:
Part 1: http://pagalak.blogspot.com/2005/04/insecurities-of-middle-aged-indian.html
Part 2: http://pagalak.blogspot.com/2005/04/insecurities-of-middle-aged-indian_20.html
Part 3: http://pagalak.blogspot.com/2005/06/insecurities-of-middle-aged-indian.html
The story is told in a series of three posts (over 2 1/2 months! - agonising for anyone who followed it, i am sure). The plot itself is something every expatriate can relate to. In fact, it is actually a matter of considerable worry for expatriates living in some parts of the world. The story is set in one such part, the Middle East (no specific country mentioned). It is about an Indian guy, Appan, working as an Engineer in a power station, who is due to have a medical check-up for visa-renewal. The bulk of the story is set within the span of a couple of days. Most of it deals with the mental battles that Appan faces. I will not divulge anymore than this, as it is bound to spoil it for the reader.
One thing I do wish to point out about the story is the continuous improvement the writer makes in his literary style. The first post kicks off matters pretty normally - being very 'to the point' - and seems more of an account than a story. The second post shows the writer experimenting more with the descriptive subtleties that are essential to any good story. The writer looks to develop the backgrounds more thouroughly - in particular, he adds a more human appeal to his characters. And the last post, is by far the best. In fact, it has some real flashes of brilliance. The author really captures the sentiments of normal humans beings. The story develops a very real feel and suddenly the characters appear much more life-like. The following lines, especially, have a lasting effect on the reader:
'He already started making a list of dos and donts....coverup a few years.....'
I think it was really awesome. And, anyone who reads the whole story will notice that the author finishes off in style.
One negative for the story is definitely the grammar/spellings. They are a put-off at times. But, it is clear that the errors are more because of the author's negligence than his inadequacy.
Finally Review: As mentioned before, definitely worth a read.
links:
Part 1: http://pagalak.blogspot.com/2005/04/insecurities-of-middle-aged-indian.html
Part 2: http://pagalak.blogspot.com/2005/04/insecurities-of-middle-aged-indian_20.html
Part 3: http://pagalak.blogspot.com/2005/06/insecurities-of-middle-aged-indian.html
posted by karthik durvasula | 4:36 PM
1 Comments:
Uhhh...something strange is going on here. This is the second time I HAVE to agree with your point of view.
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