Dear readers, the cases (reported ones) of corona in our city have gone down and we are breathing a little better. How is the situation at your end? We are still maintaining the social distancing and trying to avoid stepping out as much as we can. Hope, that the scare of the third wave doesn’t get near us. I am trying to get back on a reading spree of novels and love spending my time more in the fictional world than the real world 🙂
Author: Tanushree Ghosh Novel: From An-Other Land Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
To be honest, I am not a fan of short stories. However, this one caught my interest with its first short story (The line). For me, one of the major unique selling points of any book is the relatability quotient and how close an author can get to different human-emotional experiences.
   Dedicated to all who dream of a world without borders someday for all children of the human race. Â
How can you not fall in love with the first thought of this book? The review took longer than I expected due to my illness. However, I wanted to do justice with the book, so I took my time and started writing the review when I was back in my comfort zone. Short stories have a charm of their own.
Only and only if the author knows how to end it well. I believe, with the long story/lengthy novel you get to have the freedom of setting a theme or a background of a story but doing it in a short story with limited words needs a good understanding of your reader’s mind.
This book contains 15 short stories and somehow in the end all of these stories come beautifully together. The author’s point of view towards immigration cannot be dismissed and leaves us with food for thought. We can’t deny the butterflies we get in the name of immigration. Even though it lasts for just a few seconds and then we are pulled back to reality. “From An-Other Land” is a reality check and an emotional guide for anyone who wants to understand modern-day immigration to the USA.
What did I love about this novel?
Given my short span of concentration during illness this one became my favorite to read. Short stories with meaningful thoughts kept me busy and interested to read more, The words are easy to understand and emotions are expressed well. The author has done justice to create a world where immigration is not all bed of roses and life reflects its true form via different characters.
I was deeply invested in a few stories. These resonated with how I have been feeling about leaving my parent’s house. The streets of Kanpur have a special place in my heart. There is a story called “Purple Days” which talks about coincidences and happiness. It brought a smile to my face. Remember the coincidence of finding your bestie in the same color clothes without any prior discussion. Reading the same book and finding out suddenly in a cafe while sipping a coffee? or just the sky matching with the color of your mood. That boy playing with his dog in the park without a care in the world? These all are little moments but fill us with the true form of happiness for a few seconds.
There is another gem in these five stories with the title “All Lives Matter”. It is such a beautiful story with a bouquet of emotions. From grief to love and from racism to acceptance, the story has my heart. Mehmood, the protagonist of the story is the reason we still believe in humanity.
What did I not love about this novel?
As I mentioned before, short stories are not my cup of tea however, I agree this one challenged my belief. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. A few stories of this novel must have an elaborate version. To be honest, this one is going on in one of my favorite reads of this year. I couldn’t find any flaws as such and would love to read the next novel of the Author soon 🙂
You can buy this book either from Amazon or read it on Kindle.
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I love short stories and this definitely sounds like a book that I should pick up soon. Sounds like 15 charming short stories that are bound to leave an impression! Great review.
Awesome review Kavita. Your book reviewing skills are very good. I also have many sweet memories of Kanpur. And I my case, it wasn’t just leaving my parents home but leaving my country too. Le the check out this book. I have a feeling that I might find some similarities..
Like you I am also not a big fan of short stories and rarely prefer to read it. but after reading your review felt this one is really awesome. :Purple days” sounds like a relatable one. thanks for sharing your honest input.
I love short stories, it keeps me happy and i feel accomplished after finishing 1 chapter. Iam gonna grab a copy for myself and enjoy the 15 stories
I like reading short stories but only if they have offbeat topics or make me think. This seems just like the book I will enjoy. Good and comprehensive review!
I was looking for some good read. Though I am not keen on short stories, but after reading your review would love to pick this one. Thanks for sharing.
Your review has tempted me to order this book. The 15 short stories will keep me engaged over the weekend.
I am an ardent lover of short fiction stories. So this book is definitely going to grasp the spot on my TBR. Thanks for coming up with a precise review; it helps me select good ones.
I really like the Short Story genre, as short stories convey so much in few pages. This book seems to be made of some really good stories and promises a fulfilling read.
I really love the novels which have short stories and this looks perfect, I am going to get my copy and for my sister..
I am a huge fan of short stories specifically. I love this book so much . I am gonna grab one copy for myself .
I usually prefer the longer form of stories as they hold a lot of twists and turns but I guess when we are in a hurry to read also and not keep the book down short stories work the best. I would love to check this book basis your honest review.
I have mixed feelings on short stories in general. This book of short stories sounds like a good read. Will check.
I love reading short stories. I would definitely check out this book.
Looks to be a great read for giving food for thought. As of now we need some good inspirations to keep us going.