Reading beyond recipe books

The Minotaur by Barbara Vine Read Nov 2017 The story is told by Kerstin, a Swedish nursing aid for a schizophrenic patient living in Essex. It is an account written some 35 years after her year long stint with the Cosway family. The Cosway family is made up of mostly women, the matriarch Julie, 4 daughters ( Ida, Ella, Winifred, Zophra) and the son-patient John. Except for Zophra who is a love child of her mother and their family doctor and heiress of a her husband's vast fortune, the rest of the Cosway women lives on the allowance from a trust fund. It is set up for the upkeep of John Cosway, an autistic but high functioning mathematician. The only way to the fund is through John until his death. The Cosway women keeps John in a drugged state to control his autistic behavior and Kerstin is employed to look after him. Kerstin captures her entire experience in her diary and documents with words and caricatures the happenings in the rambling Lydstep Old Hall. She d...

It is amazing that Ishiguro can adopt many voices with ease. In Nocturnes, he shows his familiarity with music and takes a peek at the inner world of five music makers. In the first story, Crooner, a musician in Venice comes across his mother’s childhood singing idol and gets acquainted with him. The two men strikes a chord with each other and the Jazz singing legend let in that he is on a last trip with his wife who intends to leave him. The protagonist is roped in to play for Tony as Tony croons a song that has a special meaning for the singer and his wife. The plot did not deliver well and the planned singing is aborted. The reader is told that after that, the singing sensation parts ways with his wife. The protagonist concludes that Tony may be a has-been singer but he will always be   the greatest singer to him. In ‘Come rain or shine’, Raymond meets up with his old friends, Emily and Charlie, who are married to each other. The reader gets a hint that Raymond’...

Naomi by Junichiro Tanizaki Read Nov 2017 Joji is a salaryman who is enamored by a European looking Japanese girl, Naomi. He decides to groom her to be the perfect partner and marries her when she turns fifteen. Joji is obsessed with 2 things, all things Western and Naomi’s body.   His lust for Naomi knows no ends and becomes enslaved to Naomi as her demands for luxuries increases. Naomi blossoms from a child to a young desirable lady. Joji acquiesces to her material demands in order to keep up with her. On the other hand, he aspires to groom her to be a socialite, just like the Western actresses that he adores. The disparity begins to show when Joji stagnates in his current situation while Naomi moves up the social ladder under the auspices of Joji. Unknown to Joji, Naomi lives a secret life with multiple partners visiting her while Joji is at work. Joji’s long suffering younger friend who is also in love with Naomi encouraged Joji to let go of the relationshi...

A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro Read Nov 2017 This is by far the most puzzling book of all Kazuo’s book that I have read but the cliffhanger at the end of each chapter begs me to pursue the story. The background of the story is mostly set in post atomic bomb Nagasaki, with the people rebuilding their lives with the help of the Americans. Etsuko, living in London, has just lost her eldest daughter. Keiko who left for Manchester, has hung herself after suffering from years of depression. Niki, Etsuko’s second daughter is not on friendly terms with her family members but returns to keep her grieving mum company. Keiko is the daughter by her Japanese husband before going to London and Niki is her second daughter with her English husband. The story, from Etsuko’s perspective,   goes back and forth in time, from the current day in London and the past   in Nagasaki. Etsuko reminisces her time in Nagasaki. While pregnant with child, Etsuko befriended a woma...