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Bombay Bhel
Like the ubiquitous snack food, bhel puri, Bombay Bhel blends a variety of ingredients to serve up glimpses of life among the Goan and Anglo-Indian communities--minorities in one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. The interlinked stories are set in the late twentieth century, before a wave of anticolonialism crested across India and resulted in Bombay's rechristening.
The stories feature everyday characters who face challenges unique to Bombay life, from the schoolboy who forms an unlikely friendship with a street vendor to the retired serviceman whose livelihood is threatened by the city's notorious bureaucracy. Readers familiar with Bombay will reawaken their memories, while those new to the city will experience a taste of its varied flavors.
The stories feature everyday characters who face challenges unique to Bombay life, from the schoolboy who forms an unlikely friendship with a street vendor to the retired serviceman whose livelihood is threatened by the city's notorious bureaucracy. Readers familiar with Bombay will reawaken their memories, while those new to the city will experience a taste of its varied flavors.
188 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2013
13 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
About the author
Ken Doyle
6 books75 followersKen Doyle was born in Bombay, India, into a family with Portuguese and Anglo-Indian roots. He moved to the USA for graduate studies and currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his family. One of his early short stories, written at the age of sixteen, was selected for inclusion in an anthology of Indian science fiction.
Currently, his writing spans several genres, including literary fiction and science fiction for young adults.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/author.kendoyle
Twitter: @DoyleKen
Pinterest: pinterest.com/kdoyleauthor
About.Me: about.me/ken.doyle
Currently, his writing spans several genres, including literary fiction and science fiction for young adults.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/author.kendoyle
Twitter: @DoyleKen
Pinterest: pinterest.com/kdoyleauthor
About.Me: about.me/ken.doyle
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 25, 2016
3.5 stars.
A collection of simple stories revolving around the ordinary Indian. Poignant description of situations and troubles inevitable in a crowded metropolitan city where different religions, culture and beliefs jostle each other. I particularly liked the mouthwatering description of various Indian street food, but what I felt incomplete was the abrupt ending of the stories.
Recommended to short story fans and those who love reading about India and its facets.
A collection of simple stories revolving around the ordinary Indian. Poignant description of situations and troubles inevitable in a crowded metropolitan city where different religions, culture and beliefs jostle each other. I particularly liked the mouthwatering description of various Indian street food, but what I felt incomplete was the abrupt ending of the stories.
Recommended to short story fans and those who love reading about India and its facets.
October 5, 2013
Some of my GR friends have noted that I tend to read more obscure authors. Well, here is another one. Ken Doyle is a writer to watch. He self-published this book, but any publisher would have been happy to have this on their list. One of the best contemporary story collections I've read set in India. No bells and whistles, no funky vampires or surreal landscapes, just perfect pitch writing and a knack for telling humanistic stories. Even better, set in Bombay, these stories educate the Western reader on what life is really like in India, not what some writers portray in order to get a contract. What attracted me even more to these wonderful stories (some linked) was the fact that he concentrated on the minority population in Bombay. From students to teachers, from young married couples to street vendors.
This is also a wonderful glimpse into the history of Bombay through the eyes of its city dwellers, as it shifts over to the anticolonial Mumbai. Doyle's deep empathy for his colorful characters shines through in every story and sentence. Unlike many self-pubbed books, this one was put together with great professionalism and care, and the editor in me loved reading without the distraction of multiple errors and typos. I look forward to his next collection, which I suspect will be with a publisher. (For short story lovers and lovers of foreign fiction.)
This is also a wonderful glimpse into the history of Bombay through the eyes of its city dwellers, as it shifts over to the anticolonial Mumbai. Doyle's deep empathy for his colorful characters shines through in every story and sentence. Unlike many self-pubbed books, this one was put together with great professionalism and care, and the editor in me loved reading without the distraction of multiple errors and typos. I look forward to his next collection, which I suspect will be with a publisher. (For short story lovers and lovers of foreign fiction.)
June 30, 2013
This excellent collection of stories takes the reader to the streets of Bombay in so many ways. All the senses are engaged as the aroma of spices make your mouth water; the sounds of busy streets with horns honking; noisy squares where people come to eat; the hammering of construction; the feel of walking in the sand with one leg and crutches; the click of a tape recorder; attar of roses; and the sound of vultures wings. Mr Doyle takes you there and enchants you. The fully realized ordinary characters caught up in ordinary living stay with you and make you wonder about what happens next. Really good stories do that and these are really good stories told in a deceptively simple and easy way. This book is highly recommended.
I received this book free from the author to read and review.
I received this book free from the author to read and review.
August 23, 2013
As children, most of us have played with a kaleidoscope, it is a toy, usually made out of three rectangular mirrors, placed in a triangle and held together in a paper tube. When the kaleidoscope is shaken, the different colored beads and pieces of glass, form beautiful geometrical patterns, due to multiple internal reflections.
‘Bombay Bhel’, a collection of nine short stories, is just that- A kaleidoscope. Ken Doyle has the incredible and rare talent to shake and stir beautiful patterns of emotions, by connecting the reader to his own memories and experiences in Bombay - to form his own multiple internal reflections.
Not only each story, but each sentence, is a string of multiple nostalgic images, separated by a ‘bleddy’ comma.
If my son chooses to be a writer, I will point this book to him and tell him, try to write like Doyle.
‘Bombay Bhel’, a collection of nine short stories, is just that- A kaleidoscope. Ken Doyle has the incredible and rare talent to shake and stir beautiful patterns of emotions, by connecting the reader to his own memories and experiences in Bombay - to form his own multiple internal reflections.
Not only each story, but each sentence, is a string of multiple nostalgic images, separated by a ‘bleddy’ comma.
If my son chooses to be a writer, I will point this book to him and tell him, try to write like Doyle.
March 23, 2013
Thank you Ken for providing me the review copy. I am a lazy reader so; it took me a while to finish it. But 4 bright shiny stars to your excellent debut work.
Bombay Bhel is a wonderful collection of nine heart touching stories that took their first and last breath in the suburbs of Bombay. Ken has a unique writing style; I found all the stories quite engaging and realistic.
I would like to mention about few of the stories that really touched me.
The first one "Aam Papad" deals with a street vendor Hassan in Bombay who becomes a victim of community riots. The chemistry of school boy Brian and Hassan is portrayed very well by Ken.
"The wedding gift" story revolves around the struggling life of a newly wedded couple Vincent and Diana. Vincent was provided a flat in suburbs of Mumbai by the parents of Diana. This hurts Vincent's self-respect but he starts to manage, at a few occasions he met a sex worker Muneera living in the same building, Ken has done a good job while narrating these incidents.
"Bhel Plaza" is a story of a Ex-army person Amit, who lost his leg while fighting a battle for the nation. After getting retirement from army due to this deficiency, Amit started a Bhel stall at Girgaum Chowpatty beach of Bombay. Nancy is one of his customers and like a daughter to him, wants to write a book about life events of Amit. Nancy visits him daily and attentively hears Amit while he narrates the events about his life during and after the army. Amit's struggle to retain his stall after the municipal commission charged him with a notice is heart wrenching.
Ken writes about the mass like us. No entrepreneur and millionaire stuff. All feels very realistic and relating to us. Every minute detail is beautifully attended. Bombay Bhel is all about emotions, relations and humanity.
I wish all the very best to Ken and looking forward to read his next works.
Bombay Bhel is a wonderful collection of nine heart touching stories that took their first and last breath in the suburbs of Bombay. Ken has a unique writing style; I found all the stories quite engaging and realistic.
I would like to mention about few of the stories that really touched me.
The first one "Aam Papad" deals with a street vendor Hassan in Bombay who becomes a victim of community riots. The chemistry of school boy Brian and Hassan is portrayed very well by Ken.
"The wedding gift" story revolves around the struggling life of a newly wedded couple Vincent and Diana. Vincent was provided a flat in suburbs of Mumbai by the parents of Diana. This hurts Vincent's self-respect but he starts to manage, at a few occasions he met a sex worker Muneera living in the same building, Ken has done a good job while narrating these incidents.
"Bhel Plaza" is a story of a Ex-army person Amit, who lost his leg while fighting a battle for the nation. After getting retirement from army due to this deficiency, Amit started a Bhel stall at Girgaum Chowpatty beach of Bombay. Nancy is one of his customers and like a daughter to him, wants to write a book about life events of Amit. Nancy visits him daily and attentively hears Amit while he narrates the events about his life during and after the army. Amit's struggle to retain his stall after the municipal commission charged him with a notice is heart wrenching.
Ken writes about the mass like us. No entrepreneur and millionaire stuff. All feels very realistic and relating to us. Every minute detail is beautifully attended. Bombay Bhel is all about emotions, relations and humanity.
I wish all the very best to Ken and looking forward to read his next works.
June 19, 2013
Pick up this book (or e-book) read the first few pages and then put it down, close your eyes and inhale. You will smell Bombay -now Mumbai, and I mean it in a good way.
Ken masterfully awakens many of the readers senses with his prose. For readers who have lived in the city, or have passed through it, the author's writing and the characters he has created, transport you back to the streets, the food carts, the trains - You haven't experienced life in full if you've never stepped on a train in Bombay.
Had I read this book earlier, I would have gained a good few valuable insights to use in my own writing about life in the city.
The characters are real and believable. The nuances and detailing Ken peppers through the stories -judicious use of spice- is much appreciated. For instance: "His white stiff-collared Western-style shirt sported a few rust colored stains from the mixture of chili powder, salt and lemon that he rubbed on the corn" - For readers who've had corn on the cob in Bombay, such prose reaches deep into areas in the brain unlocking a flood of memories.
The cinéma vérité style that the author employs in narrating many of the stories is worthy of mention and appreciation.
The stories themselves manage to stir emotions and present the struggles and joys of the people living there.
Glossary at the end of the book is a thoughtful addition for those not familiar with Bombay vernacular.
For someone like me who reads more science fiction and non-fiction books, Bombay Bhel was a refreshing change of genre.
Ken masterfully awakens many of the readers senses with his prose. For readers who have lived in the city, or have passed through it, the author's writing and the characters he has created, transport you back to the streets, the food carts, the trains - You haven't experienced life in full if you've never stepped on a train in Bombay.
Had I read this book earlier, I would have gained a good few valuable insights to use in my own writing about life in the city.
The characters are real and believable. The nuances and detailing Ken peppers through the stories -judicious use of spice- is much appreciated. For instance: "His white stiff-collared Western-style shirt sported a few rust colored stains from the mixture of chili powder, salt and lemon that he rubbed on the corn" - For readers who've had corn on the cob in Bombay, such prose reaches deep into areas in the brain unlocking a flood of memories.
The cinéma vérité style that the author employs in narrating many of the stories is worthy of mention and appreciation.
The stories themselves manage to stir emotions and present the struggles and joys of the people living there.
Glossary at the end of the book is a thoughtful addition for those not familiar with Bombay vernacular.
For someone like me who reads more science fiction and non-fiction books, Bombay Bhel was a refreshing change of genre.
February 18, 2013
I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories very much. It's not the kind of thing I would normally pick up, but I found myself engrossed by the lives of these very unique and real characters. I loved how they all lived in the same city and might have even run into each other. However, they all led different, although valid, struggles. Ken Doyle is an exceptional writer, and if you happen to enjoy literary fiction, you'll definitely enjoy Bombay Bhel. After the last story came to an end, I honestly wished there was more. A sign of a phenomenal writer!
August 28, 2013
A wonderful collection of stories that bring the culture and people of India right into your home. The many, varied stories make a wide sweep across the country, introducing the reader to a time and place the average reader will never experience for themselves. I found myself wishing that each short story could become an entire novel on its own, as I wanted to know more about the lives Mr. Doyle has created for us. I look forward to more by this talented author.
October 29, 2015
Ken Doyle’s collection Bombay Bhel takes its name from the Indian savoury snack associated with the beaches of Mumbai. As that milieu suggests, the stories in Bombay Bhel frequently concern the underclass struggling to make a living in the rapidly transforming social and economic landscape of late twentieth-century Bombay (now Mumbai), where the imperative to modernize in pursuit of prosperity coexists with traditional values and prejudices concerning marriage, religion and respectability. The intimate juxtaposition of privilege and deprivation, ambition and bare survival is certainly not peculiar to India, but it is particularly striking. Bombay Bhel also draws us into sympathetic understanding with young educated people eager to succeed in the new society, but who are obliged to take account of the more conservative expectations of parents and neighbours.
The sixth story in the collection, ‘The Wedding Gift’, contains a telling metaphor that could stand for Doyle’s reflections on his experience of India and his characters’ lives. Vincent and Diana, an upwardly mobile middle-class young couple, move into their new flat in a desirable Bandra neighbourhood of Bombay, purchased for them by his parents. Their good fortune is undermined by their sense of obligation to his parents, whose generosity can also be read as a subtle form of continuing control. Vincent and Diana immediately smell a rat – literally so, as it turns out that the seriously unpleasant aroma that permeates their new home emanates from the decomposing corpse of a rat caught in the drain beneath the kitchen sink. Vincent deals with the nauseating problem, but he and Diana are ultimately unable to adapt themselves to what it represents. A psychosexual theme is unobtrusively stressed in terms of the couple’s new-found freedom to make love as noisily as they wish, yet what Shakespeare termed ‘the worm in the bud’ is signified by the presence of Muneera, a prostitute in a neighbouring flat to whom Vincent is drawn in a mixture of physical attraction and emotional empathy. Indeed, Muneera, an intelligent, sympathetic and relatively minor character who is the object simultaneously of gossip, lust and social outrage, is at the emotional heart of the story. Her probable inability to put the past behind her is implicitly contrasted with Vincent and Diana’s power to move on.
It is difficult for a writer to depict people from ‘lower’ and ‘higher’ social strata without in some way belittling one or the other. For the most part, these stories succeed in presenting lives lived in dire circumstances without condescension or misplaced humour. The continuous battle for survival fought by poor people amid corruption and implacable bureaucracy is nicely evoked, as is society’s capacity suddenly to explode into persecution and violence, often from the most unlikely quarters.
The author was born in Bombay (as it was then called), into a family with Portuguese and Anglo-Indian roots. I presume that means a relatively privileged background, especially as his transfer to the United States for graduate studies parallels the journey so devoutly wished for by some of the characters in these stories. Yet I also imagine that no one with a trace of awareness and social conscience could fail to encounter the extremes of Indian society, or remain unaware of the intricate web of dependencies and connections linking each and everyone. It is this interconnectedness – sometimes terrible, sometimes wonderful, oftentimes also an unbridgeable chasm – that provides the overarching theme for Bombay Bhel. Evidently, Ken Doyle follows the old adage and writes of what he knows: the Goan and Anglo-Indian minorities living in Bombay before the turn of the millennium.
However, for me, Bombay Behl only really gets going from the fourth story onwards. In my opinion, the first three stories contain insufficient narrative thrust and end abruptly and seemingly without point. A critic has to be careful here and consider whether or not apparent inconsequentiality conceals profundities: I suggest that here it does not. I had the impression that the author grew in confidence and ambition only with the fourth story (‘Retribution’). This is a shame, as it’s more than likely that readers will gain a false impression of what remains in store for them and perhaps give up.
Neither is Bombay Behl a treasure trove of memorable turns of phrase and evocative images: these are stories, for example, in which trains wheeze in relief, slow to a crawl and come to a dead stop (all from the first sentence of the first story, ‘Aam Papad’). Clichés seldom come as thick and fast as this and, fortunately, they rarely attain this frequency in the rest of Bombay Behl.
Thus, the pleasures afforded by these stories lie elsewhere than in originality of language. Rather, it is the paradoxes and contradictions of Bombay as it heads towards global-city status, and how people living there deal with them, that provide an interestingly immersive experience for the reader. In their depiction of ambition and frustration, unexpected opportunity and mental confusion, I was reminded of Satyajit Ray’s wonderful Mahanagar (‘The Big City’, 1963), a work in a different medium and set in the 1950s. That there exist continuities and comparisons with Ray’s masterpiece is not to suggest Bombay Behl is remotely close to that film’s achievement – after all, what is? Nevertheless it is a considerable compliment.
So, despite these reservations, I enjoyed Bombay Bhel and I wish it well. I also look forward to reading more from Ken Doyle.
The sixth story in the collection, ‘The Wedding Gift’, contains a telling metaphor that could stand for Doyle’s reflections on his experience of India and his characters’ lives. Vincent and Diana, an upwardly mobile middle-class young couple, move into their new flat in a desirable Bandra neighbourhood of Bombay, purchased for them by his parents. Their good fortune is undermined by their sense of obligation to his parents, whose generosity can also be read as a subtle form of continuing control. Vincent and Diana immediately smell a rat – literally so, as it turns out that the seriously unpleasant aroma that permeates their new home emanates from the decomposing corpse of a rat caught in the drain beneath the kitchen sink. Vincent deals with the nauseating problem, but he and Diana are ultimately unable to adapt themselves to what it represents. A psychosexual theme is unobtrusively stressed in terms of the couple’s new-found freedom to make love as noisily as they wish, yet what Shakespeare termed ‘the worm in the bud’ is signified by the presence of Muneera, a prostitute in a neighbouring flat to whom Vincent is drawn in a mixture of physical attraction and emotional empathy. Indeed, Muneera, an intelligent, sympathetic and relatively minor character who is the object simultaneously of gossip, lust and social outrage, is at the emotional heart of the story. Her probable inability to put the past behind her is implicitly contrasted with Vincent and Diana’s power to move on.
It is difficult for a writer to depict people from ‘lower’ and ‘higher’ social strata without in some way belittling one or the other. For the most part, these stories succeed in presenting lives lived in dire circumstances without condescension or misplaced humour. The continuous battle for survival fought by poor people amid corruption and implacable bureaucracy is nicely evoked, as is society’s capacity suddenly to explode into persecution and violence, often from the most unlikely quarters.
The author was born in Bombay (as it was then called), into a family with Portuguese and Anglo-Indian roots. I presume that means a relatively privileged background, especially as his transfer to the United States for graduate studies parallels the journey so devoutly wished for by some of the characters in these stories. Yet I also imagine that no one with a trace of awareness and social conscience could fail to encounter the extremes of Indian society, or remain unaware of the intricate web of dependencies and connections linking each and everyone. It is this interconnectedness – sometimes terrible, sometimes wonderful, oftentimes also an unbridgeable chasm – that provides the overarching theme for Bombay Bhel. Evidently, Ken Doyle follows the old adage and writes of what he knows: the Goan and Anglo-Indian minorities living in Bombay before the turn of the millennium.
However, for me, Bombay Behl only really gets going from the fourth story onwards. In my opinion, the first three stories contain insufficient narrative thrust and end abruptly and seemingly without point. A critic has to be careful here and consider whether or not apparent inconsequentiality conceals profundities: I suggest that here it does not. I had the impression that the author grew in confidence and ambition only with the fourth story (‘Retribution’). This is a shame, as it’s more than likely that readers will gain a false impression of what remains in store for them and perhaps give up.
Neither is Bombay Behl a treasure trove of memorable turns of phrase and evocative images: these are stories, for example, in which trains wheeze in relief, slow to a crawl and come to a dead stop (all from the first sentence of the first story, ‘Aam Papad’). Clichés seldom come as thick and fast as this and, fortunately, they rarely attain this frequency in the rest of Bombay Behl.
Thus, the pleasures afforded by these stories lie elsewhere than in originality of language. Rather, it is the paradoxes and contradictions of Bombay as it heads towards global-city status, and how people living there deal with them, that provide an interestingly immersive experience for the reader. In their depiction of ambition and frustration, unexpected opportunity and mental confusion, I was reminded of Satyajit Ray’s wonderful Mahanagar (‘The Big City’, 1963), a work in a different medium and set in the 1950s. That there exist continuities and comparisons with Ray’s masterpiece is not to suggest Bombay Behl is remotely close to that film’s achievement – after all, what is? Nevertheless it is a considerable compliment.
So, despite these reservations, I enjoyed Bombay Bhel and I wish it well. I also look forward to reading more from Ken Doyle.
December 28, 2015
Bombay Bhel is a collection of nine short stories. All these stories are based in Bombay, a city in western India just off the coast of the Arabian Sea. Thanks to the author’s craftsmanship, Bombay is alive as character. In story after story we find the familiar landmarks of Bombay. While all these landmarks are presented realistically, what makes it a living reality in art is the ability of the author to give some sort of aura to factual details.
These stories contain a world of commoners and ordinary folk such as a street vendor Hasan who becomes a victim of riots, Amit who lost his leg, and Sachin whose shop was recently looted. The excitement and tension that prevail in these characters are authentically portrayed by the author. Readers get attached to these and started to feel their pain and suffering, and for that the author should be congratulated.
The prominence of local food in the stories justifies the title of the book. The readers who do not live in Bombay will definitely get a taste Mumbaikars enjoy almost on a regular basis. Ken is such a gifted craftsman that these food items come alive in these stories.
Some of the topics raised in these stories are really grave. For example, the first story of the book brings light on the strong religious tension between Hindus and Muslims. The story carries forward this critical debate within the parameters of a beautifully woven storyline. Likewise the debate regarding the arranged marriages has been raised strikingly.
So, how do we get about assessing Ken’s achievement? The very simplicity of the stories seems to set a problem. There is so little on which to expatiate intellectually, analyse, expound, and fathom the depth of. And yet the naiveté of the author has a quality that haunts us as only art can, when it stands on its own without any peripheral attractions or distractions.
Words of caution: Do not read these stories with an empty stomach!
I thank the author for providing me the review copy.
These stories contain a world of commoners and ordinary folk such as a street vendor Hasan who becomes a victim of riots, Amit who lost his leg, and Sachin whose shop was recently looted. The excitement and tension that prevail in these characters are authentically portrayed by the author. Readers get attached to these and started to feel their pain and suffering, and for that the author should be congratulated.
The prominence of local food in the stories justifies the title of the book. The readers who do not live in Bombay will definitely get a taste Mumbaikars enjoy almost on a regular basis. Ken is such a gifted craftsman that these food items come alive in these stories.
Some of the topics raised in these stories are really grave. For example, the first story of the book brings light on the strong religious tension between Hindus and Muslims. The story carries forward this critical debate within the parameters of a beautifully woven storyline. Likewise the debate regarding the arranged marriages has been raised strikingly.
So, how do we get about assessing Ken’s achievement? The very simplicity of the stories seems to set a problem. There is so little on which to expatiate intellectually, analyse, expound, and fathom the depth of. And yet the naiveté of the author has a quality that haunts us as only art can, when it stands on its own without any peripheral attractions or distractions.
Words of caution: Do not read these stories with an empty stomach!
I thank the author for providing me the review copy.
August 15, 2013
Ken Doyle's collection of short stories capture the essence of the city of Bombay with all its seeming contradictions. It is a very modern, urban city with its rapidly flourishing highrises and corporate white-collar jobs. But side by side dwells the dark underbelly of the city in the form of its poor preyed on by both the corrupt bureaucracy and the underworld alike. On one hand there are communities of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis all living and working side by side. On the other hand are the unspoken prejudices and boundaries that when provoked manifest into full-blown communal tensions.
For anyone who has ever visited the city, the sensory overload present in Ken's descriptive style is on-point. Indeed, he manages to evoke the smells and sounds of the city in such a vivid way that I could hear the traffic and taste the food through the pages themselves.
While it was a pleasure to read all the stories, I felt more drawn to three of them.
Aam Paapad: It was the right decision to begin the collection with this haunting tale of a Muslim boy tragically caught in the midst of the Hindu-Muslim riots. Ken managed to capture both the terror of it as well as the fact that a lot of its victims simply had to move on from the trauma and back to the daily habit of earning a living. There was no recompense or comfort available for them.
Cats: It's difficult not to gain a soft spot for Neil Sequeira, a kind, rather mature boy for his age, who befriends and wants to fight for the welfare of a lonely, elderly woman, Eleanor.
Bhel Plaza: Like in "Cats," this too is a story of an unexpected friendship (and it's perhaps no coincidence that the character of Nancy in Bhel plaza is related to Neil and mentioned in Cats). Amit is a war veteran, who operates a food stall in the very busy Chowpatty beach, and finds an outlet for reminiscenses in talking to Nancy. But like also in "Cats," the powerless have no recourse when the system turns against them.
For anyone who has ever visited the city, the sensory overload present in Ken's descriptive style is on-point. Indeed, he manages to evoke the smells and sounds of the city in such a vivid way that I could hear the traffic and taste the food through the pages themselves.
While it was a pleasure to read all the stories, I felt more drawn to three of them.
Aam Paapad: It was the right decision to begin the collection with this haunting tale of a Muslim boy tragically caught in the midst of the Hindu-Muslim riots. Ken managed to capture both the terror of it as well as the fact that a lot of its victims simply had to move on from the trauma and back to the daily habit of earning a living. There was no recompense or comfort available for them.
Cats: It's difficult not to gain a soft spot for Neil Sequeira, a kind, rather mature boy for his age, who befriends and wants to fight for the welfare of a lonely, elderly woman, Eleanor.
Bhel Plaza: Like in "Cats," this too is a story of an unexpected friendship (and it's perhaps no coincidence that the character of Nancy in Bhel plaza is related to Neil and mentioned in Cats). Amit is a war veteran, who operates a food stall in the very busy Chowpatty beach, and finds an outlet for reminiscenses in talking to Nancy. But like also in "Cats," the powerless have no recourse when the system turns against them.
June 14, 2014
Wonderful description. If you want to feel like you're in Bombay, following the story of its various characters, then this book will put you right there. This is a book full of beautiful prose and great story telling, and this writer has a bright future ahead. I look forward to seeing what comes next.
At times, I felt like there was a little too much description for me, and a little more could have been left to my imagination. But this is a hard balance to strike, as every reader wants a different relationship. Some want all the description, some want very little. So it's really a very small point, based on personal preference.
Thanks Ken Doyle for an intelligent, touching book, :) more please!
At times, I felt like there was a little too much description for me, and a little more could have been left to my imagination. But this is a hard balance to strike, as every reader wants a different relationship. Some want all the description, some want very little. So it's really a very small point, based on personal preference.
Thanks Ken Doyle for an intelligent, touching book, :) more please!
September 11, 2013
These stories all take place in Bombay from early times when many were destitute and trying to live on meager earnings to modern times after the name had changed to Mumbai.
The local food is prominent in the stories as the titles show and I learned much about the Indian cuisine in Bombay.
These are well-written stories and fast reading and the characters really come to life. You can feel their suffering, confusion, and personal loss. In each story, there is a life-changing event which leads to a very abrupt and depressing ending. I would have liked to have known more about what happened to each of the characters.
This review is also posted on my blog, www.bound4escape.com.
The local food is prominent in the stories as the titles show and I learned much about the Indian cuisine in Bombay.
These are well-written stories and fast reading and the characters really come to life. You can feel their suffering, confusion, and personal loss. In each story, there is a life-changing event which leads to a very abrupt and depressing ending. I would have liked to have known more about what happened to each of the characters.
This review is also posted on my blog, www.bound4escape.com.
February 12, 2024
Bombay bhel is a rare but wonderful collection of 9 short stories shown to us through the eyes of writer Ken Doyle.
Set in then Bombay now Mumbai & true to its name Bombay bhel is uniquely a sweet, tangy, pungent & spicy bhel of stories reminiscent of the life, love, innocence, struggles, culture, heritage & traditions of the people & its communities in Bombay.
Each of the stories also gives the readers a glimpse into the Goan - Anglo Indian community in which the writer grew up. From Jesuit priest to the all famous Prawn balchao, from places like Crawford market to Dockyard road this book have a little of it all.
The stories that touch me most were:
Cats: The story of Neil Sequeria who inherits a fortune as he innocently befriends and tries to save the home of Eleanor an elderly, older women.
The wedding gift: The story of an newly married couple who begin life in their new home at Pearly gates.
The deep blue sea: A love story which doesn't see the light of the day due to caste and cultural differences.
Bhel Plaza: Another emotional stories between a war veteran turned bhel puri wala and a bidding writer Nancy.
Recommended, if you are someone living in Mumbai or someone who is simple in love with this city.
Set in then Bombay now Mumbai & true to its name Bombay bhel is uniquely a sweet, tangy, pungent & spicy bhel of stories reminiscent of the life, love, innocence, struggles, culture, heritage & traditions of the people & its communities in Bombay.
Each of the stories also gives the readers a glimpse into the Goan - Anglo Indian community in which the writer grew up. From Jesuit priest to the all famous Prawn balchao, from places like Crawford market to Dockyard road this book have a little of it all.
The stories that touch me most were:
Cats: The story of Neil Sequeria who inherits a fortune as he innocently befriends and tries to save the home of Eleanor an elderly, older women.
The wedding gift: The story of an newly married couple who begin life in their new home at Pearly gates.
The deep blue sea: A love story which doesn't see the light of the day due to caste and cultural differences.
Bhel Plaza: Another emotional stories between a war veteran turned bhel puri wala and a bidding writer Nancy.
Recommended, if you are someone living in Mumbai or someone who is simple in love with this city.
July 1, 2020
I had bought this book a while ago. When I was looking to start reading it, I noticed the name and thought, "Oh its not even an Indian author, its just some white guy." The stories educated me in that regard. I had noticed some Indians having kinda Spanish sounding names (actually Portuguese) and now I know why.
This book features nine stories set in Bombay, now called Mumbai The stories mainly, but not exclusively, feature Goan Catholics and Parsis and several interconnect through St Magnus School and St. Boniface College. Most of the stories are not happy and all the more painful because the writing is good and makes you care.
Aam Papad
A Muslim food vendor returns home hoping to find his parents after anti-Muslim riots.
A Different Music
A musician remembers an influential teacher.
I loved this quote, “Always pick the side that is the exact opposite of what you believe in your heart. It’s the only way to understand what makes people like him [ . . . ] close their minds. And, by attempting to understand them, maybe you will find something else they lack. Forgiveness.”
Independence Day
A widow remembers her husband and prepares to move in with her son and his family.
Retribution
A store owner desperately tries to save his livelihood after his store is burned down.
Cats
A sweet story about a young boy bonding with his elderly neighbor.
The Wedding Gift
A newlywed couple moves into an apartment paid for by the wife's parents and the husband tentatively befriends a prostitute who lives in the same building.
The Deep Blue Sea
Mario finally gets into graduate school in the US, but now has reasons to consider staying in India instead.
Solar Power
Peter joins a former schoolmate in a business venture offering an alternate solution to the traditional Parsi funereal practices compromised by environmental threats to vultures.
I had thought Parsis used cremation. I was thinking back to the Queen movie. Did it say he was cremated at the end? Wikipedia says his friend Mary delivered his ashes to a specified place. Were his family different kind of Parsis? Was the vulture-route not possible or not allowed in UK? Did they not want the grisly details judged by Western media?
Bhel Plaza
A veteran befriends an aspiring writer and loses his food cart business due to construction of new Bhel Plaza.
This book features nine stories set in Bombay, now called Mumbai The stories mainly, but not exclusively, feature Goan Catholics and Parsis and several interconnect through St Magnus School and St. Boniface College. Most of the stories are not happy and all the more painful because the writing is good and makes you care.
Aam Papad
A Muslim food vendor returns home hoping to find his parents after anti-Muslim riots.
A Different Music
A musician remembers an influential teacher.
I loved this quote, “Always pick the side that is the exact opposite of what you believe in your heart. It’s the only way to understand what makes people like him [ . . . ] close their minds. And, by attempting to understand them, maybe you will find something else they lack. Forgiveness.”
Independence Day
A widow remembers her husband and prepares to move in with her son and his family.
Retribution
A store owner desperately tries to save his livelihood after his store is burned down.
Cats
A sweet story about a young boy bonding with his elderly neighbor.
The Wedding Gift
A newlywed couple moves into an apartment paid for by the wife's parents and the husband tentatively befriends a prostitute who lives in the same building.
The Deep Blue Sea
Mario finally gets into graduate school in the US, but now has reasons to consider staying in India instead.
Solar Power
Peter joins a former schoolmate in a business venture offering an alternate solution to the traditional Parsi funereal practices compromised by environmental threats to vultures.
I had thought Parsis used cremation. I was thinking back to the Queen movie. Did it say he was cremated at the end? Wikipedia says his friend Mary delivered his ashes to a specified place. Were his family different kind of Parsis? Was the vulture-route not possible or not allowed in UK? Did they not want the grisly details judged by Western media?
Bhel Plaza
A veteran befriends an aspiring writer and loses his food cart business due to construction of new Bhel Plaza.
February 17, 2014
The Bombay Bhel by Ken Doyle is one of those books which the readers would like to savour . As the name suggests , the book is a smooth blend of short fictions containing myriad flavours. "Bhel'' or 'Bhelpuri' is a street-food which is almost unanimous with the city of Bombay or Mumbai , and Ken has delineated his stories in the most realistic manner with Bombay as the backdrop. The stories feature the Goan culture as well as the Angolo-Indian communities and even the tales of a street-vendor or a schoolboy have been portrayed in a manner that the reader can feel the throbbing of the city .
Bombay is a cosmopolitan city where people from different parts of India flock together to make a livelihood. Ken Doyle has caught the essence of the city as it was in the late twentieth century , the interlinked stories represents the actual condition of a society in which we have super-rich people on one end and drudgery on the other. The glitz and glamour of Bombay ( Bolloywood) often successfully suppress the actual condition of the middle-class people , trying hard every day to make both ends meet . This is possibly the most wonderful city in the world which offers a peaceful co-existence of failure and success , glamour and grimace ; and the author has presented the scenario in the most realistic manner.
The book also throws an unique glimpse into the history of Bombay through the eyes of its dwellers and its gradual shifting towards the anti-colonial Mumbai. The potpourri of emotions of common people, from a schoolboy to a grandmother living alone, has come alive with Doyle's magic touch. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and anecdotes which has made the city of Mumbai tangible to me .
I really fell in love with the author's cinéma vérité style of writing , an unique style where everyday actions and naturalness of dialogues are maintained in the truest form.
The book , though a self-published one , has all the marks of great professionalism and I surmise that Doyle's next work should come from a renowned publisher. He is one of the most promising among the Indie authors . I would like to recommend this book to everyone who enjoys good story-telling .
Bombay is a cosmopolitan city where people from different parts of India flock together to make a livelihood. Ken Doyle has caught the essence of the city as it was in the late twentieth century , the interlinked stories represents the actual condition of a society in which we have super-rich people on one end and drudgery on the other. The glitz and glamour of Bombay ( Bolloywood) often successfully suppress the actual condition of the middle-class people , trying hard every day to make both ends meet . This is possibly the most wonderful city in the world which offers a peaceful co-existence of failure and success , glamour and grimace ; and the author has presented the scenario in the most realistic manner.
The book also throws an unique glimpse into the history of Bombay through the eyes of its dwellers and its gradual shifting towards the anti-colonial Mumbai. The potpourri of emotions of common people, from a schoolboy to a grandmother living alone, has come alive with Doyle's magic touch. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories and anecdotes which has made the city of Mumbai tangible to me .
I really fell in love with the author's cinéma vérité style of writing , an unique style where everyday actions and naturalness of dialogues are maintained in the truest form.
The book , though a self-published one , has all the marks of great professionalism and I surmise that Doyle's next work should come from a renowned publisher. He is one of the most promising among the Indie authors . I would like to recommend this book to everyone who enjoys good story-telling .
June 1, 2014
These stories are redolent with the spices and flavors of Bombay, now called Mumbai, India, but they’re also about the different type of residents who fill that huge city with their loves, hates, struggles, poverty, riches, and more.
Meet Hassan, frantic to find out if his parents have survived the Kapilgaon riots in which his family’s home is burned beyond hope. His Anglo friend Brian wonders if Hassan is all right, not knowing he inadvertently becomes one more victim of the Hindu-driven violence.
We learn about a student’s love of Mr. Watson, an independent, free-thinking principal of St. Magnus School. He’s a man despised by the Jesuit priests who do everything to make Mr. Watson a failure and eventually wind up pushing him into an early retirement. Prejudice abounds on many unexpected levels in these stories.
Annie, whose husband has passed away, is now forced to move into her son’s home. This story depicts her memories and personal objects associated with tender times. Change is a difficult but positive reality for these people who have survived difficult but cherished days of old.
So these stories continue, depicting the severity of money-lenders who help the poor but harshly enforce the terms of that assistance. Kindness and compassion are anomalies in a city replete with those bordering on financial disaster at every moment of their lives, those who scramble for success in a fiercely competitive business environment.
It’s a hard world endured by the poor in these stories but rich in relationships and vivacious in determination to get ahead, no matter what the cost. Love of food, education, independence and different social groups fill these pages with delightful, yet real, stories sure to engage any and every reader. Keep writing, Ken Doyle – you’ve got the Muse!
Meet Hassan, frantic to find out if his parents have survived the Kapilgaon riots in which his family’s home is burned beyond hope. His Anglo friend Brian wonders if Hassan is all right, not knowing he inadvertently becomes one more victim of the Hindu-driven violence.
We learn about a student’s love of Mr. Watson, an independent, free-thinking principal of St. Magnus School. He’s a man despised by the Jesuit priests who do everything to make Mr. Watson a failure and eventually wind up pushing him into an early retirement. Prejudice abounds on many unexpected levels in these stories.
Annie, whose husband has passed away, is now forced to move into her son’s home. This story depicts her memories and personal objects associated with tender times. Change is a difficult but positive reality for these people who have survived difficult but cherished days of old.
So these stories continue, depicting the severity of money-lenders who help the poor but harshly enforce the terms of that assistance. Kindness and compassion are anomalies in a city replete with those bordering on financial disaster at every moment of their lives, those who scramble for success in a fiercely competitive business environment.
It’s a hard world endured by the poor in these stories but rich in relationships and vivacious in determination to get ahead, no matter what the cost. Love of food, education, independence and different social groups fill these pages with delightful, yet real, stories sure to engage any and every reader. Keep writing, Ken Doyle – you’ve got the Muse!
February 28, 2013
Bombay Bhel by Ken Doyle is a collection of short stories drawn from daily life in Mumbai when the city was still called Bombay. The protagonists are average people striving to make their often humble livings in the metropolis balancing between modern European life-style and old Indian, above all religious traditions. Many of them are 'makapaos', thus members of a minority whose ancestors came from the Indo-Portuguese city of Goa, with Portuguese names and usually Roman-Catholic creed.
The topics raised are diverse and often grave. For instance, the first story - Aam Papad - shows the strong religious tensions in India between the Muslim and the Hindu population in a very dramatic way not sparing the reader pictures of burnt and looted dwellings, of people having been killed in the assault and of the small Muslim food vendor looking for his parents a day or two later who is beaten up and almost stabbed to death. Also arranged marriages, the acceptance of working married women and rape are themes dealt with in several stories along with the realities of Indian bureaucracy and the issue of curruption.
The author was born and raised in Bombay himself. Having Portuguese as well as Anglo-Indian roots he definitely knows the setting that he described. First-hand experience always is the best source for a writer, especially an emerging one like Ken Doyle. The stories of Bombay Bhel are full of life and captivating. I don’t dare judging the quality of style and language of an English-speaking author since I’m no native speaker of this language, but to me they seem used with the necessary care and precision. At any rate I enjoyed the read.
The topics raised are diverse and often grave. For instance, the first story - Aam Papad - shows the strong religious tensions in India between the Muslim and the Hindu population in a very dramatic way not sparing the reader pictures of burnt and looted dwellings, of people having been killed in the assault and of the small Muslim food vendor looking for his parents a day or two later who is beaten up and almost stabbed to death. Also arranged marriages, the acceptance of working married women and rape are themes dealt with in several stories along with the realities of Indian bureaucracy and the issue of curruption.
The author was born and raised in Bombay himself. Having Portuguese as well as Anglo-Indian roots he definitely knows the setting that he described. First-hand experience always is the best source for a writer, especially an emerging one like Ken Doyle. The stories of Bombay Bhel are full of life and captivating. I don’t dare judging the quality of style and language of an English-speaking author since I’m no native speaker of this language, but to me they seem used with the necessary care and precision. At any rate I enjoyed the read.
December 10, 2013
Interesting stories based in Bombay – you’re instantly transported and can smell, feel and experience Bombay itself through the writer’s vivid descriptions.
The stories are snapshots in time of people’s lives; trials and tribulations, and quite a lot of backstory in some of the stories builds a background and establishes a connection between the main character and others that are not actually present in the story. You begin to feel sympathy for some of the main characters from the word go because of the way the author presents them, and you’re rooting for them.
I’ve enjoyed reading the stories and the various well-formed characters; they are very well written. There are a couple of stories that end abruptly, leaving you wondering what might have happened next like Retribution.
In particular I enjoyed Cats; simple, short, and yet quite touching.
The stories are snapshots in time of people’s lives; trials and tribulations, and quite a lot of backstory in some of the stories builds a background and establishes a connection between the main character and others that are not actually present in the story. You begin to feel sympathy for some of the main characters from the word go because of the way the author presents them, and you’re rooting for them.
I’ve enjoyed reading the stories and the various well-formed characters; they are very well written. There are a couple of stories that end abruptly, leaving you wondering what might have happened next like Retribution.
In particular I enjoyed Cats; simple, short, and yet quite touching.
October 20, 2014
Stories from the former Bombay, now Mumbai, India about love, hate and daily struggles.
"The wedding gift" story is very popular here in our library at MyAmericanKids.com
Recommended to anyone who wants to read about India.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"The wedding gift" story is very popular here in our library at MyAmericanKids.com
Recommended to anyone who wants to read about India.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 31, 2014
Enjoyable short stories without tidy endings
This book features a series of fictional short stories set in Bombay. The stories are ones you can relate to if you have ever lived in that part of the world. I liked the fact that the stories often left you wondering what happened to a character.
This book features a series of fictional short stories set in Bombay. The stories are ones you can relate to if you have ever lived in that part of the world. I liked the fact that the stories often left you wondering what happened to a character.
May 23, 2014
Beautiful and evocative, these stories capture the pathos and drama of ordinary lives lived in the sprawling metropolis of Bombay perfectly. The language is wonderful, the prose sparkles. Each story a jewel, a gem to be treasured and savored. Will definitely be rereading this book. One to keep.
March 16, 2021
A wonderful collection of short stories that weave their way through live in Bombay; each story joined to the next by gossamer threads. Ken Doyle can write and in this collection he mixes the every day with the heart-breaking; the sweet and the sour. Thoroughly recommended.
December 25, 2013
This book actually has your mouth watering for all the local food described. Lovely short stories which leave you gripping for more...
March 27, 2014
A good collection of short stories.
June 23, 2019
'Bombay Bhel' by Ken Doyle is a collection of short stories set in Mumbai. Doyle was born in the city, part of a family with Anglo-Indian heritage and Portuguese Goan connections but his stories reflect the rich culture of the city, offering glimpses across the class and religious groups of Mumbai.
Bhel – or to give its longer name, Bhelpuri – is a type of Indian street food, comprising a mix of grains and vegetables all mixed together with spicy sauce. Each city or region has its own twists on Bhelpuri and Mumbai's version – Bombay Bhelpuri – is sold widely throughout the city, especially on its beaches such as Chowpatty. I assume that the book's title is symbolic of the 'mix' that characterises the city and which Doyle reflects in his stories.
Whilst I generally prefer novels, I sometimes find books of short stories handy for when I'm travelling and can't really settle to getting stuck into a 'proper' book. 'Bombay Bhel' offers a total of nine short stories, some loosely linked via schools or colleges that the characters have attended or locations where they live but each story can be read on its own as a stand-alone tale. Like the ingredients of the Bhelpuri, each ingredient is somehow enhanced by the others and I assume that is what Doyle has tried to achieve with this book.
We kick off with 'Aam Papad', a story about Hassan, a young Muslim street food vendor going in search of his relatives after violent riots in a district of the city and a Christian Goan schoolboy who misses Hassan and is concerned when he goes missing, off in search of his family. The aam papad of the title is a type of dried, leathery mango that's used in street food.
In the second story, 'A Different Music', a Parsi musician thinks back on his school days and the influence of his teacher who has recently died. The teacher, Mr Watson, was the only non-Jesuit in the school and was disapproved of by the brothers but became principal thanks to the endorsement of his predecessor. It's a story about doing the right thing, playing the game fairly even if doing so means you lose.
In 'Independence Day' an elderly Christian widow prepares to leave the home she shared with her husband and move in with her son and his wife whilst in 'Retribution', a young shop keeper fights to keep his business after thugs ransack his shop and he falls into debt to try to keep working. As the money lenders and the landlords lose patience, his life becomes fraught with danger. 'Cats' features a batty old English lady who shares her home with felines and has her home repossessed by the local government because she's not Indian.
'The Wedding Gift' is the story of a young couple who are given an apartment by the bride's parents and can find no peace due to the obligation under which it places them. 'The Deep Blue Sea' is about a young man who yearns to get a place at an American university to do scientific research but is working in an advertising agency, desperate to get out and use his education. 'Solar Power' takes a novel approach to a contemporary problem facing Mumbai's Parsee community, that of how to get rid of the bodies of their dead now that the traditional ways of putting them out to be eaten by vultures are under threat due to declining numbers of birds. Entrepreneurship is one of the classic characteristics of the Indian psyche and this is a fascinating story. The final story is 'Bhel Plaza', a lovely little tale about a street food vendor who keeps getting forced to rebuild his stall in order to meet changing local regulations.
There's something about Mumbai which seems to provide writers with a rich seam of stories into which they can tap. I've been reading books set in India for many years and of all the Indian cities, Mumbai is the one that inspires writers more than any other. Each of these little stories has elements which could easily have been expanded into something longer or more special. Personally, I like short stories that come with unexpected twists or surprising outcomes but these are mostly rather straight-forward, linear stories with simple structures and not too many surprises. A few times I felt sure there must be something more to come, only to have the story fizzle out, leaving me wondering if it could have been rather more than it was.
The author's Christian Goan roots do perhaps give the stories a slightly different flavour than those of local writers from other ethnic groups even though he seems to have tried to maintain a sense of balance and a distribution of great diversity that reflects the city's make up. I would say that the stories are good but not great, sometimes moving but rarely magical, not quite fascinating but fairly forgettable. I don't regret the time I spent reading them, but I doubt very much that I'd want to read them a second time.
Bhel – or to give its longer name, Bhelpuri – is a type of Indian street food, comprising a mix of grains and vegetables all mixed together with spicy sauce. Each city or region has its own twists on Bhelpuri and Mumbai's version – Bombay Bhelpuri – is sold widely throughout the city, especially on its beaches such as Chowpatty. I assume that the book's title is symbolic of the 'mix' that characterises the city and which Doyle reflects in his stories.
Whilst I generally prefer novels, I sometimes find books of short stories handy for when I'm travelling and can't really settle to getting stuck into a 'proper' book. 'Bombay Bhel' offers a total of nine short stories, some loosely linked via schools or colleges that the characters have attended or locations where they live but each story can be read on its own as a stand-alone tale. Like the ingredients of the Bhelpuri, each ingredient is somehow enhanced by the others and I assume that is what Doyle has tried to achieve with this book.
We kick off with 'Aam Papad', a story about Hassan, a young Muslim street food vendor going in search of his relatives after violent riots in a district of the city and a Christian Goan schoolboy who misses Hassan and is concerned when he goes missing, off in search of his family. The aam papad of the title is a type of dried, leathery mango that's used in street food.
In the second story, 'A Different Music', a Parsi musician thinks back on his school days and the influence of his teacher who has recently died. The teacher, Mr Watson, was the only non-Jesuit in the school and was disapproved of by the brothers but became principal thanks to the endorsement of his predecessor. It's a story about doing the right thing, playing the game fairly even if doing so means you lose.
In 'Independence Day' an elderly Christian widow prepares to leave the home she shared with her husband and move in with her son and his wife whilst in 'Retribution', a young shop keeper fights to keep his business after thugs ransack his shop and he falls into debt to try to keep working. As the money lenders and the landlords lose patience, his life becomes fraught with danger. 'Cats' features a batty old English lady who shares her home with felines and has her home repossessed by the local government because she's not Indian.
'The Wedding Gift' is the story of a young couple who are given an apartment by the bride's parents and can find no peace due to the obligation under which it places them. 'The Deep Blue Sea' is about a young man who yearns to get a place at an American university to do scientific research but is working in an advertising agency, desperate to get out and use his education. 'Solar Power' takes a novel approach to a contemporary problem facing Mumbai's Parsee community, that of how to get rid of the bodies of their dead now that the traditional ways of putting them out to be eaten by vultures are under threat due to declining numbers of birds. Entrepreneurship is one of the classic characteristics of the Indian psyche and this is a fascinating story. The final story is 'Bhel Plaza', a lovely little tale about a street food vendor who keeps getting forced to rebuild his stall in order to meet changing local regulations.
There's something about Mumbai which seems to provide writers with a rich seam of stories into which they can tap. I've been reading books set in India for many years and of all the Indian cities, Mumbai is the one that inspires writers more than any other. Each of these little stories has elements which could easily have been expanded into something longer or more special. Personally, I like short stories that come with unexpected twists or surprising outcomes but these are mostly rather straight-forward, linear stories with simple structures and not too many surprises. A few times I felt sure there must be something more to come, only to have the story fizzle out, leaving me wondering if it could have been rather more than it was.
The author's Christian Goan roots do perhaps give the stories a slightly different flavour than those of local writers from other ethnic groups even though he seems to have tried to maintain a sense of balance and a distribution of great diversity that reflects the city's make up. I would say that the stories are good but not great, sometimes moving but rarely magical, not quite fascinating but fairly forgettable. I don't regret the time I spent reading them, but I doubt very much that I'd want to read them a second time.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews