What do you think?
Rate this book
The Small-Town Sea
One of the outstanding storytellers in contemporary Indian writing'-Forbes India
Uprooted from a bustling city, the thirteen-year-old protagonist of The Small-town Sea is replanted in his father's home town where he struggles to cope with his new life. He reluctantly makes friends with Bilal, a boy who lives in the orphanage run by the local mosque. Together, they embark on clandestine adventures while his ailing father-whose last wish is to die listening to the sea he has grown up by and written books about-rediscovers people from his childhood by accident. But his father's death unsettles the boy's life again, and he finds himself grappling with altogether unexpected challenges.
Lyrical and haunting, sharply funny and achingly sad, The Small-town Sea is a masterful tale of love, friendship and family from one of our most compelling storytellers.
Uprooted from a bustling city, the thirteen-year-old protagonist of The Small-town Sea is replanted in his father's home town where he struggles to cope with his new life. He reluctantly makes friends with Bilal, a boy who lives in the orphanage run by the local mosque. Together, they embark on clandestine adventures while his ailing father-whose last wish is to die listening to the sea he has grown up by and written books about-rediscovers people from his childhood by accident. But his father's death unsettles the boy's life again, and he finds himself grappling with altogether unexpected challenges.
Lyrical and haunting, sharply funny and achingly sad, The Small-town Sea is a masterful tale of love, friendship and family from one of our most compelling storytellers.
283 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2017
42 people are currently reading
795 people want to read
About the author
Anees Salim
21 books157 followersAnees Salim is an advertising professional and is employed with Draft FCB Ulka. He loves being invisible and lives with his wife and son in Kochi. Vanity Bagh is his second novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
November 2, 2020
I started reading this book after I decided to move away from home for a while. I had promised myself that I would finish it before I was airborne, but like most self-promises, that did not happen. I read it during fits of calm when the plane shook a little less, when the dull ache in my head throbbed a little less cruelly. Soon, in a new place, on a temporary bed which, by wrapping it in bed sheets Amma had carefully packed, was made to smell of home, I read it slowly and carefully. And on the night I finally finished it, I went to bed with a dull ache that didn’t stop its throbbing for a long, long time.
I think it’s just a wild stretch of imagination, and being prone to wild stretches of imagination is the malady that haunts anyone with a penchant for storytelling.
In the face of minor and major losses, many amusing fictions proliferate inside the mind of the thirteen-year-old boy narrator. He also learns, graduating from one loss to another, the seductive and moving powers a narrative might lend to one’s life story— for example, so that his small-town companion Bila isn’t denied the pity and sympathy his tragic past has a claim to, the boy narrator kneads a story replete with minute details out of his friend's sad, droned out past.
Sometimes I imagined the photographs on the living room walls listening to me speaking on the phone and making wild guesses at what was said at the other end, and I occasionally smiled to mislead them.”
Like the father in the book, a writer, for a while I was back at the place which I had left in search of stories, the sound of a sea and the sporadic swells of its orchestra filling my ears. A story about the inevitability of loss often lends pause to consider the tally of your own losses. A story about the many futile walls you erect against such losses urges you down those familiar paths in time when you turned storyteller and created petty and grand fictions. But with its deafening roars and billowing waves, reality tends to swallow up most of them--though sometimes, that quirky piece of furniture, crouching in the shadows, is really playing hide and seek with someone and, would, at the first indication of an incoming footstep, flee from the scene, often a seemingly missing piece of everyday life doesn’t really amount to an evidence of a private yearning—more than often, it doesn’t go missing, but is instead tumbled down to brief periods of oblivion by the rattling, incessant, and onward growl of reality
Our tales, most of which we tell ourselves, we arrange them across the sea, foolishly hoping they would transform into sturdy rocks and send back the billowing waves in muted defeat. Sometimes a crack in the rock, chapped in the shape of time, does lead to secret places filled with promise and excitement--like the secret, private space the father and son discover at the beach.
But happy stories, the book reminds us, can turn sour, often with an errant turn of a sentence.
The book, its gentle breezes and the lulls of its setting constantly easing the mind, makes for a calm read. Silently and inevitably, with the same ease, the tragedy trickles down, like a raindrop having to trace its path down a windowpane. And in gentle, smoothly winding sentences, Anees Salim broke all of my heart with so little.
Though our stories might not always save us, most of us sit under their shade, looking at the sea, listening to its roar, which is sometimes sweet and music to us, and waiting for its next, and inevitable, swell.
I think it’s just a wild stretch of imagination, and being prone to wild stretches of imagination is the malady that haunts anyone with a penchant for storytelling.
In the face of minor and major losses, many amusing fictions proliferate inside the mind of the thirteen-year-old boy narrator. He also learns, graduating from one loss to another, the seductive and moving powers a narrative might lend to one’s life story— for example, so that his small-town companion Bila isn’t denied the pity and sympathy his tragic past has a claim to, the boy narrator kneads a story replete with minute details out of his friend's sad, droned out past.
Sometimes I imagined the photographs on the living room walls listening to me speaking on the phone and making wild guesses at what was said at the other end, and I occasionally smiled to mislead them.”
Like the father in the book, a writer, for a while I was back at the place which I had left in search of stories, the sound of a sea and the sporadic swells of its orchestra filling my ears. A story about the inevitability of loss often lends pause to consider the tally of your own losses. A story about the many futile walls you erect against such losses urges you down those familiar paths in time when you turned storyteller and created petty and grand fictions. But with its deafening roars and billowing waves, reality tends to swallow up most of them--though sometimes, that quirky piece of furniture, crouching in the shadows, is really playing hide and seek with someone and, would, at the first indication of an incoming footstep, flee from the scene, often a seemingly missing piece of everyday life doesn’t really amount to an evidence of a private yearning—more than often, it doesn’t go missing, but is instead tumbled down to brief periods of oblivion by the rattling, incessant, and onward growl of reality
Our tales, most of which we tell ourselves, we arrange them across the sea, foolishly hoping they would transform into sturdy rocks and send back the billowing waves in muted defeat. Sometimes a crack in the rock, chapped in the shape of time, does lead to secret places filled with promise and excitement--like the secret, private space the father and son discover at the beach.
But happy stories, the book reminds us, can turn sour, often with an errant turn of a sentence.
The book, its gentle breezes and the lulls of its setting constantly easing the mind, makes for a calm read. Silently and inevitably, with the same ease, the tragedy trickles down, like a raindrop having to trace its path down a windowpane. And in gentle, smoothly winding sentences, Anees Salim broke all of my heart with so little.
Though our stories might not always save us, most of us sit under their shade, looking at the sea, listening to its roar, which is sometimes sweet and music to us, and waiting for its next, and inevitable, swell.
May 18, 2020
Before I start talking about the book, I must talk about how profoundly the author talks about sadness and death. This is my second book by him so although I was buckled up for the emotional ride, the book still managed to leave me all choked up. The impending loom that gathers around you with each line still shocks you when it manifests as reality.
This semi-autobiographical book is narrated through the eyes of a boy, he tells us about the small town that his dying father wants to spend his lasts days in, the sea that's constantly there, the corroding life his father is living and much more.
Once famous, now forgotten, his father is never shown as an overtly attached family man but he loves them in his own way.
The scene where they visit the beach and his father teaching him to walk alone will stay with me.
His father passes away and their lives change. His mother is forced to make a decision that will alter everyone's life. The innocent boy is left behind clutching miserably onto to the last straws that bore semblance to his old life.
Loss of people who are close to you is never easy to bear and the people who are left behind learn to cope up in their own ways. Some move on, some grieve, some carry on with the happy memories. The writer has managed to web these despondent emotions without losing the innocence of the narrator.
This semi-autobiographical book is narrated through the eyes of a boy, he tells us about the small town that his dying father wants to spend his lasts days in, the sea that's constantly there, the corroding life his father is living and much more.
Once famous, now forgotten, his father is never shown as an overtly attached family man but he loves them in his own way.
The scene where they visit the beach and his father teaching him to walk alone will stay with me.
His father passes away and their lives change. His mother is forced to make a decision that will alter everyone's life. The innocent boy is left behind clutching miserably onto to the last straws that bore semblance to his old life.
Loss of people who are close to you is never easy to bear and the people who are left behind learn to cope up in their own ways. Some move on, some grieve, some carry on with the happy memories. The writer has managed to web these despondent emotions without losing the innocence of the narrator.
May 4, 2021
A melancholic, beautiful story ..
How my heart bled for the young narrator who faced many a calamity with stoicism. Here I am , who has the habit of making mountain out of molehill , and there he was ..who traversed the rough terrain of life matter of factly .
I don't know the name of the boy, his father , mother or paternal grandmother ...only his friends and little sister Little, have names . I don't know the names of the city he initially lived in, and the small seaside town he was compelled to shift to. I just imagine the city as Kochi as he talks of a newly developing metro rail and am quite sure that the story takes place in kerala due to the colloquial terms used to address his parents and grandmother .
Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this left amd right , but be warned it is not a happy book.
How my heart bled for the young narrator who faced many a calamity with stoicism. Here I am , who has the habit of making mountain out of molehill , and there he was ..who traversed the rough terrain of life matter of factly .
I don't know the name of the boy, his father , mother or paternal grandmother ...only his friends and little sister Little, have names . I don't know the names of the city he initially lived in, and the small seaside town he was compelled to shift to. I just imagine the city as Kochi as he talks of a newly developing metro rail and am quite sure that the story takes place in kerala due to the colloquial terms used to address his parents and grandmother .
Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this left amd right , but be warned it is not a happy book.
January 19, 2018
Oh boy, heartbreaking! Not that the book is bad; it's just so poignant that it hurts. Anees Salim is the quintessential storyteller from Kerala with his penchant for the characteristic Malayali pathos. Like those Adoor Gopalakrishnan movies and their ilk of yore. He does well to mask the sadness and has done extremely well to keep melodrama at bay, the latter which is abundant in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner - one of my favourite books with which I drew parallels while reading this book. I loved the prose: clear, simple, and moving.
Will I read other books by the author? I certainly will! Already have my eyes set on Vanity Bagh and The Blind Lady's Descendants. But not now, not so soon. I need a dose of GoT or the next in the Conn Iggulden Conqueror series before the next Anees Salim (or for that matter, Elif Shafak).
Will I read other books by the author? I certainly will! Already have my eyes set on Vanity Bagh and The Blind Lady's Descendants. But not now, not so soon. I need a dose of GoT or the next in the Conn Iggulden Conqueror series before the next Anees Salim (or for that matter, Elif Shafak).
September 2, 2018
"The sky has no colours."
Of all the books I have read, not many have managed to remind me of my initial hostel days as a seven year old. And this one did. And I shall stop here.
Of all the books I have read, not many have managed to remind me of my initial hostel days as a seven year old. And this one did. And I shall stop here.
July 3, 2021
The small town sea - anees salim
ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಕಣ್ಣಿಂದ ಜಗತ್ತು ಕಾಣುವ ರೀತಿ ಭಿನ್ನ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಮಾನಸಿಕವಾಗಿ ಸ್ವಸ್ಥವಿಲ್ಲದವರ ಕಣ್ಣಿನಿಂದ ಕೂಡ.
ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ curious incident of the dog in the night time ಎಂಬ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯೂ ,ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಗಾಳಿಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ಚಂದ್ರನ ತುಂಡುಗಳು ಎಂಬ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯೂ ಬಂದಿದೆ.
ಚಂದಿರ ಬೇಕೆಂದವನೂ ಎಂಬ ಅನುಭವ ಕಥನವೂ ಈ ಬಗೆಯದೇ.
ನಾನಿಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಹೊರಟಿರುವುದು ಆ ಬಗೆಯ ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲ. ಇದು to kill a mocking bird ತರಹದ್ದು. ದೊಡ್ಡವರ ಜಗತ್ತನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ತಮ್ಮದೇ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಿಸುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳದ್ದು.
ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಭಾವಗೀತೆಯ ಲಯವುಳ್ಳದ್ದು. ಶುರುವಾಗುವಾಗಲೇ ಇದು ಸುಖಾಂತ್ಯದ್ದಲ್ಲವೆಂಬುದು ಮನದಟ್ಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ನಿರೂಪಕನ ಅಪ್ಪ ಸಾವಿಗೆ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನೆಣಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ.ಅದಕ್ಕಾಗಿಯೇ ಅವರು ಶಹರದ ಮನೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಅವರ ಹುಟ್ಟೂರಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ತಾನು ಬೆಳೆದ ಪೂರ್ವಿಕರ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನಪ್ಪ ಇರಲೊಲ್ಲ. ಅವನಿಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಸಾವಿಗೆ ತನ್ನದೇ ನೆನಪುಗಳು ಬೇಕು. ಅದಕ್ಕೆಂದೇ ಸಮುದ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಹತ್ತಿರವಿರುವ ಮನೆಯೊಂದರಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ ಬಾಡಿಗೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ನಿರೂಪಕನಿಗೆ ಅಮ್ಮ ಅಪ್ಪ ಪುಟ್ಟ ತಂಗಿ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅದೇ ಊರಲ್ಲಿ ಆಂಟಿ ,ಅಜ್ಜಿಯೂ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅವನ ಜಗತ್ತು ಭಿನ್ನವಲ್ಲವೇ?
ಅವನಿಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಅನಾಥನಾದ ಒಬ್ಬ ಹುಡುಗನ ಸಖ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ರೈಲಿಗೆ ತಲೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡವಳು ತನ್ನ ಅಮ್ಮನಿರಬಹುದೇ ಎಂದು ನಂಬಿದ ,ಮಜವಾದ ಕಥೆಗಳ ನಿಜ ಎಂದೇ ನಂಬಿಸುವ ಹುಡುಗ ಇವನ ಗೆಳೆಯ.. ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನಿರೂಪಕನ ಜಗತ್ತು ತೆರೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ..ಅವನೂ ಮತ್ತು ಕ್ಯಾನ್ಸರ್ ಬಂದು ಸಾವಿಗೆ ದಿನ ಕಾಯುವ ಅಪ್ಪ ಬೀಚಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಲು ರಹಸ್ಯ ದಾರಿಯೊಂದನ್ನು ಪತ್ತೆ ಹಚ್ಚುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅದೊಂದು ಖಾಸಗಿ ಬೀಚಿಗೆ ತೆರೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಪ್ಪ ಮಗನಾಗೇ ಉಳಿದ ಈ ಗುಟ್ಟೂ,ಗುಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಉಳಿಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
ನಮಗೆ ಹೇಗೂ ಮೊದಲೇ ಗೊತ್ತಿರುತ್ತದೆ.
ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದೇ ಪವಾಡಗಳಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು.
ಈ ಸಾಲು ಗಮನಿಸಿ.
" ಜೊತೆಗೇ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನನ್ನ ಕರೆದು ಅಪ್ಪ 'ನೀನು ಒಂದೋ ಮುಂದೆ ನಡೆ ಇಲ್ಲ ಹಿಂದೆ ನಡೆ ಎಂದರು. ಯಾಕಪ್ಪಾ? ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ ನೀನು ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ನಡೆಯಲು ಕಲಿಯಬೇಕು ಎಂಬುದವರ ಉತ್ತರವಾಗಿತ್ತು "
ಈ ಸಾಲುಗಳಿಗೆ ಅರ್ಥ ಬರುವುದು ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ನಡುವಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪ್ಪ ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡಾಗ ,ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನಿರೂಪಕ ಬೇರೆಯೇ ಆದ ಜಗತ್ತಿಗೆ ಮುಖಾಮುಖಿಯಾಗಬೇಕಾಗಿ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ..
ಮೊದಲೇ ಹೇಳಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಇದು ಥ್ರಿಲ್ಲರ್ ಅಥವಾ ರಹಸ್ಯ ಒಡೆವ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ಬದುಕಿನ ನಿರ್ದಯ ಕೈಯೊಂದು ನೀರೊಳಗೆ ಅಮುಕಿ ಉಸಿರಾಡಲು ಅವಕಾಶ ಕೊಡದೆ ಮಜಾ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಗಹಗಹಿಸುವ ತರಹದ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ.
ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಊರಿನ ಕಥೆ ಮತ್ತು ಗದ್ಯದ ಲಯಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಯಾವತ್ತಿಗೂ ವಿಷಾದಕ್ಕಿರುವ ಚುಂಬಕ ಶಕ್ತಿಗಾಗಿ ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಕಣ್ಣಿಂದ ಜಗತ್ತು ಕಾಣುವ ರೀತಿ ಭಿನ್ನ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಮಾನಸಿಕವಾಗಿ ಸ್ವಸ್ಥವಿಲ್ಲದವರ ಕಣ್ಣಿನಿಂದ ಕೂಡ.
ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ curious incident of the dog in the night time ಎಂಬ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯೂ ,ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಗಾಳಿಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ಚಂದ್ರನ ತುಂಡುಗಳು ಎಂಬ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯೂ ಬಂದಿದೆ.
ಚಂದಿರ ಬೇಕೆಂದವನೂ ಎಂಬ ಅನುಭವ ಕಥನವೂ ಈ ಬಗೆಯದೇ.
ನಾನಿಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಹೊರಟಿರುವುದು ಆ ಬಗೆಯ ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲ. ಇದು to kill a mocking bird ತರಹದ್ದು. ದೊಡ್ಡವರ ಜಗತ್ತನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ತಮ್ಮದೇ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಿಸುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳದ್ದು.
ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಭಾವಗೀತೆಯ ಲಯವುಳ್ಳದ್ದು. ಶುರುವಾಗುವಾಗಲೇ ಇದು ಸುಖಾಂತ್ಯದ್ದಲ್ಲವೆಂಬುದು ಮನದಟ್ಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ನಿರೂಪಕನ ಅಪ್ಪ ಸಾವಿಗೆ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನೆಣಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ.ಅದಕ್ಕಾಗಿಯೇ ಅವರು ಶಹರದ ಮನೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಅವರ ಹುಟ್ಟೂರಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ತಾನು ಬೆಳೆದ ಪೂರ್ವಿಕರ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನಪ್ಪ ಇರಲೊಲ್ಲ. ಅವನಿಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಸಾವಿಗೆ ತನ್ನದೇ ನೆನಪುಗಳು ಬೇಕು. ಅದಕ್ಕೆಂದೇ ಸಮುದ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಹತ್ತಿರವಿರುವ ಮನೆಯೊಂದರಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ ಬಾಡಿಗೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ನಿರೂಪಕನಿಗೆ ಅಮ್ಮ ಅಪ್ಪ ಪುಟ್ಟ ತಂಗಿ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅದೇ ಊರಲ್ಲಿ ಆಂಟಿ ,ಅಜ್ಜಿಯೂ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅವನ ಜಗತ್ತು ಭಿನ್ನವಲ್ಲವೇ?
ಅವನಿಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಅನಾಥನಾದ ಒಬ್ಬ ಹುಡುಗನ ಸಖ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ರೈಲಿಗೆ ತಲೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡವಳು ತನ್ನ ಅಮ್ಮನಿರಬಹುದೇ ಎಂದು ನಂಬಿದ ,ಮಜವಾದ ಕಥೆಗಳ ನಿಜ ಎಂದೇ ನಂಬಿಸುವ ಹುಡುಗ ಇವನ ಗೆಳೆಯ.. ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನಿರೂಪಕನ ಜಗತ್ತು ತೆರೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ..ಅವನೂ ಮತ್ತು ಕ್ಯಾನ್ಸರ್ ಬಂದು ಸಾವಿಗೆ ದಿನ ಕಾಯುವ ಅಪ್ಪ ಬೀಚಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಲು ರಹಸ್ಯ ದಾರಿಯೊಂದನ್ನು ಪತ್ತೆ ಹಚ್ಚುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅದೊಂದು ಖಾಸಗಿ ಬೀಚಿಗೆ ತೆರೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಪ್ಪ ಮಗನಾಗೇ ಉಳಿದ ಈ ಗುಟ್ಟೂ,ಗುಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಉಳಿಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
ನಮಗೆ ಹೇಗೂ ಮೊದಲೇ ಗೊತ್ತಿರುತ್ತದೆ.
ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದೇ ಪವಾಡಗಳಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು.
ಈ ಸಾಲು ಗಮನಿಸಿ.
" ಜೊತೆಗೇ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನನ್ನ ಕರೆದು ಅಪ್ಪ 'ನೀನು ಒಂದೋ ಮುಂದೆ ನಡೆ ಇಲ್ಲ ಹಿಂದೆ ನಡೆ ಎಂದರು. ಯಾಕಪ್ಪಾ? ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ ನೀನು ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ನಡೆಯಲು ಕಲಿಯಬೇಕು ಎಂಬುದವರ ಉತ್ತರವಾಗಿತ್ತು "
ಈ ಸಾಲುಗಳಿಗೆ ಅರ್ಥ ಬರುವುದು ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ನಡುವಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪ್ಪ ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡಾಗ ,ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನಿರೂಪಕ ಬೇರೆಯೇ ಆದ ಜಗತ್ತಿಗೆ ಮುಖಾಮುಖಿಯಾಗಬೇಕಾಗಿ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ..
ಮೊದಲೇ ಹೇಳಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಇದು ಥ್ರಿಲ್ಲರ್ ಅಥವಾ ರಹಸ್ಯ ಒಡೆವ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ಬದುಕಿನ ನಿರ್ದಯ ಕೈಯೊಂದು ನೀರೊಳಗೆ ಅಮುಕಿ ಉಸಿರಾಡಲು ಅವಕಾಶ ಕೊಡದೆ ಮಜಾ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಗಹಗಹಿಸುವ ತರಹದ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ.
ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಊರಿನ ಕಥೆ ಮತ್ತು ಗದ್ಯದ ಲಯಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಯಾವತ್ತಿಗೂ ವಿಷಾದಕ್ಕಿರುವ ಚುಂಬಕ ಶಕ್ತಿಗಾಗಿ ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
March 28, 2020
Few things can replace the beauty of a well written book. Characters that grow on you, that seem to be with you always & that is gonna stay is a case of wonder that shouldn't be missed.
The story will grow on you, The protagonist & his life may seem familiar but the world of it will take you by its warmth
Death is indeed a bigger storyteller or may be a story creator. The boy in the story comes to the village as death is looming in his family & it is death that makes him change his path & the learning all comes from these life changing moments
The story is predictable & the twist can be seen from far far away but the boy will make u feel & will wanna protect him from the world & hope only good comes his way
The story will grow on you, The protagonist & his life may seem familiar but the world of it will take you by its warmth
Death is indeed a bigger storyteller or may be a story creator. The boy in the story comes to the village as death is looming in his family & it is death that makes him change his path & the learning all comes from these life changing moments
The story is predictable & the twist can be seen from far far away but the boy will make u feel & will wanna protect him from the world & hope only good comes his way
November 13, 2025
The closest I’ve come to tearing up after reading a book in over a decade.
May 9, 2021
It's almost like sadness needs Anees Salim's non-melodramatic prose to go with "a dry, Citrusy tang" taste it leaves in the back of your throat. This book is all things beautiful about dying, death, abandonment and loss.
Told from the standpoint of 13 year old narrator who is writing to a publisher Mr.Unwin, the book is extremely measured. The family has been uprooted from near the metro construction in a city to the small town for his Vappa's last days. The sound of the sea and the people from his father's past in the backdrop of dying makes the first part. There is even humour in the small events and the boy making sense of his world.
The many events following his father's death in his family happen like multiple road accidents - with an inevitability but you don't see them all coming. And yet, the book with it's prose is a delight.
One of the book reviews I read said "Sadness is devastatingly beautiful in Anees Salim's novel". I concur.
Told from the standpoint of 13 year old narrator who is writing to a publisher Mr.Unwin, the book is extremely measured. The family has been uprooted from near the metro construction in a city to the small town for his Vappa's last days. The sound of the sea and the people from his father's past in the backdrop of dying makes the first part. There is even humour in the small events and the boy making sense of his world.
The many events following his father's death in his family happen like multiple road accidents - with an inevitability but you don't see them all coming. And yet, the book with it's prose is a delight.
One of the book reviews I read said "Sadness is devastatingly beautiful in Anees Salim's novel". I concur.
July 4, 2018
A bittersweet tale of growing up, dealing with bereavement, and getting lost in finding one's way back home. A book of simple, hidden joys, and tender sadness, with a prose as magnificent and alive as the sound of the sea itself.
April 26, 2020
I can almost see the house by the cliff and the places the narrator has been at.
March 16, 2025
This is really a 4.5 for me.
I remember reading somewhere that the stones in the stream are what makes its song so sweet or something to that effect, suggesting that sorrow is a catalyst for great art. A succession of recent books seems to indicate that this could be true.
M Mukundan, Easterine Kire, and now Anees Salim have all made me shed tears, but I am compelled at the same time to admire their skill.
For my Kerala read on my self-assigned #ReadingIndia challenge, I chose Anees Salim’s The Small Town Sea. Again, I was lazy and instead of researching a book for the state, I picked one off my TBR shelf.
Salim has a way with words that makes the book a visual experience. For instance, very early on, the unnamed protagonist, also the narrator, observes: ‘Little pressed her palms against Aunt Yasmin’s chest and leaned backwards to touch the rain that fell into the courtyard.’ And you can picture the scene: raindrops falling from the eaves, a little girl’s body arching backwards, face upturned to the rain and maybe an indulgent sad smile on the aunt’s face or a tug to get her properly balanced again. For me, the whole book unfurled like a movie. And somewhere in the back of my mind was the soundtrack of Malgudi Days although there is very little similarity besides the small-town aesthetics and the young male protagonist and his friend/s. This is a much sadder tale.
That said, this is not heavy like Mukundan’s Delhi: A Soliloquy. Its lightness probably has to do with the tone and the language. There is a mockery in the structure itself, addressed as it is to a literary agent who rejected the young boy’s father’s literary efforts, a foreigner who deemed the production not good enough although in his state, the novelist did eventually merit a front-page obituary. And the boy’s imagination which is both rich and leads to some hilarious scenes as well as some really sad ones. The unremitting succession of deaths is alleviated by the writing, which is lovely and kept me hooked till the end. I was reminded of Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible. I cannot make a conscious comparison but some passages just brought Kingsolver’s writing to mind.
There is also the fact that the book offers us a glimpse into the life of some Indian Muslims, of daily customs, of the mundane and the smile-inducing, all of which we need desperately to counter the narrative that a few violent terrorists sum up all the people who practise a particular faith.
All in all, not a happy story but a beautifully narrated one.
I remember reading somewhere that the stones in the stream are what makes its song so sweet or something to that effect, suggesting that sorrow is a catalyst for great art. A succession of recent books seems to indicate that this could be true.
M Mukundan, Easterine Kire, and now Anees Salim have all made me shed tears, but I am compelled at the same time to admire their skill.
For my Kerala read on my self-assigned #ReadingIndia challenge, I chose Anees Salim’s The Small Town Sea. Again, I was lazy and instead of researching a book for the state, I picked one off my TBR shelf.
Salim has a way with words that makes the book a visual experience. For instance, very early on, the unnamed protagonist, also the narrator, observes: ‘Little pressed her palms against Aunt Yasmin’s chest and leaned backwards to touch the rain that fell into the courtyard.’ And you can picture the scene: raindrops falling from the eaves, a little girl’s body arching backwards, face upturned to the rain and maybe an indulgent sad smile on the aunt’s face or a tug to get her properly balanced again. For me, the whole book unfurled like a movie. And somewhere in the back of my mind was the soundtrack of Malgudi Days although there is very little similarity besides the small-town aesthetics and the young male protagonist and his friend/s. This is a much sadder tale.
That said, this is not heavy like Mukundan’s Delhi: A Soliloquy. Its lightness probably has to do with the tone and the language. There is a mockery in the structure itself, addressed as it is to a literary agent who rejected the young boy’s father’s literary efforts, a foreigner who deemed the production not good enough although in his state, the novelist did eventually merit a front-page obituary. And the boy’s imagination which is both rich and leads to some hilarious scenes as well as some really sad ones. The unremitting succession of deaths is alleviated by the writing, which is lovely and kept me hooked till the end. I was reminded of Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible. I cannot make a conscious comparison but some passages just brought Kingsolver’s writing to mind.
There is also the fact that the book offers us a glimpse into the life of some Indian Muslims, of daily customs, of the mundane and the smile-inducing, all of which we need desperately to counter the narrative that a few violent terrorists sum up all the people who practise a particular faith.
All in all, not a happy story but a beautifully narrated one.
May 14, 2019
Anees Salim’s ‘The Small Town Sea’ was a quick read, not because of the less content, but because of the lushness of life in the content. As Anees’ other works, the story is placed in a small town of Kerala where there is a railway line, a mosque, coconut grove, and of course, a beach. Like other novels this one also circles around the life in a small family which is perceived through the eyes of a kid who experiences the roller-coaster ride of emotions when he lost his father, mother, sister, his close friend and his grandma. The way the feelings are laid out in the narration and how life uncoils in front of us through the stunning semantics the author uses and the delivery of the finest specifics of the landscape makes this book and great reading experience.
This book is going to be adapted as a feature film soon.
This book is going to be adapted as a feature film soon.
June 14, 2021
i really dont know what to think
anees salim is a brilliant writer
the narrative voice was intriguing and gripping, unique and confusing. his writing and the narrator's voice are what stuck out to me the most
reading the theme of loss and change so vividly from a child's perspective was really interesting and done super well
the story as a whole left me at a loss tho, i don't know what to take away at the end other than societal expectations suck, and i hate aunt miriam and im mad at his mom.
i don't think im intellectual enough for it i don't know
it upset me. a lot of the events when put together just really upset me. but the way they were written was fascinating, gripping and visceral
i cant word my thoughts at all about this book tbh, i feel muddled up
worth reading
anees salim is a brilliant writer
the narrative voice was intriguing and gripping, unique and confusing. his writing and the narrator's voice are what stuck out to me the most
reading the theme of loss and change so vividly from a child's perspective was really interesting and done super well
the story as a whole left me at a loss tho, i don't know what to take away at the end other than societal expectations suck, and i hate aunt miriam and im mad at his mom.
i don't think im intellectual enough for it i don't know
it upset me. a lot of the events when put together just really upset me. but the way they were written was fascinating, gripping and visceral
i cant word my thoughts at all about this book tbh, i feel muddled up
worth reading
May 2, 2018
Adolescence is difficult to capture in art, ethereal and ephemeral as it is. I can't think of many authors (or filmmakers) who've captured what it means to be an Indian child in India. This book is a good example with its measured pace and precocious POV. Add to that tackling abandonment, loss, and displacement with aplomb.
However, the book also drags in places, the pace never rising or falling, to the point of monotony. I found the final chapters to be clunky, rushed, and forced.
I want to give this 3.5 because 3 is too little and 4 is too much.
However, the book also drags in places, the pace never rising or falling, to the point of monotony. I found the final chapters to be clunky, rushed, and forced.
I want to give this 3.5 because 3 is too little and 4 is too much.
May 14, 2020
A few days ago I read this book and yesterday, when I was watching Abbas's Kiarostami's koker trilogy I thought that perhaps the author of this book has created a similar world of childhood innocence in his story too. Both trying to convey the psychological truth of early childhood experiences with an utmost sincerity without being pensive. The small town sea was such a delightful experience and now I am looking forward to reading his another book called The Blind Lady’s Descendants.
December 25, 2017
A quiet profound book on death.
July 31, 2018
A heartbreaking read, that doesn't even let you write a review. Worth a read for the way Anees Salim masterfully weaves this story out of his words.
August 5, 2019
#2019 #YearInBooks Book 64
When in bed unwell, and unable to sleep, a bibliophile's best outlet is a good book. This book has been on my TBR for a while now, and I'm glad I finally finished reading it.
The author's narration style is dipped in inks of poignancy. Given the book begins with death and the moments before it, the last moments of Vappa, that is expected. But even in the teenage narrator's voice, that can be seen through the novel.
I liked the small mischiefs Bilal and the narrator get into, the imagination of the children making a story of small things. That was fun to read. The descriptions were delectable too. Knowing Vappa was going to die kind of made it sad though.
And yet, life after Vappa's death is what is sadder. I somehow think there are unsaid things there, slowly dissolving into loneliness for the narrator. I didn't expect that. I wonder if the narrator deserved that, if that was how life went.
Even after I turn the last page, I somehow find myself drawn back to the secret beach, to the pirates, to Bilal, to Little, to the narrator and to the small-town sea that ties them all together. Apart from the sense of poignancy that accompanies it, I suppose that is a good thing.
When in bed unwell, and unable to sleep, a bibliophile's best outlet is a good book. This book has been on my TBR for a while now, and I'm glad I finally finished reading it.
The author's narration style is dipped in inks of poignancy. Given the book begins with death and the moments before it, the last moments of Vappa, that is expected. But even in the teenage narrator's voice, that can be seen through the novel.
I liked the small mischiefs Bilal and the narrator get into, the imagination of the children making a story of small things. That was fun to read. The descriptions were delectable too. Knowing Vappa was going to die kind of made it sad though.
And yet, life after Vappa's death is what is sadder. I somehow think there are unsaid things there, slowly dissolving into loneliness for the narrator. I didn't expect that. I wonder if the narrator deserved that, if that was how life went.
Even after I turn the last page, I somehow find myself drawn back to the secret beach, to the pirates, to Bilal, to Little, to the narrator and to the small-town sea that ties them all together. Apart from the sense of poignancy that accompanies it, I suppose that is a good thing.
August 19, 2019
When I was five or six an old man in the neighbourhood died . Someone told me that they would take him to the mosque and bury him. Can’t remember who told me that everyone has to die some day or the other. I remember crying thinking about the death of my parents and waiting outside the lane where it met the turn of the road for my father , with a heavy heart.
That death followed no rules of seniority sank in deeply when my youngest baby brother died when he was just over two months old. It was raining that evening when they buried him. Even decades later, when I sat for a meditation course, the memory of a fragile body weighed down by the wet soil would come churning up with a suffocating sensation.
I remember how cold my father’s cheeks felt when he passed away. By then I had grown up and acceptance did come eventually. Then I became a mother and the frame of reference with that ultimate truth of life changed. I worried about my own death and how hapless that would leave my children. How vulnerable my absence would make them. The logical reality of millions of human beings having survived the death of their parents, doesn’t often work.
Anees Salim’s latest book, “The Small Town Sea”, is the author’s fictionalised scenario of what his son’s life would be without him. He mentions in his interviews that he had had a dream that he had died and his son was left alone to fend for himself , in the small town by the sea , where he had grown up. It is relatable, that anguish , but it is not everyone who can write a whole book as an expression of that angst.
There is a certain wry humour that the author always brings into even the most tragic of circumstances in the tales he recounts in his books and so you come across a narration by the son in this book ( the entire story is told through a letter the young man writes to a publisher with whom his father had been in touch with) which goes thus :
”Nobody had expected Vappa to survive the previous night. He had spent the whole of it groaning in a way that sounded almost like false laughter. At one point he sounded so hoarse with pain that I could think of nothing but his funeral. Vappumma forbade me from going to bed; she wanted me to watch Vappa go. She probably thought Vappa would want to give me a last piece of advice or a kiss before he went. A kiss would be embarrassing. He never kissed me outside old photographs. I hoped he would die without wanting to kiss me” and this tone when he tells us of the time his father started crying when he had called his childhood friends for the Eid feast, which would probably have been his last, “And I secretly admired the indifference with which he dealt with his own impending death; by breaking down and sobbing like a child , he destroyed the possible family legend of a man who faced death with the hint of a smile”.
Bilal, the boy from the orphanage with whom the narrator of the story becomes friends and whose commentary from the top of the coconut trunk of the scenes of pirates and violent ends that he said he was witnessing makes us smile as surely does the sadness that creeps up at his death in those same waters. Tarzan’s bird’s eye view from atop the coconut trees that he climbs to pluck the coconuts and that of the boy who is telling us about it, is not exactly the same ; the former is incidental and traumatic for his mother who had stepped into the bathroom outside which had no roof, to take a bath. The latter is a technique of detachment that perhaps only a thirteen year old boy can become adept at. Sometimes, it is the glider’s view . When his Vapumma died , it was through the antelope head fixed on the wall that he tried to survey the funeral scene.
At many places through the book one marvels at the way the author makes himself dwell inside the character of a thirteen year old and makes us empathise with the loss of his father and the uncertainties of a future without his mother whose remarriage was being arranged for and then the death of his grandmother in whose care he was left behind when she went away, without the narrative becoming maudlin .
Anees Salim admits that he had secretly borrowed his son’s voice to tell the story). Sometimes he uses that voice to take a dig at himself as well (or not).
“Since he had first won an award, Vappa met every question about his livelihood with a frown. The question left him irritated, but he usually answered it with a smile, which was actually a smile of anger. He would say he eked out a living out of writing advertisements, that when writing advertisements did not give him enough, which it usually did not, he borrowed or stole money, that he was planning to rob a bank the next week and if the operation went without a hitch, a jeweller the week after that. He would say everything smiling , his voice a bit harder than usual , so people did not exactly know if he was being funny or making fun of them, except Umma.”
Anees Salim couldn’t have summed up his style better than that :-)
As his loyal reader , I’m sure he’s never gonna have to rob a bank and that his books which will get written one after another, will bring him all the dough he needs with a mere swipe of his ATM card :-)
That death followed no rules of seniority sank in deeply when my youngest baby brother died when he was just over two months old. It was raining that evening when they buried him. Even decades later, when I sat for a meditation course, the memory of a fragile body weighed down by the wet soil would come churning up with a suffocating sensation.
I remember how cold my father’s cheeks felt when he passed away. By then I had grown up and acceptance did come eventually. Then I became a mother and the frame of reference with that ultimate truth of life changed. I worried about my own death and how hapless that would leave my children. How vulnerable my absence would make them. The logical reality of millions of human beings having survived the death of their parents, doesn’t often work.
Anees Salim’s latest book, “The Small Town Sea”, is the author’s fictionalised scenario of what his son’s life would be without him. He mentions in his interviews that he had had a dream that he had died and his son was left alone to fend for himself , in the small town by the sea , where he had grown up. It is relatable, that anguish , but it is not everyone who can write a whole book as an expression of that angst.
There is a certain wry humour that the author always brings into even the most tragic of circumstances in the tales he recounts in his books and so you come across a narration by the son in this book ( the entire story is told through a letter the young man writes to a publisher with whom his father had been in touch with) which goes thus :
”Nobody had expected Vappa to survive the previous night. He had spent the whole of it groaning in a way that sounded almost like false laughter. At one point he sounded so hoarse with pain that I could think of nothing but his funeral. Vappumma forbade me from going to bed; she wanted me to watch Vappa go. She probably thought Vappa would want to give me a last piece of advice or a kiss before he went. A kiss would be embarrassing. He never kissed me outside old photographs. I hoped he would die without wanting to kiss me” and this tone when he tells us of the time his father started crying when he had called his childhood friends for the Eid feast, which would probably have been his last, “And I secretly admired the indifference with which he dealt with his own impending death; by breaking down and sobbing like a child , he destroyed the possible family legend of a man who faced death with the hint of a smile”.
Bilal, the boy from the orphanage with whom the narrator of the story becomes friends and whose commentary from the top of the coconut trunk of the scenes of pirates and violent ends that he said he was witnessing makes us smile as surely does the sadness that creeps up at his death in those same waters. Tarzan’s bird’s eye view from atop the coconut trees that he climbs to pluck the coconuts and that of the boy who is telling us about it, is not exactly the same ; the former is incidental and traumatic for his mother who had stepped into the bathroom outside which had no roof, to take a bath. The latter is a technique of detachment that perhaps only a thirteen year old boy can become adept at. Sometimes, it is the glider’s view . When his Vapumma died , it was through the antelope head fixed on the wall that he tried to survey the funeral scene.
At many places through the book one marvels at the way the author makes himself dwell inside the character of a thirteen year old and makes us empathise with the loss of his father and the uncertainties of a future without his mother whose remarriage was being arranged for and then the death of his grandmother in whose care he was left behind when she went away, without the narrative becoming maudlin .
Anees Salim admits that he had secretly borrowed his son’s voice to tell the story). Sometimes he uses that voice to take a dig at himself as well (or not).
“Since he had first won an award, Vappa met every question about his livelihood with a frown. The question left him irritated, but he usually answered it with a smile, which was actually a smile of anger. He would say he eked out a living out of writing advertisements, that when writing advertisements did not give him enough, which it usually did not, he borrowed or stole money, that he was planning to rob a bank the next week and if the operation went without a hitch, a jeweller the week after that. He would say everything smiling , his voice a bit harder than usual , so people did not exactly know if he was being funny or making fun of them, except Umma.”
Anees Salim couldn’t have summed up his style better than that :-)
As his loyal reader , I’m sure he’s never gonna have to rob a bank and that his books which will get written one after another, will bring him all the dough he needs with a mere swipe of his ATM card :-)
July 30, 2022
4.5. Reminded me of The Postmaster by Tagore. I did not know that Indian writing in English can be this good. I haven't read such a nicely-written book in the longest time. Sometimes one should just pick up a random book from an old bookstore. There may just be an undiscovered gem somewhere there.
July 28, 2022
The salty waves of sadness that repeatedly teleports the readers to a beach somewhere in Kerala. If this book has an embedded emotion that would be pain, yet so beautifully written.The characters are well rounded and the reading experience was similar to Khaled Hossieni’s ‘The Kite Runner’.
April 1, 2018
It’s been a week and I am still finding it hard to shake off the deeply felt emotions I was swallowed by on completion of reading this book. One of the shortlists for the ‘Hindu Literary Prize 2017’, the small-town sea is as intriguing as it is emotionally rich, causing you to stock the poignant story of the 13-year old protagonist in your own tiny casket brimming with the unkind piles of the past.
Employing vivid imagery in an ingenious way to evoke some unexpected responses, Salim succeeds in letting you glance at places and bonds with the eye of a young boy which often lends the novel some much-required levity.
The protagonist relies on his knack for finding stories in the most mundane moments to cope with the colossal nature of unfortunate incidents which life so relentlessly hurls at him. In a way it’s a testament to the writer’s capability of absorbing himself in the imaginary narrative of life and nature to mitigate the harsh reality we are engulfed in. Salim portrays an undiluted picture of how the loss of a loved one sometimes confines you into a silent abyss of indefinite pain but never quite allows you the fortune of surrendering yourself to crying for long, wresting from you the vent you need.
The book is not a heavy read, thankfully. The small town landscapes soothe your mind, while the inevitable tragedy around the corner sinks in slowly. Anees carefully constructs his narrative straddling well between art and connection in his content.
‘You should walk either ahead of me or behind me’- the dying father tells the boy while they are walking up to their home and the boy tries to match to his footsteps.
‘The sea sounded like a caged lion behind the row of egg-shaped rocks – the growl of an angry animal whose voice had grown hoarse from too much roaring.’
‘A few yards from the orphanage was the graveyard, and laundry lines ran from tree to tree in the copse that stood between the garden of the dead and the house of orphans, and even a hint of breeze provoked a shower of cashew flowers, which smelled only of death and isolation.’
The book will surely appeal to those who are usually bugged by orchestrations of passionate runs of their imagination to wild recesses of life and beauty.
If you wish to visit my blog -http://dibyajitbardhan.com/the-small-...
Employing vivid imagery in an ingenious way to evoke some unexpected responses, Salim succeeds in letting you glance at places and bonds with the eye of a young boy which often lends the novel some much-required levity.
The protagonist relies on his knack for finding stories in the most mundane moments to cope with the colossal nature of unfortunate incidents which life so relentlessly hurls at him. In a way it’s a testament to the writer’s capability of absorbing himself in the imaginary narrative of life and nature to mitigate the harsh reality we are engulfed in. Salim portrays an undiluted picture of how the loss of a loved one sometimes confines you into a silent abyss of indefinite pain but never quite allows you the fortune of surrendering yourself to crying for long, wresting from you the vent you need.
The book is not a heavy read, thankfully. The small town landscapes soothe your mind, while the inevitable tragedy around the corner sinks in slowly. Anees carefully constructs his narrative straddling well between art and connection in his content.
‘You should walk either ahead of me or behind me’- the dying father tells the boy while they are walking up to their home and the boy tries to match to his footsteps.
‘The sea sounded like a caged lion behind the row of egg-shaped rocks – the growl of an angry animal whose voice had grown hoarse from too much roaring.’
‘A few yards from the orphanage was the graveyard, and laundry lines ran from tree to tree in the copse that stood between the garden of the dead and the house of orphans, and even a hint of breeze provoked a shower of cashew flowers, which smelled only of death and isolation.’
The book will surely appeal to those who are usually bugged by orchestrations of passionate runs of their imagination to wild recesses of life and beauty.
If you wish to visit my blog -http://dibyajitbardhan.com/the-small-...
July 21, 2021
The narrator is an unnamed thirteen-year-old kid who narrates the storey of his Vappa, Umma, Vappumma, who was forced to leave big city for his seaside birthplace because his father want to die in the town where he grew up. The action of the narrative takes place in a coastal village where he will face unforeseen developments.
As you can see, the premise isn't groundbreaking; it's predictable, and the twist is obvious from afar. But what makes it stand out is the writing's distinctiveness and innocence, as well as the flawless characterization; it takes a while to sink in, but the story finally grows on you and moves you.
There aren't many Indian authors I admire, but Anees Salim is one of the finest storytellers of our time. Even though this is the first book I've read by him ❤️
As you can see, the premise isn't groundbreaking; it's predictable, and the twist is obvious from afar. But what makes it stand out is the writing's distinctiveness and innocence, as well as the flawless characterization; it takes a while to sink in, but the story finally grows on you and moves you.
There aren't many Indian authors I admire, but Anees Salim is one of the finest storytellers of our time. Even though this is the first book I've read by him ❤️
October 10, 2019
A heartbreaking tale of grief and loss of a thirteen year old boy. Set in Varkala, the first of the two part story revolves around coming to terms with his father's terminal illness and eventually, death. The second, with the departure of his mother, life with his Vappumma and antics with his orphan friend Bilal, while meditating on how the boy copes with the difficulties of grief.
Poignant and heavy, this hits you right in the gut with its simplicity and complexity all at once.
Poignant and heavy, this hits you right in the gut with its simplicity and complexity all at once.
June 20, 2017
A modern-day Malgudi - Swami and Friends like tragi-comic story of small town somewhere in Kerala. Fine writing by a much under-rated writer!
July 14, 2017
I was so bored by the book that I didn't feel like reading it.. guess that is why it took me almost 2 months to read the book.. I think the book is too verbose for a hackneyed story.
April 23, 2020
O.R.P.H.A.N🍃
#qotd what is your definition of the term "orphan"..?
.
.
Being in a family,receiving their love and security really contributes a lot in molding our character.Loosing a parent in the most crucial stage of "growing up" is something so strong that,it even has the power of deteriorating one's mental stability whereas, in other cases of loosing a parent way before they are even born or in the early period of "infancy" is an entire different case....
.
.
My mom lost her father when she was 1 year old and has only known him through other people's memory.She didn't knew or felt a father's love and care until she had me and my brother........my father being a "father" gave her the realization of what she was missing her entire life ......
.
.
And quite recently when I asked her whether she misses her father, she replied that she doesn't miss him as she dont have any memories of him but that she will be longing for his love her entire life ....
.
.
.
The blurb🍃
The story is about a boy who lost his father at a very young age and how the death turns his life upside down ....and then there comes a situation where he becomes an orphan even tough he had a mother and a sister to call a family.
.
.
A tale which touches our heart with the pure and innocent feelings described throughout from the boy's point of view.
.
The narration is really unique and interesting as the whole story was developed through a letter.
.
.
Highly recommended
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Small-Town SeaAnees Salim
#qotd what is your definition of the term "orphan"..?
.
.
Being in a family,receiving their love and security really contributes a lot in molding our character.Loosing a parent in the most crucial stage of "growing up" is something so strong that,it even has the power of deteriorating one's mental stability whereas, in other cases of loosing a parent way before they are even born or in the early period of "infancy" is an entire different case....
.
.
My mom lost her father when she was 1 year old and has only known him through other people's memory.She didn't knew or felt a father's love and care until she had me and my brother........my father being a "father" gave her the realization of what she was missing her entire life ......
.
.
And quite recently when I asked her whether she misses her father, she replied that she doesn't miss him as she dont have any memories of him but that she will be longing for his love her entire life ....
.
.
.
The blurb🍃
The story is about a boy who lost his father at a very young age and how the death turns his life upside down ....and then there comes a situation where he becomes an orphan even tough he had a mother and a sister to call a family.
.
.
A tale which touches our heart with the pure and innocent feelings described throughout from the boy's point of view.
.
The narration is really unique and interesting as the whole story was developed through a letter.
.
.
Highly recommended
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Small-Town SeaAnees Salim
March 18, 2019
I picked up this book in January from a DC bookstore in Kozhikode Kerala thanks to the recommendation by the sales boy there. His opinion was this book is "by a Malayalee author, story set in Kerala, not a big story but it will leave you sad”. I was skeptical but then decided to go for it. What the sales guy suggested was absolutely true- the book’s ending leaves you sad for hours!
This is a story-in the format of a letter written by an 11 year old boy to a publisher overseas. The letter details the events in his life. The boy and his family are forced to return to their native small town in Kerala because of his dad’s health issues and impending death. The dad wants to hear the sound of the sea before his death and in spite of not being a great writer the dad has tried to make his name by doing some commercial writing. The story is told through the eyes of the 11 year old boy and is divided into two parts. During the first part, the boy’s father is alive and the narration is mostly about how the boy sees the small town, how he misses his old city, his only one friend in city, his only one friend in the small town etc. The second part begins immediately after the death of his father and details many other changes in his life. I do not want to reveal any further spoilers. The whole tone of this book is melancholy and initially I did wish for something to change, guess we see too much of masala movies that make us yearn for everything to be okay in the end!
This is a story-in the format of a letter written by an 11 year old boy to a publisher overseas. The letter details the events in his life. The boy and his family are forced to return to their native small town in Kerala because of his dad’s health issues and impending death. The dad wants to hear the sound of the sea before his death and in spite of not being a great writer the dad has tried to make his name by doing some commercial writing. The story is told through the eyes of the 11 year old boy and is divided into two parts. During the first part, the boy’s father is alive and the narration is mostly about how the boy sees the small town, how he misses his old city, his only one friend in city, his only one friend in the small town etc. The second part begins immediately after the death of his father and details many other changes in his life. I do not want to reveal any further spoilers. The whole tone of this book is melancholy and initially I did wish for something to change, guess we see too much of masala movies that make us yearn for everything to be okay in the end!
November 28, 2019
The small town sea by Anees Salim.
My rating: 4/5
This book is proof that one fine day, you are going to pick a random book recommendation from a book club and your mind is going to be blown away by it. And that the promise of a great Indian author will be fulfilled. There's hope!
There's bestselling books, then the popular authors and then such surprises.
The small town by the sea is about an adolescent boy whose family moves from a city to a small town by the sea. Reason- his father has cancer and he wants to spend his final days in the town where he grew up, by the sea. The story is really simple but the writing and the way he tells the story isn't. The writing is lyrical, beautiful and almost dreamy. So much is conveyed with so little. I had serious God of small things deja vu.
Anees's language is rich. He draws your attention to small, daily things and make them seem less mundane. His writing evokes childhood memories, the joys of small town living and the universal need for familial bonds and the pain we go through when that breaks or ends.
What happens to this young boy later is incredibly sad but I couldn't put it down. It broke my heart. I felt devasted. It haunted me for days after I finished it. And now I'm not going to stop recommending this one, ever. Anees Salim shot into my top favourite Indian authors so quickly! Recommended, recommended, recommended.
My rating: 4/5
This book is proof that one fine day, you are going to pick a random book recommendation from a book club and your mind is going to be blown away by it. And that the promise of a great Indian author will be fulfilled. There's hope!
There's bestselling books, then the popular authors and then such surprises.
The small town by the sea is about an adolescent boy whose family moves from a city to a small town by the sea. Reason- his father has cancer and he wants to spend his final days in the town where he grew up, by the sea. The story is really simple but the writing and the way he tells the story isn't. The writing is lyrical, beautiful and almost dreamy. So much is conveyed with so little. I had serious God of small things deja vu.
Anees's language is rich. He draws your attention to small, daily things and make them seem less mundane. His writing evokes childhood memories, the joys of small town living and the universal need for familial bonds and the pain we go through when that breaks or ends.
What happens to this young boy later is incredibly sad but I couldn't put it down. It broke my heart. I felt devasted. It haunted me for days after I finished it. And now I'm not going to stop recommending this one, ever. Anees Salim shot into my top favourite Indian authors so quickly! Recommended, recommended, recommended.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews