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Name Place Animal Thing
Set in politically charged Shillong, this interconnected collection of stories speaks of the coming-of-age of a young woman–and the city and community she calls home.
180 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
October 27, 2021
On the surface what comes across as very simplistic coming-of-age narrative, and the writing also feels that way, however, a couple of interconnected stories into the book and you see the book for what it is. Name Place Animal Thing is refreshing, has nuance to it, is short in the sense to finish but lasts longer in memory and association, to some extent.
For me, reading this book was an eye-opener, because sadly or rather most unfortunately, we often tend to view the north eastern region of the country as similar when it is not so at all. Daribha Lyndem’s voice is unique, it is sharp and often meticulous, sometimes also jagged which lends it the much-needed authenticity, but mostly it is empathetic and observant.
Name Place Animal Thing is narrated through the eyes of a child, and subsequently a young woman as she comes of age in the city of Shillong. The book is rife with politics – sometimes too obvious and sometimes subtle, the differences and hostility between the Khasis and the Dkhars (term used for non-Khasi people in the region) and more than anything else I think the role it plays in the narrator D’s life.
D’s life as the book is as well – a collection of vignettes – the kind that shape her ideas, thoughts, opinions, and even emotions. D is constantly questioning the world around her – the differences, the inequalities, the experience of insurgency, the friendships we are allowed to form (the last chapter is particularly heartbreaking in my opinion), and the role memory plays in the entire narrative.
I could almost at some point feel Daribha talking to me face-to-face as I turned the pages. The cultural experiences are explained at length, while Lyndem has also chosen very consciously to not italicise the local words and rightly so. I think the place the book is set in matters so much – the lanes, the neighbours, the emotional state, the mental well-being and in all of this the larger themes of race, class, death, grief, and friendships are weaved in like a charm.
For me, reading this book was an eye-opener, because sadly or rather most unfortunately, we often tend to view the north eastern region of the country as similar when it is not so at all. Daribha Lyndem’s voice is unique, it is sharp and often meticulous, sometimes also jagged which lends it the much-needed authenticity, but mostly it is empathetic and observant.
Name Place Animal Thing is narrated through the eyes of a child, and subsequently a young woman as she comes of age in the city of Shillong. The book is rife with politics – sometimes too obvious and sometimes subtle, the differences and hostility between the Khasis and the Dkhars (term used for non-Khasi people in the region) and more than anything else I think the role it plays in the narrator D’s life.
D’s life as the book is as well – a collection of vignettes – the kind that shape her ideas, thoughts, opinions, and even emotions. D is constantly questioning the world around her – the differences, the inequalities, the experience of insurgency, the friendships we are allowed to form (the last chapter is particularly heartbreaking in my opinion), and the role memory plays in the entire narrative.
I could almost at some point feel Daribha talking to me face-to-face as I turned the pages. The cultural experiences are explained at length, while Lyndem has also chosen very consciously to not italicise the local words and rightly so. I think the place the book is set in matters so much – the lanes, the neighbours, the emotional state, the mental well-being and in all of this the larger themes of race, class, death, grief, and friendships are weaved in like a charm.
July 27, 2022
A warm, melancholy cross between a coming-of-age memoir and a collection of interconnected short stories, set in Shillong in the early 2000s. I am grateful to Daribha Lyndem for introducing me to this truly fascinating part of India and the Khasi people. Besides, I liked the way the children's game in the title is reflected in the structure of Name Place Animal Thing and enjoyed the author's subtle sense of humour, especially the portrait of her eccentric teacher, Mrs Trivedi.
Theoretically, this book ticked so many boxes for me. I feel sad to report that sometimes I found it lacklustre and bland, as if the author was afraid to spread her wings fully. To make things worse, Name Place Animal Thing seemed to be abandoned by its editors. There are a few mistakes in the text and no translation of Khasi words and phrases was provided. I think the reason why the author often interweaved them into English was to make her memories more authentic and to give us a better sense of place. I appreciate that, it worked, but the lack of translation frustrated me at times. I hope the next editions of Name Place Animal Thing will make reading it a more rewarding experience.
Cherry blossoms in Shillong, mentioned in Name Place Animal Thing.
[Source.]
Theoretically, this book ticked so many boxes for me. I feel sad to report that sometimes I found it lacklustre and bland, as if the author was afraid to spread her wings fully. To make things worse, Name Place Animal Thing seemed to be abandoned by its editors. There are a few mistakes in the text and no translation of Khasi words and phrases was provided. I think the reason why the author often interweaved them into English was to make her memories more authentic and to give us a better sense of place. I appreciate that, it worked, but the lack of translation frustrated me at times. I hope the next editions of Name Place Animal Thing will make reading it a more rewarding experience.
Cherry blossoms in Shillong, mentioned in Name Place Animal Thing.
[Source.]
July 1, 2021
An honest and heartfelt book. That's the major takeaway from Name Place Animal Thing.
There are pros and cons of course. Like you could tell this is by a first time author and needed better and finer editing. Like how calling it 'politically charged' isn't justice because very little of the state's politics come through in the book. But there are moments when you can feel your eyes mist and you need to pause to register. How the stories are an instant flashback to our own childhood and a time we now view with a tone of sepia. The book is an adorable attempt and if not for anything else, then read it for the author's vivid portrayal of the beautiful Shillong.
There are pros and cons of course. Like you could tell this is by a first time author and needed better and finer editing. Like how calling it 'politically charged' isn't justice because very little of the state's politics come through in the book. But there are moments when you can feel your eyes mist and you need to pause to register. How the stories are an instant flashback to our own childhood and a time we now view with a tone of sepia. The book is an adorable attempt and if not for anything else, then read it for the author's vivid portrayal of the beautiful Shillong.
November 16, 2020
• r e v i e w •
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I've never been to Shillong but when I read Daribha's description of it, I could almost feel the nip of cold air and see my breath turning into fog. Name Place Animal Thing is her debut novel but it rarely feels that way because of the cleverness that her words carry. It's impressive how this book which is narrated through the eyes of a child manages to capture the goings-on of the world. D, as the protagonist is called is a young Khasi girl who witnesses certain changes in her City and one can't help but feel nostalgic about his/her own City that now barely holds the traces of what it previously was. These stories are innocent, interesting and also fascinating to those who know next to nothing about this quaint land.
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D, subtly points out the hostility between Khasis and the Dkhars during her growing up years. When Bahadur, the kind Nepali who always assisted others is left stranded due to an unfortunate event, D can't help but wonder about the indifference of her neighbours towards him. It is then that she realises the faint line that separates Dkhars from that of the Khasis. This difference is again cemented when Tommy Lu, a Chinese immigrant from Kolkata who moves to her City to run a successful Chinese restaurant is made to shut down his business because of his inability to pay an insurgent group called Saw Dak. As D grows up, her stories find different points of focus like her Hindi teacher with whom she grew an unexpected pleasant bond with or that of the strange possession of waves of people who believed it to be the work of God. Throughout these stories, one aspect remains constant and it is how D always questioned the happenings around her.
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Albeit few stories carry a sombre tone, it is surprising how Daribha adds her wit in making it easier for the readers to not feel too overwhelmed. I especially enjoyed how nostalgic this book made me feel, be it from the very game the title suggests to revisiting my schooling days. Her humour was a treat to read, making me chuckle often. I definitely recommend this refreshing read and would like to thank @zubaanbooks for the review copy. Here's hoping that @daribhagram writes more books.
.
I've never been to Shillong but when I read Daribha's description of it, I could almost feel the nip of cold air and see my breath turning into fog. Name Place Animal Thing is her debut novel but it rarely feels that way because of the cleverness that her words carry. It's impressive how this book which is narrated through the eyes of a child manages to capture the goings-on of the world. D, as the protagonist is called is a young Khasi girl who witnesses certain changes in her City and one can't help but feel nostalgic about his/her own City that now barely holds the traces of what it previously was. These stories are innocent, interesting and also fascinating to those who know next to nothing about this quaint land.
.
D, subtly points out the hostility between Khasis and the Dkhars during her growing up years. When Bahadur, the kind Nepali who always assisted others is left stranded due to an unfortunate event, D can't help but wonder about the indifference of her neighbours towards him. It is then that she realises the faint line that separates Dkhars from that of the Khasis. This difference is again cemented when Tommy Lu, a Chinese immigrant from Kolkata who moves to her City to run a successful Chinese restaurant is made to shut down his business because of his inability to pay an insurgent group called Saw Dak. As D grows up, her stories find different points of focus like her Hindi teacher with whom she grew an unexpected pleasant bond with or that of the strange possession of waves of people who believed it to be the work of God. Throughout these stories, one aspect remains constant and it is how D always questioned the happenings around her.
.
Albeit few stories carry a sombre tone, it is surprising how Daribha adds her wit in making it easier for the readers to not feel too overwhelmed. I especially enjoyed how nostalgic this book made me feel, be it from the very game the title suggests to revisiting my schooling days. Her humour was a treat to read, making me chuckle often. I definitely recommend this refreshing read and would like to thank @zubaanbooks for the review copy. Here's hoping that @daribhagram writes more books.
September 14, 2022
Memoirs from the mystical land of Shillong
----
Name Place Animal Thing is a fiction novel which seems more like memoir of the author Daribha Lyndem
. Stories from her childhood about her home, school, friends and family are quite warm and homely.
This is Daribha's debut and the book is beautifully well written. Every chapter tells us a unique story about the person the chapter is named at, and the author's memories revolving around it.
Along with people, Daribha's sense of writing is quite detailed and takes the reader around gardens filled with flowers, a flashy Chinese restaurant and even a Graveyard!
If these are the author's actual childhood memories, I feel she has really had the best childhood ever!
I loved reading about Mrs Trivedi, AVVA and the Laymali Graveyard.
The only thing that I didn't like about the book was the use of local words without translation which I had to either google or read based on a hunch.
----
A lovely and relaxing read. This book makes me want to book a ticket to North East India right away!
----
Name Place Animal Thing is a fiction novel which seems more like memoir of the author Daribha Lyndem
. Stories from her childhood about her home, school, friends and family are quite warm and homely.
This is Daribha's debut and the book is beautifully well written. Every chapter tells us a unique story about the person the chapter is named at, and the author's memories revolving around it.
Along with people, Daribha's sense of writing is quite detailed and takes the reader around gardens filled with flowers, a flashy Chinese restaurant and even a Graveyard!
If these are the author's actual childhood memories, I feel she has really had the best childhood ever!
I loved reading about Mrs Trivedi, AVVA and the Laymali Graveyard.
The only thing that I didn't like about the book was the use of local words without translation which I had to either google or read based on a hunch.
----
A lovely and relaxing read. This book makes me want to book a ticket to North East India right away!
August 29, 2022
This is a memoir and shouldn't be categorized as Fiction.
A series of interconnected stories, pivoted around the memories of author in her formative years.
It’s the first three stories which impressed me more, as I loved the below details:
1. Bahadur - For setting the hill area context, Nongrim hills (non-grim stories :D), Mrs. Guha's rented apartment, introducing the author's family of 4, and for the man Bahadur - guard, gardener, driver, caretaker and many more rolled into one.
2. Mr Baruah - the shy gentleman who used to run the toys, cards and stationary shop in the evenings in Barik street, central Shillong. Loved the monthly "jingpynkhuid shnong" when the people of entire neighborhood would come out to clean and tidy up the streets of entire area.
3. AVVA - Mr Lu's Chinese restaurant. This was most insightful culturally - about Khasi, Dkhar and Jaintia regional groups, about the places Mawkhar, Dhanketi, Laitumkhrah, Mawlai. And most importantly, about the harsh treatment to outsiders and immigrants of this area.
Did not like:
1. A couple of school oriented parts. Those were good too. Its just me who couldn't connect well with them.
2. Many non-translated local language conversations. A translated transcript alongside would have helped to appreciate it better.
The book is a good mix of other decent stories and recollections - the nostalgic Yellow Bear, grandpa's reminiscences in The Lawmali Graveyard, about her religious beliefs in The Revival, a tribute to her close friend Yuva.
Overall:
A great debut!
Recommended if you are in some way connected to Shillong, having its memories, or just plain curious about new places, people and their culture like me.
A series of interconnected stories, pivoted around the memories of author in her formative years.
It’s the first three stories which impressed me more, as I loved the below details:
1. Bahadur - For setting the hill area context, Nongrim hills (non-grim stories :D), Mrs. Guha's rented apartment, introducing the author's family of 4, and for the man Bahadur - guard, gardener, driver, caretaker and many more rolled into one.
2. Mr Baruah - the shy gentleman who used to run the toys, cards and stationary shop in the evenings in Barik street, central Shillong. Loved the monthly "jingpynkhuid shnong" when the people of entire neighborhood would come out to clean and tidy up the streets of entire area.
3. AVVA - Mr Lu's Chinese restaurant. This was most insightful culturally - about Khasi, Dkhar and Jaintia regional groups, about the places Mawkhar, Dhanketi, Laitumkhrah, Mawlai. And most importantly, about the harsh treatment to outsiders and immigrants of this area.
Did not like:
1. A couple of school oriented parts. Those were good too. Its just me who couldn't connect well with them.
2. Many non-translated local language conversations. A translated transcript alongside would have helped to appreciate it better.
The book is a good mix of other decent stories and recollections - the nostalgic Yellow Bear, grandpa's reminiscences in The Lawmali Graveyard, about her religious beliefs in The Revival, a tribute to her close friend Yuva.
Overall:
A great debut!
Recommended if you are in some way connected to Shillong, having its memories, or just plain curious about new places, people and their culture like me.
July 28, 2022
“At ten, I understood mortality. I learnt it that one summer evening when I caught and placed ten milky white butterflies in a large empty Horlicks glass jar..
I grew worried when I saw them start to crumple down and, in an attempt to save them, I opened the lid and tipped it over. They all dropped in a white powdery heap on the ground. None of them had survived. In that moment, my inchoate mind understood that life is a thing that can be taken away..
Mortality is an ensnared butterfly dying in a glass jar.”
As I try to make sense of Shillong, the city I moved into in the middle of the pandemic, I find myself looking for books that can give me a sense of the place. Isn’t that what they say - books make you travel without moving an inch! Lyndem takes us through a place, it’s people, it’s politics and it’s language that a lot of us are unfamiliar with, in a time that a lot of us in our mid-thirties would be nostalgic about. The novella comprises a series of vignettes, introducing to us people, places and life-changing events that were a part of her growing up years from seven to twenty.
Universally relatable, there is nothing better than a well done coming of age story. In this delightfully atmospheric winter weekend read that is mildly flavoured with folk tales and gothica, Lyndem masterfully weaves humour and suspense even as she explores themes such as friendship, race, religion, class and death. She’s a terrific writer and I hope she has more stories to tell.
P.S.: I challenge you to try keeping your eyes dry as you turn the last page. 🖤
I grew worried when I saw them start to crumple down and, in an attempt to save them, I opened the lid and tipped it over. They all dropped in a white powdery heap on the ground. None of them had survived. In that moment, my inchoate mind understood that life is a thing that can be taken away..
Mortality is an ensnared butterfly dying in a glass jar.”
As I try to make sense of Shillong, the city I moved into in the middle of the pandemic, I find myself looking for books that can give me a sense of the place. Isn’t that what they say - books make you travel without moving an inch! Lyndem takes us through a place, it’s people, it’s politics and it’s language that a lot of us are unfamiliar with, in a time that a lot of us in our mid-thirties would be nostalgic about. The novella comprises a series of vignettes, introducing to us people, places and life-changing events that were a part of her growing up years from seven to twenty.
Universally relatable, there is nothing better than a well done coming of age story. In this delightfully atmospheric winter weekend read that is mildly flavoured with folk tales and gothica, Lyndem masterfully weaves humour and suspense even as she explores themes such as friendship, race, religion, class and death. She’s a terrific writer and I hope she has more stories to tell.
P.S.: I challenge you to try keeping your eyes dry as you turn the last page. 🖤
January 8, 2021
There were no longer any signs of the house we stayed in, no doorway with its low entrance, no weeping willow or cryptomeria tree from which the caterpillars fell. The ramshackle cottage that housed my earliest friends and shaped my memories lay bare and forgotten. Only the flying termites remained, fluttering below the street lights outside the property.”
Name Place Animal Thing by Daribha Lyndem is a beautiful novella, a coming of age story of a young Khasi woman growing up in the politically charged city of Shillong. Through her frail memories of a city she called home, we visit places, meet people and experience the the things happening around her with an inquisitiveness of an eight year old to her twenties. Her stories come in short interconnected vignettes and though centered on people and places; it paints a broader picture of a changing city through years.
I absolutely love how Lyndem borrowed the title from a beloved childhood game we all grew up playing and it added a nostalgic element to the narration. Another thing that stood out for me is how beautifully she incorporated the themes of friendship, loss, grief, superstitions and early observations of class difference from a child’s perspective.
Lyndem’s storytelling has a captivating quality and it was wonderful to explore the beauty of Shillong and it’s people through her writing.
Name Place Animal Thing by Daribha Lyndem is a beautiful novella, a coming of age story of a young Khasi woman growing up in the politically charged city of Shillong. Through her frail memories of a city she called home, we visit places, meet people and experience the the things happening around her with an inquisitiveness of an eight year old to her twenties. Her stories come in short interconnected vignettes and though centered on people and places; it paints a broader picture of a changing city through years.
I absolutely love how Lyndem borrowed the title from a beloved childhood game we all grew up playing and it added a nostalgic element to the narration. Another thing that stood out for me is how beautifully she incorporated the themes of friendship, loss, grief, superstitions and early observations of class difference from a child’s perspective.
Lyndem’s storytelling has a captivating quality and it was wonderful to explore the beauty of Shillong and it’s people through her writing.
August 12, 2022
5 Stars - Shillonging for Life!
Books about places you haven’t visited are informative. However, books set in places that you have been to turn into portkeys to revisit memories and people. This book was the latter for me set in Shillong.
The writing is simple and with each chapter told from the POV of a child or a teenager, gives a peek into the life in Shillong with elements like tribes, religion, discrimination and life truths in slice of life narrative. The writer paints images that stay with you - details that embellish the simple story. Like mouth watering Alu Muri described in detail or the landscape that overlooks the clouds and the hill. If you have already been there - this book brings photographs from memory.
To me, personally, with a reunion that I may not be able to attend, looming in a week, this book was a special throwback. My own name, place, animal, thing with stories that warrant a hot chai or a campfire.
Name - Thom, Mervin, SKY, RD, Jessica
Place - Nonthymmai, Mayurbhanj, Laitumkrah, PB, CP, Hospital
Animal - Bhuchung
Thing - Taxi, Churches, Maggi, Kopda
We have a term called Shillonging - the feeling of wishing to be there when you are elsewhere. This is Shillonging Max.
Books about places you haven’t visited are informative. However, books set in places that you have been to turn into portkeys to revisit memories and people. This book was the latter for me set in Shillong.
The writing is simple and with each chapter told from the POV of a child or a teenager, gives a peek into the life in Shillong with elements like tribes, religion, discrimination and life truths in slice of life narrative. The writer paints images that stay with you - details that embellish the simple story. Like mouth watering Alu Muri described in detail or the landscape that overlooks the clouds and the hill. If you have already been there - this book brings photographs from memory.
To me, personally, with a reunion that I may not be able to attend, looming in a week, this book was a special throwback. My own name, place, animal, thing with stories that warrant a hot chai or a campfire.
Name - Thom, Mervin, SKY, RD, Jessica
Place - Nonthymmai, Mayurbhanj, Laitumkrah, PB, CP, Hospital
Animal - Bhuchung
Thing - Taxi, Churches, Maggi, Kopda
We have a term called Shillonging - the feeling of wishing to be there when you are elsewhere. This is Shillonging Max.
October 18, 2021
Name Place Animal Thing is a memoir and a collection of connected stories of young D, her childhood and the slow migration to adolescence. A Khasi girl in 90s Shillong, she is quite oblivious to the the otherness of others, the us-them mentality that exists everywhere in the country, and the violence the bias incites. She learns it the hard way when Kolkotta born Chinese descent hotel owner packs up and leaves town, a car shop owner is shot dead in front of his shop for not being a local, of the people who aren't of local descent quietly disappearing into night or leaving town for good. Amidst this, D grows up.
She grows up with her best friend with who the relationship is both ridiculously easy and incredibly complex. Her eclectic school teachers influence them more than she could ever let on then its evident how impactful they are. The mildly "savior" christian types who believe there is only one way to save young girls from eternal damnation and D's horrified reaction to it.
Name Place Animal Thing was a game of 80s and early 90s that children played during school intervals or when the sun was too hot or it was too wet out. The game generally dissolved into argument, fight, crying, make up, new promises, new friendships and the cycle would repeat the next time we played the game.
This book stirred up my own nostalgia, being a child of 90s, seeing pretty much similar things as the author did, being oblivious to same things around me and being fascinated with quite similar things as well.
PS: Queen Bee is totally valid as an animal for letter Q. Our group decided it and we all spit and shook on it.
She grows up with her best friend with who the relationship is both ridiculously easy and incredibly complex. Her eclectic school teachers influence them more than she could ever let on then its evident how impactful they are. The mildly "savior" christian types who believe there is only one way to save young girls from eternal damnation and D's horrified reaction to it.
Name Place Animal Thing was a game of 80s and early 90s that children played during school intervals or when the sun was too hot or it was too wet out. The game generally dissolved into argument, fight, crying, make up, new promises, new friendships and the cycle would repeat the next time we played the game.
This book stirred up my own nostalgia, being a child of 90s, seeing pretty much similar things as the author did, being oblivious to same things around me and being fascinated with quite similar things as well.
PS: Queen Bee is totally valid as an animal for letter Q. Our group decided it and we all spit and shook on it.
March 15, 2022
‘Name Place Animal Thing’ is surely a curious title, and I picked it up solely for the curiosity and nostalgia it evoked. The title took me down memory lane as I reminisced about the days spent playing this game with friends and cousins during long summer breaks. Ah! Those carefree and precious bygone days… Anyway, coming back to the novella… Daribha Lyndem’s debut collection has the same magic—it is simple and honest. Shortlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature, 2021, Name Place Animal Thing, is a series of ten stories set in Shillong of the 90s and narrated by a Khasi woman, D, in vignette-style storytelling.
In this collection of stories, D narrates events from her life connecting the characters around her as she traverses from childhood to adulthood. Every story is a recollection of a character from D’s past. The characters in the stories are people who are important to D at that age. So, we have stories of a caretaker, shopkeeper, Hindi teacher, maths tutor, or best friend. As D progresses from an 8-year-old to a woman in her 20s, we experience the changes in the city, society, people, and the charged political atmosphere as well.
The author has captured the soul of Shillong in a heart-warming and captivating manner. I loved reading the descriptions of the hillside town, quaint houses, churches, food, and people. The Khasi words added to the authenticity, and a glossary would have helped readers like me who are unfamiliar with the language. I dislike looking up for meanings as it breaks my flow, so didn’t bother with that!
I found the lack of a strong plot or even sub-plots to be distracting. There is no linear storyline, but a disjointed narrative. Though we have D as the narrator, the stories would have worked well without her presence as well. She doesn’t add much value to the narration, and at times, her presence even acts as a distraction with her preconceived notions and ill-formed thoughts. We are forced to know the characters in relation to her.
Also, since the author wrote it in a memoir format, in certain places, D’s voice is not relevant to her age and gets muddled because of future influence.
There are fleeting references to the politically charged environment, racism, conversion, power of the Church, intolerance towards non-Khasis. D also witnesses the differences in traditions, religious practices, and beliefs, but the author doesn’t build much upon it. They remain nothing more than glimpses. I would have really loved to see the various aspects of Shillong being tied together as a whole.
This is not a self-published book, and the poor editing was shocking. What’s the point in going with an established publishing house when there are grammatical errors, typos, and sentences requiring restructuring? I am surprised it got shortlisted for JCB Prize for Literature, 2021 despite this.
‘Name Place Animal Thing’ will not find a place on my best reads shelf, but it’s a good place to start conversations on literature from the North-East.
My favourite quote from the book—
In this collection of stories, D narrates events from her life connecting the characters around her as she traverses from childhood to adulthood. Every story is a recollection of a character from D’s past. The characters in the stories are people who are important to D at that age. So, we have stories of a caretaker, shopkeeper, Hindi teacher, maths tutor, or best friend. As D progresses from an 8-year-old to a woman in her 20s, we experience the changes in the city, society, people, and the charged political atmosphere as well.
The author has captured the soul of Shillong in a heart-warming and captivating manner. I loved reading the descriptions of the hillside town, quaint houses, churches, food, and people. The Khasi words added to the authenticity, and a glossary would have helped readers like me who are unfamiliar with the language. I dislike looking up for meanings as it breaks my flow, so didn’t bother with that!
I found the lack of a strong plot or even sub-plots to be distracting. There is no linear storyline, but a disjointed narrative. Though we have D as the narrator, the stories would have worked well without her presence as well. She doesn’t add much value to the narration, and at times, her presence even acts as a distraction with her preconceived notions and ill-formed thoughts. We are forced to know the characters in relation to her.
Also, since the author wrote it in a memoir format, in certain places, D’s voice is not relevant to her age and gets muddled because of future influence.
There are fleeting references to the politically charged environment, racism, conversion, power of the Church, intolerance towards non-Khasis. D also witnesses the differences in traditions, religious practices, and beliefs, but the author doesn’t build much upon it. They remain nothing more than glimpses. I would have really loved to see the various aspects of Shillong being tied together as a whole.
This is not a self-published book, and the poor editing was shocking. What’s the point in going with an established publishing house when there are grammatical errors, typos, and sentences requiring restructuring? I am surprised it got shortlisted for JCB Prize for Literature, 2021 despite this.
‘Name Place Animal Thing’ will not find a place on my best reads shelf, but it’s a good place to start conversations on literature from the North-East.
My favourite quote from the book—
mortality is an ensnared butterfly dying in a glass jar.
August 9, 2021
'Mortality is an ensnared butterfly dying in a glass jar.'
—Daribha Lyndem, 'Name, Place, Animal, Thing'
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Amidst several average books which I read in the last few months, Daribha Lyndem's 'Name, Place, Animal, Thing' was like a breath a fresh air. Even though it's set in a city I have never visited, it spoke to me in a language of sweet familiarity of a time, place and bonds which were experienced only at a particular time in the past. It helped me remember fondly and appreciate certain relationships—with people as well as places—that were only possible to have when one was a child.
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Set in Shillong, the book is a recollection of the narrator's memories of her early childhood to being a young adult. Several eventful phases of her life have been narrated with absolute simplicity and clarity of expression in this short novel. Some of these events, while happening at a distance place, feels strangely familiar and personal while reading. For instance, a relationship built on kindness and support with a school teacher; or forming familial bonds with strangers.
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The book also speaks about the politically-charged environment and the disagreeable relationship among tribes as well as between locals and outsiders in Shillong, now and then in the narrative. However, it is largely about people and the significant roles in shaping the narrator's life as she grew up among her peers and family.
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I would recommend this book to people who enjoy simple but effective prose and like being transported back in time (often romanticised by millennials as the 'simpler days') through the prose they read.
—Daribha Lyndem, 'Name, Place, Animal, Thing'
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Amidst several average books which I read in the last few months, Daribha Lyndem's 'Name, Place, Animal, Thing' was like a breath a fresh air. Even though it's set in a city I have never visited, it spoke to me in a language of sweet familiarity of a time, place and bonds which were experienced only at a particular time in the past. It helped me remember fondly and appreciate certain relationships—with people as well as places—that were only possible to have when one was a child.
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Set in Shillong, the book is a recollection of the narrator's memories of her early childhood to being a young adult. Several eventful phases of her life have been narrated with absolute simplicity and clarity of expression in this short novel. Some of these events, while happening at a distance place, feels strangely familiar and personal while reading. For instance, a relationship built on kindness and support with a school teacher; or forming familial bonds with strangers.
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The book also speaks about the politically-charged environment and the disagreeable relationship among tribes as well as between locals and outsiders in Shillong, now and then in the narrative. However, it is largely about people and the significant roles in shaping the narrator's life as she grew up among her peers and family.
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I would recommend this book to people who enjoy simple but effective prose and like being transported back in time (often romanticised by millennials as the 'simpler days') through the prose they read.
July 26, 2022
The interconnected stories are the memories of the narrator D from Shillong. This coming of age narrative by a Khasi girl describes the world around her and looking back she feels nostalgic as the city is nothing similar to what it previously was.
The caste difference that gradually separates her from the family of her Nepali neighbour Bahadur, the Chinese immigrant Tommy Lu is forced to shut down his successful restaurant where the narrator D visits very often with her family, people leaving the town at night , the teacher who holds prayers for a few students at their home- through all these stories D gets the awareness of what is happening around her. Humor and suspense is maintained throughout the book discussing friendship, religion and race, class, death.
This simple collection of short stories are higly recommended for people who are interested in exploring Indian Literature.
I had never been to Shillong, and the culture is entirely different. Still the authors narration had taken me to the place and incidents
The caste difference that gradually separates her from the family of her Nepali neighbour Bahadur, the Chinese immigrant Tommy Lu is forced to shut down his successful restaurant where the narrator D visits very often with her family, people leaving the town at night , the teacher who holds prayers for a few students at their home- through all these stories D gets the awareness of what is happening around her. Humor and suspense is maintained throughout the book discussing friendship, religion and race, class, death.
This simple collection of short stories are higly recommended for people who are interested in exploring Indian Literature.
I had never been to Shillong, and the culture is entirely different. Still the authors narration had taken me to the place and incidents
September 8, 2021
I'm so glad I got to read this
December 15, 2021
Reading this book, which, described in the author's words - "is a coming-of-age novel of interconnected stories about a girl growing up in Shillong", I cannot help but feel immense frustration and anger over the fact that I feel alienated to the characters and the setting, in many ways.
It is set in Meghalaya during the 90s and early 2000s, and so I feel very unfamiliar with the people, culture and their precarious idiosyncrasies. It's true that fiction is the best way to study and try to understand the contextualized backdrops. However, I cannot make peace with the fact that I know almost nothing about the North-East and its people. It also brings me to ask the question - "can we truly understand a culture other than ours? Or can we even understand our own culture, in its entirety?"
Coming back to the book again, it is a very fascinating and deeply felt account of someone who has lived in a very volatile zone and who also had experiences that are "normal'' (whatever that means). I did read many reviews of this book, accusing it to be not an "authentic" book to reflect or represent the real and hostile lives of people living in north-eastern regions of our country, or not doing "justice", etc. etc. But I think maybe it is written for people like me who are completely unaware about the surroundings mentioned in the book. It should be treated as a great introductory and conversation starter book, and must be read.
It is set in Meghalaya during the 90s and early 2000s, and so I feel very unfamiliar with the people, culture and their precarious idiosyncrasies. It's true that fiction is the best way to study and try to understand the contextualized backdrops. However, I cannot make peace with the fact that I know almost nothing about the North-East and its people. It also brings me to ask the question - "can we truly understand a culture other than ours? Or can we even understand our own culture, in its entirety?"
Coming back to the book again, it is a very fascinating and deeply felt account of someone who has lived in a very volatile zone and who also had experiences that are "normal'' (whatever that means). I did read many reviews of this book, accusing it to be not an "authentic" book to reflect or represent the real and hostile lives of people living in north-eastern regions of our country, or not doing "justice", etc. etc. But I think maybe it is written for people like me who are completely unaware about the surroundings mentioned in the book. It should be treated as a great introductory and conversation starter book, and must be read.
December 2, 2021
What a beauty of a book. The short stories have a Ruskin-Bond vibe and fills you with warmth. Initially what I thought to be different anecdotes from Daribha's life, eventually built upto an entire universe of her childhood. The last story is absolutely heart wrenching, but I am glad to have read this gem of a book. ❤️
November 1, 2021
Nostalgic read that sparked some nice, meandering thoughts in the moment. Really liked the way the book captured how sometimes quite inconspicuous events and characters, entering and exiting your life at random, form some of your most vivid memories.
March 30, 2024
I'm writing a review which is very rare for me. As if the fact that it took me more than an afternoon to finish off this book which is just 180 pages. I'm sure the author had to chop off a fair bit from her first draft to get there, but these are the best, most artistically cut, crisp 180 pages I've read in a long time.
It would be fair to say that out of the last 500 books that I've read, this is the best. If i had to recommend one out of those 500, it would be this one. You pick this book up thinking it's a fun nostalgia sweetmeat - which it is - but once you're done it becomes very evident that this is actually one of the best primers for Indian societies and interpersonal relationships in them. You do get your lil nostalgia trip because if there is something that perfectly encapsulates the chronic anxiety of being a young adult in Indian society (without ever having done any wrong), it's this book.
My problem with memoirs is that they're very unidimensional with very ostensibly cosmetic plots and characters. This is not one of them. There is no one single linear plot, and the chapters are mostly independent and make sense on their own. But, once you read it you'll realise that the author slowly builds narrative context from the ground up, without any exposition through dialogues and still manages not being boring. It's built up layer by layer, like different shades on top of each other in a screen printing machine. And in the final chapter she does it one last time and leaves you with a beautiful multicolored print. Amazing. 5 stars.
It would be fair to say that out of the last 500 books that I've read, this is the best. If i had to recommend one out of those 500, it would be this one. You pick this book up thinking it's a fun nostalgia sweetmeat - which it is - but once you're done it becomes very evident that this is actually one of the best primers for Indian societies and interpersonal relationships in them. You do get your lil nostalgia trip because if there is something that perfectly encapsulates the chronic anxiety of being a young adult in Indian society (without ever having done any wrong), it's this book.
My problem with memoirs is that they're very unidimensional with very ostensibly cosmetic plots and characters. This is not one of them. There is no one single linear plot, and the chapters are mostly independent and make sense on their own. But, once you read it you'll realise that the author slowly builds narrative context from the ground up, without any exposition through dialogues and still manages not being boring. It's built up layer by layer, like different shades on top of each other in a screen printing machine. And in the final chapter she does it one last time and leaves you with a beautiful multicolored print. Amazing. 5 stars.
March 23, 2022
4.5 rounded down to 4.
The book is a collection of short stories reflecting various aspects of the narrator's life in Shillong, and as per my reading, the author does an incredible job. Most of the stories are based on a lens of childhood, and the small details in the stories are their gems. Loved it!
The book is a collection of short stories reflecting various aspects of the narrator's life in Shillong, and as per my reading, the author does an incredible job. Most of the stories are based on a lens of childhood, and the small details in the stories are their gems. Loved it!
August 9, 2022
A fictional book throwing light on Meghalaya , it's indigenous people, the chemistry between the various subsets of Indians and foreign nationals , all told in the form of interconnecting stories. Kept me thoroughly engaged .
November 3, 2021
4.25 stars!
Review soon.
Review soon.
January 26, 2022
What could a Tamilian girl migrated to central India from Bangalore at age 7 have in common with a Khasi resident born and brought up in Shillong for decades before she would leave? The 90s as it turns out brought us together in more ways than one can imagine, and then there are teachers and younger sisters and music and books and Yuva (except my Yuva isn’t called that :))
That is the beauty of D’s wonderful collection of tales. Though these are stories that traverse through one’s journey of discovery of the otherness of others, an adult reader who has this otherness quite deeply ingrained, is now able to see, in fact, the sameness that flashes in and out of very visibly different people. We are all, I guess, same same but different!
I had started reading this very curiously named novel (not at all - it’s a very popular game even now in my household, my 10 year old has been inducted right in and perhaps she should know about queen bee!).., sorry
I had started reading this not so curiously named novel with the hope of penning my thoughts on each little tale, each wistfully familiar and yet beautifully poignant all the way to the end. But as I close the book at the last page, tears in my eyes can’t help but pool right in. This little note is hardly a review but it will have to do.
Pick this up if you grew up in India in the 80s-90s. I assure you, you will see yourself and many other familiars as you read along. And just in that, is the beauty of the world we grow up in.
PS: That the author is writing for the first time is not surprising but she has a knack for evocative imagery. Promising!
That is the beauty of D’s wonderful collection of tales. Though these are stories that traverse through one’s journey of discovery of the otherness of others, an adult reader who has this otherness quite deeply ingrained, is now able to see, in fact, the sameness that flashes in and out of very visibly different people. We are all, I guess, same same but different!
I had started reading this very curiously named novel (not at all - it’s a very popular game even now in my household, my 10 year old has been inducted right in and perhaps she should know about queen bee!).., sorry
I had started reading this not so curiously named novel with the hope of penning my thoughts on each little tale, each wistfully familiar and yet beautifully poignant all the way to the end. But as I close the book at the last page, tears in my eyes can’t help but pool right in. This little note is hardly a review but it will have to do.
Pick this up if you grew up in India in the 80s-90s. I assure you, you will see yourself and many other familiars as you read along. And just in that, is the beauty of the world we grow up in.
PS: That the author is writing for the first time is not surprising but she has a knack for evocative imagery. Promising!
August 11, 2021
Can you be nostalgic for someone else's memories? Shillong conjures up nostalgia in itself,for me, because I vacationed there with my parents in the autumn of 2017, and it would be the last proper vacation we would get to take before the world turned upside down. And there was something about Shillong that I would take back to the ugliness and chaos of my life in Kolkata- something that would help me recall, vividly, the streets through which we had walked, the hotel where we had stayed, its balcony where I had sat and read- everytime it rained in the city. Shillong must make a remarkable backdrop for the formation of memory, because what takes me aback about the book is the vividness and the detail with which the author recollects her childhood. It reads like a memoir- and a memoir told in relational terms. As one reads, one gets the sense that the narrator has been moulded through her encounters with the people and the places she writes about- and, just as they could never leave her, they will now never quite leave us.
November 15, 2021
North East India, Shillong, Khasi people, Dkhars(the term they used for non khasi people) as different communities, cultures, traditions, and a child's childhood to young age memories wrapped in form of stories.
Everytime when I was picking this book, I was feeling like a cold fresh air seems to be touching my soul. As if in one long summer afternoon someone is sitting in front of me and telling me the story of her childhood, her love, passion, happiness, thoughts, morality, grief and with her tales I too seem to be lost in my own memories. That is yes that is D's magical way of weaving her memories in fictional fashion.
Well there is a flaws too but her vivid portrayals of Shillong hooked me to the last.
Daribha Lyndem's debut novel Name Place Animal Thing has treated me gently, softly and at same time it was an eye opener to me too as because the north eastern part of our country has not been explored by me much literary and otherwise.
#aleafunturned #nameplaceanimalthing
November 6, 2021
I liked the book for the simplicity of the stories and the narrative. I truly admire the fact that you don't need long twisted sentences and a multilinear storyline, which you usually see in novels that are nominated for awards, to be a good book. Authors like RK Narayan and Ruskin Bond come to mind when one thinks of the most easily enjoyable reads.
The characters connect with you, the stories resonate quite strongly with anyone's childhood. It's a lovely little read.
But, the editing is unforgivable. It's a shame that a book that's been sent for India's most expensive book award, and got shortlisted, is so poorly edited.
The sentence structure, grammar, typos, you just can't ignore it is an innocent mistake. It's pure and simple bad editing. I feel for the author who put her soul into the book only to be taken lightly by the editing team.
The characters connect with you, the stories resonate quite strongly with anyone's childhood. It's a lovely little read.
But, the editing is unforgivable. It's a shame that a book that's been sent for India's most expensive book award, and got shortlisted, is so poorly edited.
The sentence structure, grammar, typos, you just can't ignore it is an innocent mistake. It's pure and simple bad editing. I feel for the author who put her soul into the book only to be taken lightly by the editing team.
December 20, 2021
Daribha's writing style reminds me of colonial hangover English Indian writing, which I quite frankly appreciate.
I found this book a bit of an eye opener to the perceptions held by those from the North East to the mainlanders and dare I say 'outsiders' in this politically charged climate. The whole 'us-versus-them' is commonplace in Indian metros yet it never occured to me that they might exist outside of it. The timeliness of this book's debut and the underlying messages couldn't have been better planned.
The stories are beautifully crafted, little vignettes that I could relate to from my own childhood and young adult age, and I found myself pausing to reflect what these stories ultimately intend to convey.
A good weekend read.
I found this book a bit of an eye opener to the perceptions held by those from the North East to the mainlanders and dare I say 'outsiders' in this politically charged climate. The whole 'us-versus-them' is commonplace in Indian metros yet it never occured to me that they might exist outside of it. The timeliness of this book's debut and the underlying messages couldn't have been better planned.
The stories are beautifully crafted, little vignettes that I could relate to from my own childhood and young adult age, and I found myself pausing to reflect what these stories ultimately intend to convey.
A good weekend read.
September 15, 2023
A beautiful book from the northeast, from a child’s perspective. A slow read which is journey inside, which naturally makes it too real and too relatable at times.
November 13, 2021
Vivid!
The only thing I can feel is turning the last page over. A beautiful coming of age story that makes you feel like you've lived the experiences of Daribha first hand. These vivid, relatable yet deeply engrossing accounts are nothing but a testament to her skilled yet artful storytelling.
The only thing I can feel is turning the last page over. A beautiful coming of age story that makes you feel like you've lived the experiences of Daribha first hand. These vivid, relatable yet deeply engrossing accounts are nothing but a testament to her skilled yet artful storytelling.
January 16, 2023
Name Place Animal Thing - a game every 90s child is familiar with. A game that was played at any time, anywhere, with or without pen and paper, and even light. One would that the title is enough attraction for a reader. However, that’s not the only reason I picked this book. What drew me to this book, is the fact that it is a novella with the lived experiences of a Khasi girl.
This book is a combination of short stories that describe @ life in Shillong, Meghalaya, and her coming-of-age through her interactions with the different people in her life. The title is apt for this book as the author shares her life with us through names, places, animals and things that define her early life.
Lyndem’s narration is simple and refreshing, and lyrical in a few places. While the author’s stories are little windows into life in the beautiful hills, she also touches on the political, cultural and social issues prevalent at the time. The instances that display xenophobia, racism, oppression of the Indigenous people of the Northeast of India, and ‘immigrant infiltration’ of the Nepalis and Bangladeshis, to name a few, have been woven into different anecdotes of the author’s life as regular occurrences, just the way they are, rather than dramatised and treated as extraordinary. This handling of such instances, made me think back and revisit my childhood, and recognise similar instances that were lived and considered ‘normal’. This connected me to the book, more than anything else.
I recommend this book to anyone who would allow the author to show them snippets of her life as a Khasi girl living in Shillong.
I would love recommendations of similar books about the Indigenous people of South Asia, fiction or non-fiction!
This book is a combination of short stories that describe @ life in Shillong, Meghalaya, and her coming-of-age through her interactions with the different people in her life. The title is apt for this book as the author shares her life with us through names, places, animals and things that define her early life.
Lyndem’s narration is simple and refreshing, and lyrical in a few places. While the author’s stories are little windows into life in the beautiful hills, she also touches on the political, cultural and social issues prevalent at the time. The instances that display xenophobia, racism, oppression of the Indigenous people of the Northeast of India, and ‘immigrant infiltration’ of the Nepalis and Bangladeshis, to name a few, have been woven into different anecdotes of the author’s life as regular occurrences, just the way they are, rather than dramatised and treated as extraordinary. This handling of such instances, made me think back and revisit my childhood, and recognise similar instances that were lived and considered ‘normal’. This connected me to the book, more than anything else.
I recommend this book to anyone who would allow the author to show them snippets of her life as a Khasi girl living in Shillong.
I would love recommendations of similar books about the Indigenous people of South Asia, fiction or non-fiction!
October 1, 2021
Name Place Animal Thing by Daribha Lyndem is narrated through the words, emotions and eyes of an unnamed little girl and it's her perspective of the state that we get. That doesn't fall short of all the emotions that comes as a Khasi girl who witnesses the ever-changing nature of her surroundings, the political turmoil that faces some of the 'outsiders' who aren't Khasis and how this protagonist's words evoke a lot of emotions in us.
Some of the chapters are a ride down the nostalgia lane and if some of you have completed the whole of their schooling in a strict convent school (all girls), some of these sentences will have you guffawing and miss your girlfriends from school so much. Watch out for strong social commentary from this girl on the growing popularity Christianity has in this mountain city as she grows up into a teen and she almost calls it 'cult like' behaviour when all she wants is to be connected to god without all the extreme opinions some of her believer friends had.
That being said, this is a book that has been long-listed for the JCB prize and I was baffled at the glaring editing errors throughout the book and it does stop towards the last few chapters. A lot of my friends who loved the book wrote about this and how they were able to overlook this. I simply couldn't and felt sad that this definitely was a dampener on my reading experience on what is a very sweet novel. It is what it is and this single aspect could put people off because the errors disconnected the sentences pretty often and I am not a grammar police (I hate the other
fucking term) or an elitist but a reade
who enjoys heartfelt debuts like these and
feels disappointed at a lousy job from the
publishers end to see this book is devoid of
any errors. This angst is more towards the
editing and less towards the writer &I sure
want to read what this writer will come up with again.
Some of the chapters are a ride down the nostalgia lane and if some of you have completed the whole of their schooling in a strict convent school (all girls), some of these sentences will have you guffawing and miss your girlfriends from school so much. Watch out for strong social commentary from this girl on the growing popularity Christianity has in this mountain city as she grows up into a teen and she almost calls it 'cult like' behaviour when all she wants is to be connected to god without all the extreme opinions some of her believer friends had.
That being said, this is a book that has been long-listed for the JCB prize and I was baffled at the glaring editing errors throughout the book and it does stop towards the last few chapters. A lot of my friends who loved the book wrote about this and how they were able to overlook this. I simply couldn't and felt sad that this definitely was a dampener on my reading experience on what is a very sweet novel. It is what it is and this single aspect could put people off because the errors disconnected the sentences pretty often and I am not a grammar police (I hate the other
fucking term) or an elitist but a reade
who enjoys heartfelt debuts like these and
feels disappointed at a lousy job from the
publishers end to see this book is devoid of
any errors. This angst is more towards the
editing and less towards the writer &I sure
want to read what this writer will come up with again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews