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If I Could Tell You
'The story I shall tell you is about failures. It is largely a story of hope thwarted, of promises broken. One of the reasons why I wanted to write these letters to you was to explain; but it was also, as though through writing them, I would come to understand. Through the writing, I hope to glimpse, before it is too late, some sort of pattern, some structure to the random events of the past few years. Words mean more than anything else to me. Perhaps they will to you one day too, when you read this.'
An unnamed narrator writes a series of letters to his daughter, explaining how his life has gone wrong. The letters, spanning the narrator's life in India and England, from the 1970s till the stock market crash of 2008 and having as their unwavering focus his daughter and the relationship between them, speak of mislaid dreams and trust betrayed.
In prose of extraordinary beauty and power, Soumya Bhattacharya crafts a story of longing, love and loss. It is a story of about how luck and chance and a twist in events can irrevocably alter our lives, a story of how love can lead to catastrophe, and, ultimately, a story about the new India, and how its economy can make, and then break a man who always wanted to be no more — and no less — than a writer.
Haunting and tender, this is a remarkable novel from one of the most distinctive voices of his generation.
An unnamed narrator writes a series of letters to his daughter, explaining how his life has gone wrong. The letters, spanning the narrator's life in India and England, from the 1970s till the stock market crash of 2008 and having as their unwavering focus his daughter and the relationship between them, speak of mislaid dreams and trust betrayed.
In prose of extraordinary beauty and power, Soumya Bhattacharya crafts a story of longing, love and loss. It is a story of about how luck and chance and a twist in events can irrevocably alter our lives, a story of how love can lead to catastrophe, and, ultimately, a story about the new India, and how its economy can make, and then break a man who always wanted to be no more — and no less — than a writer.
Haunting and tender, this is a remarkable novel from one of the most distinctive voices of his generation.
- GenresIndian Literature
200 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Soumya Bhattacharya
13 books4 followersBorn in Kolkata, Bhattacharya grew up and studied in Kolkata and London. As a journalist, he has worked on The Times (London), The Sydney Morning Herald, India Today magazine (New Delhi), The Telegraph (Kolkata) and the Hindustan Times. He is currently the Editor of Hindustan Times, Mumbai.
His essays and literary criticism have appeared in a number of publications across the world, including The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, New Statesman, "Granta" and Wisden in Britain; The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia; Sports Illustrated in South Africa; and The New York Times.
Bhattacharya's first book, a work of narrative non-fiction called You Must Like Cricket?, was published across the world to critical acclaim in 2006. Part reportage, part travelogue, part cultural politics, You Must Like Cricket? is a memoir that explores how India's identity got so closely tied to a game and the troubling hold that cricket has over him and a billion other of his countrymen.
Writing about the book in The Guardian (London), the cultural critic Mike Marqusee called it 'highly entertaining' and said it was an 'heir to a tradition harking back to cricket's first literary classic, John Nyren's The Cricketers of My Time, published in 1833.' You Must Like Cricket? was one of the notable books of the year for the award-winning Observer Sport Monthly magazine in the UK.
All That You Can't Leave Behind, Bhattacharya's second book, was a sort of sequel to You Must Like Cricket?It was published in India in 2009, and in the UK in 2011. Historian Ramachandra Guha called it 'a vivid and empathetic account of the highs an lows of cricket watching in contemporary India'. Writing about it, author and columnist Peter Roebuck said: 'Combining personal touches, socio-economics, emotion and statistics... it is a rich tale told with the sentiment of a supporter and acumen of a historian'.
Bhattacharya's third book (and first novel), If I Could Tell You, appeared almost simultaneously with All That You Can't Leave Behind in December 2009. A haunting and tender novel, If I Could Tell You has at its heart the universal themes of longing, love and loss. Written in prose of beauty and power, it is a story about how luck and chance and a twist in events can irrevocably alter our lives, how love can lead to catastrophe, and, ultimately, about how the new India can make - and then break - a man. Greeted by several glowing reviews, the novel entered India's national bestsellers list on publication. It was nominated for the Crossword Book Award, and shortlisted for The Hindu Best Fiction Award. The author Vikram Chandra wrote of it: 'This is a remarkable novel by a writer whose work we will read for years to come.'
He is most recently the author of the fatherhood memoir, "Dad's the Word".
Bhattacharya lives with his wife and daughter in Mumbai.
His essays and literary criticism have appeared in a number of publications across the world, including The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, New Statesman, "Granta" and Wisden in Britain; The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia; Sports Illustrated in South Africa; and The New York Times.
Bhattacharya's first book, a work of narrative non-fiction called You Must Like Cricket?, was published across the world to critical acclaim in 2006. Part reportage, part travelogue, part cultural politics, You Must Like Cricket? is a memoir that explores how India's identity got so closely tied to a game and the troubling hold that cricket has over him and a billion other of his countrymen.
Writing about the book in The Guardian (London), the cultural critic Mike Marqusee called it 'highly entertaining' and said it was an 'heir to a tradition harking back to cricket's first literary classic, John Nyren's The Cricketers of My Time, published in 1833.' You Must Like Cricket? was one of the notable books of the year for the award-winning Observer Sport Monthly magazine in the UK.
All That You Can't Leave Behind, Bhattacharya's second book, was a sort of sequel to You Must Like Cricket?It was published in India in 2009, and in the UK in 2011. Historian Ramachandra Guha called it 'a vivid and empathetic account of the highs an lows of cricket watching in contemporary India'. Writing about it, author and columnist Peter Roebuck said: 'Combining personal touches, socio-economics, emotion and statistics... it is a rich tale told with the sentiment of a supporter and acumen of a historian'.
Bhattacharya's third book (and first novel), If I Could Tell You, appeared almost simultaneously with All That You Can't Leave Behind in December 2009. A haunting and tender novel, If I Could Tell You has at its heart the universal themes of longing, love and loss. Written in prose of beauty and power, it is a story about how luck and chance and a twist in events can irrevocably alter our lives, how love can lead to catastrophe, and, ultimately, about how the new India can make - and then break - a man. Greeted by several glowing reviews, the novel entered India's national bestsellers list on publication. It was nominated for the Crossword Book Award, and shortlisted for The Hindu Best Fiction Award. The author Vikram Chandra wrote of it: 'This is a remarkable novel by a writer whose work we will read for years to come.'
He is most recently the author of the fatherhood memoir, "Dad's the Word".
Bhattacharya lives with his wife and daughter in Mumbai.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 1, 2017
Autobiographical account of the father told to his daughter through letters. I would rate this as a nice read.
My complete review available at
https://hearthereaders.wordpress.com/...
My complete review available at
https://hearthereaders.wordpress.com/...
January 7, 2016
This one was recommended to me and it is the first of its kind that I have read - a novel whose narrative takes the shape of a series of letters - in this case, letters from a father to her daughter. These letters are an autobiographical account of the author, centering around his family - his only family in the world - his wife and his daughter.
The beginning - The book begins really well and we are introduced to two childhoods in one narrative - the author's and his daughter's. While the former is fragmented in the form of memories that are fast fading away, the latter is much more continuous in form and flow. We are introduced to Oishi and her innocent questions and with those the coping and catching up of her parents with their newfound parenthood. This part of the novel is as swift as it is innocent with a good flow.
The Middle - The middle is arguably the weakest point of the narrative. The author uses many narratives borrowed from classics as stopgaps. These tributes might be interesting to an audience of voracious readers who have read the texts the author mentions but for readers who are comparatively unversed, this part may appear stretched.
The end - Perhaps the strongest part of the book, which appears stronger still after a weak middle narrative; the author brings us face to face with the twist in the plot. I felt my emotions surging the most in this part after the beginning. The writing tools used here are unique and praiseworthy, specially the sentences that are not interrupted by punctuations near the absolute end, which are meant to depict flashes of memory. I really liked the sense of abruptness depicted here.
Final word - It is a good read for daily travel and the likes. Also, you might like it more than I did if you are a new parent.
The beginning - The book begins really well and we are introduced to two childhoods in one narrative - the author's and his daughter's. While the former is fragmented in the form of memories that are fast fading away, the latter is much more continuous in form and flow. We are introduced to Oishi and her innocent questions and with those the coping and catching up of her parents with their newfound parenthood. This part of the novel is as swift as it is innocent with a good flow.
The Middle - The middle is arguably the weakest point of the narrative. The author uses many narratives borrowed from classics as stopgaps. These tributes might be interesting to an audience of voracious readers who have read the texts the author mentions but for readers who are comparatively unversed, this part may appear stretched.
The end - Perhaps the strongest part of the book, which appears stronger still after a weak middle narrative; the author brings us face to face with the twist in the plot. I felt my emotions surging the most in this part after the beginning. The writing tools used here are unique and praiseworthy, specially the sentences that are not interrupted by punctuations near the absolute end, which are meant to depict flashes of memory. I really liked the sense of abruptness depicted here.
Final word - It is a good read for daily travel and the likes. Also, you might like it more than I did if you are a new parent.
December 25, 2015
Visit my blog for the complete review - http://shaivikafunda.blogspot.in/2013...
When the narrator ensures you are glued to the book, he slowly introduces the story of his life – a life that begins with a zero and ends with….well, you better read for yourself. A life of struggles despite having everything, of stress despite a laid back life one would envy, feeling of emptiness despite a fulfilling life. Its takes guts to accept ones mistakes and failures in front of one’s child and he shows that grit. I loved when at one particular moment; he celebrates rejection of his manuscript by a publisher. Instead of sulking at rejection, he saw it as his entry into the literary world, whatever small interaction it gave him with the fraternity. Now that’s what we call optimism! I enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing this post. Go for it if you share that special father daughter bond, you will love reading every bit of it. A book to be felt and relished and not just gobbled down…
When the narrator ensures you are glued to the book, he slowly introduces the story of his life – a life that begins with a zero and ends with….well, you better read for yourself. A life of struggles despite having everything, of stress despite a laid back life one would envy, feeling of emptiness despite a fulfilling life. Its takes guts to accept ones mistakes and failures in front of one’s child and he shows that grit. I loved when at one particular moment; he celebrates rejection of his manuscript by a publisher. Instead of sulking at rejection, he saw it as his entry into the literary world, whatever small interaction it gave him with the fraternity. Now that’s what we call optimism! I enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing this post. Go for it if you share that special father daughter bond, you will love reading every bit of it. A book to be felt and relished and not just gobbled down…
November 29, 2015
It is a good read.
I was very impressed with the way a father has bared his soul, and remembered so many of his emotions, to his daughter.
The book is essentially a string of letters the father has written to his daughter, while she was growing up. It starts with how he felt when she was born, how she was named, and beautifully describes the emotions of a newly-designated father. The father also offers a glimpse into his past, an unabashed and honest description.
I found myself getting angry at the father's mistakes and at the end of it,longing to find what happened as the book ends on an ambiguous note.
Overall, I liked some parts very much and some were okay. I will definitely read other books by this author.
I was very impressed with the way a father has bared his soul, and remembered so many of his emotions, to his daughter.
The book is essentially a string of letters the father has written to his daughter, while she was growing up. It starts with how he felt when she was born, how she was named, and beautifully describes the emotions of a newly-designated father. The father also offers a glimpse into his past, an unabashed and honest description.
I found myself getting angry at the father's mistakes and at the end of it,longing to find what happened as the book ends on an ambiguous note.
Overall, I liked some parts very much and some were okay. I will definitely read other books by this author.
August 1, 2012
Rather than the "What?" It's the "How" that makes it's impact.
The narrative of "If I could tell you" is built up in a series of letters from a father to his daughter. The narrator goes on to tell his story of failures and disappointment and in doing so, creates realistic characters and trappings in lives of people that seem too real to be fictitious.
If I could Tell You is a beautifully told story that wouldnt have turned out as good if it wasn't for the way in which it is told.
The narrative of "If I could tell you" is built up in a series of letters from a father to his daughter. The narrator goes on to tell his story of failures and disappointment and in doing so, creates realistic characters and trappings in lives of people that seem too real to be fictitious.
If I could Tell You is a beautifully told story that wouldnt have turned out as good if it wasn't for the way in which it is told.
November 24, 2015
This book is in the form of a series of letters written by a father (and aspiring writer) to his daughter in which he explains how his life has gone horribly wrong. The narrative is simple and the writer has an amazing knack for telling stories and believe me, the story (each and every line of it) is written beautifully ! Anyone who would read this book will definitely be able to connect with it. A nice read overall.
March 20, 2016
A confession in disguise of a novel, not a novel in disguise of a confession. Letters by a father to her daughter, eliciting all the turmoils, failures, successes the father goes through. A bit melodramatic (plausible, yet a plot straight from a bollywood movie), this novel scores high on writing depth, but a low on the plot line, as it is too predictable.
March 15, 2010
more than the story i loved the way it was told. intimate winding but without the motion sickness of unclear back tracking
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews