Manthan > Recent Status Updates

Ewwwww, what the fuck. I almost puked. Besides, this novel other than the obvious unrealistic aspect of talking to cows, feels very poorly constructed and fantastical. The world around our narrator only exists to make the plot and the progression convenient to the narrator, other than that, it;s completely silent and blank. Every character feels 1 dimensional, predictable, and cartoonish. No nuance whatsoever.

What the fuck am I reading? This is so fucking disgusting. Why did I even choose to pick this up. The author is doing a great job at making this more repulsive and nauseating by the sentence. I literally would've puked.

The short story that Im reading now is just so insufferable but I'm loving it regardless, depth and insightful as all in the collection.

Utterly sick and repulsive but portrays a segment of modern life so profoundly and critically, dwelling deeper into the things of individual's lives that the public brush off and/or don't care. Displays clear mental instability and the depravity that comes from loneliness each uniquely throughout the short stories. Such a masterful work of realism and craft.

Might shatter me for good, because the resemblance of the events here with my real life are very striking and aligned. Besides, Hewitt's excellency in prose, tenderness and depicting the woes and reverence of the heart left me breathless. I think this might be one of the best novels I've came across, for my taste and why I read what I read. Gosh.

Beyond words, truly.

Holy fuck, people weren't lying when they said this book is decade defining, my first ever short stories collection and I'm blown. Such rich insight into the lives of us, things that we oversee or doesn't bother upon, lives of normal and regular people, viewed through with such precision and intensity, portraying their psychology through their actions and mentality. And much more! WOW.

The prose is so magnetic, electric, tender and reverent in it's imagery and exquisite descriptions. I am finding parts of myself and my internal being through the mind our of narrator, James, gosh, this might already be one of the best books I will end up reading. I've already immersed myself in, highlighted so many passages and quotes, already touching my soul and thumbing my beating heart.

I need more essay collections by John Green, I know I will feel the loss and absence in my bones the moment I finish this amazing book. It's just so rich, humane, and I get to learn and understand so much our kind, our coming, and the nature of humanity. The perseverance, the strength, the brutality and all the depravity, that makes us, us. Such a gem of a collection, there's always something to take from each essay.

"Good journalism seeks to correct for those biases, to help us toward a deeper understanding of the universe and our place in it. But when we can't read the writing on the plywood but still think we know what it says, we are spreading ignorance and bigotry, not the peace and friendship Turner promised."

It's interesting and engaging, has that queer yearning and angst element to it. Alot of commentary on social norms, societal prejudice, religion and the internal bigotry of homosexuality in more conservative places like South Asia, a majority of the book is set in India itself and the characters backgrounds are rooted in India and Indian culture.

This is a book written in English and published for a more international audience, I don't see the purpose of using blatant unnecessary hindi phrases written in English just to make the reader confused. Indian culture and society should be explored rather than giving the readers a difficult time to process sentences for no apparent reasons. 12% in and this continuous usage is getting out of hand.

The prose is very choppy and gimmicky, the themes are nice so far, the book trying to convey the societal discriminations and the bigotry layered within South Asian Countries, India mainly.

But there are many direct Indian (Hindi) phrasings and deliberate hindi words just written in english, which definitely will cause an issue for non-native and non-familar people to follow.

(Contd..)

This still doesn’t fail to disturb me and make me uncomfortable, I thought it couldn’t get worse. Also, the portrayal of misogyny of our narrator is done so well, and also we as readers can form a basis and understanding of where this unnecessary hatred and sexism is coming from. It is making me uncomfortable, the suspense is their although storywise nothing much has happened throughout. Enjoying myself with this!

A part of me wants to finish this tonight, the other more reasonable part wants me to finish this tomorrow after my exam. It's also 12AM as of speaking, the entire experience was in one word, fascinating. Absolutely immersive and engaging as well as critical and nuanced, layered with an eerie, distinct and disturbing seal about it.

Very entertaining, disturbing and has a sense of distinct confidence about itself that at times questions me. Ofcourse I am not understanding symbolisms or am being able to extract meanings and critical parts, also producing my own analysis properly since I'm listening to the audiobook, but honestly, enjoying my experience and massive props to the narrator for making the experience so engaging and thrilling.

My very first ever audiobook experience, and what a delight? This is disturbing, nauseating and extremely messed up and petrifying. Props to the narrator for making the experience so memorable and engaging, I have some thoughts on it, but really just enjoying my time with it. A very, well lets just say, unusual and eerie piece.

This collection is such a delight!

Missed reading these essays. Still as humorous and insightful as I remember.

Thank you to the author himself for reaching out and giving me an E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Just started, actually am very interested to see how this unfolds!

Lapvona comments on so many things critically and puts you in a place of prolonging contemplation and wrestling your mind to comprehend the intensity of each conveyed meanings. This book specifically revolves around the idea of blind and self inflicted forced faith and challenging/understanding the concept of religious belief's itself. And, to what extend does this faith tamper with one's own perception of reality.

I never knew John Green could come up with such nuanced, emotional and intricate pieces of vignettes. So so different and for me, better, than his other YA popular boos. Such an important and warm yet critical collection.