Aditya Mandhane > Recent Status Updates

Love, loss, tragedy, hope - it is all overwhelming in here. And despite the surreal nature of characters and events, it often reads as a world more real than my own. Or maybe that is just wishful thinking, and all I want is half the fortitude of so many of the generational characters in here.

The Left Hand Of Darkness has the beautiful simplicity of an assured worldbuilder, who knows how much information to convey - balancing knowledge and intrigue.

Thoughts like "War, not primitive nature, is the antonym of civilisation" and "To learn the unanswerable questions is the true purpose - not to answer them" shall haunt me for days.

Hooked to this universe.

So far, the book has been a dizzying ride in literary flair and back-and-forth historical and geographical jumps.

There are few who can 'weave' words with Rushdie's intricacy. Although, that's not always a good thing. What he does weave in spectacularly are the iconic sights and sounds (and smells) of every part of the subcontinent his story touches, especially Bombay, and the events that have shaped them.