3 out of 4 stars
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The Devil In Us by Monica Bhide is a collection of short stories about citizens of India or people of Indian origin living in the USA. While some of these stories are interconnected, most are stand alone tales of people from different walks and stages of life.
Every story in this book is like a photograph; a moment, stolen from the lives of these characters, captured forever within these pages and the book contains ten such snapshots. They are, mostly, narratives of a peculiar or a life-changing experience of an otherwise normal person. The one story that I particularly loved was the one with the same name as this book. ‘The Devil in Us’ is the story of Sonia, who is recently married to Dr. Anand and now resides in a tiny apartment in Mumbai. Her’s had been an arranged marriage and she does not know her husband too well. Yet, his lack of assertiveness paints him as a 'sissy' in her mind. She doubts her father’s judgment about Anand being the right choice for her. However, all these doubts are put to rest after one incredible day. This story shows just how judgmental we can be, even to those we barely know.
Another story that stood out to me and made me a little emotional was called ‘Best Friend’. It is the story of Mina, who is a recovering drug addict and an alcoholic. It is also about Tony, who is desperately in love with Mina. This is a story of loss, guilt and loneliness. I particularly loved 'Best Friend' for the poetry it contained. They gave this tale its uniqueness. I also felt like the poems added quite a nice touch to the personalities of the characters.
A variety of themes are addressed in this book, such as pain, loss, death, survival, homophobia, guilt, etc. Lighthearted storytelling provides a good balance for the darkness of these themes. Each of these stories reveals different kinds of evil, ever-present within us. But they also give us hope for a better and kinder world; a world more tolerant of differences.
The prose had been clear, concise, poignant and elegant. The descriptions were vivid and colourful, making it easy for readers to visualize the scene exactly as the author wants us to. It was hard not to forget that this was a piece of fiction. The characters and the stories they narrate could easily be real life people and incidents. Even surreal elements added to a few of the stories had a touch of believability to it. I had just one issue with the writing. The dialogues, I felt, were stilted or unnatural in certain places.
Despite all these positives, I’d still rate the book as a 3 out of 4 stars. I had high expectations for this book and wanted to be blown away by these tales. Yet, while I did like all the stories, only a couple of them managed to get me emotionally invested. However, I’d still recommend ‘The Devil in US’ by Monica Bhide to anyone interested in getting an insight into minds of people from the Indian subcontinent or even to those who are just looking for a casual, short book.
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The Devil In Us
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