3 out of 4 stars
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Nabaneeta Dangwal’s Delhi Yarns is a collection of short stories which explore themes of love, loss, abandonment, and how we shape and perceive reality. Each story is narrated by vastly different individuals, yet each protagonist struggles to overcome their own personal challenge. Most of the stories within Delhi Yarns take place under seemingly mundane circumstances, however, there is always an unexpected twist that will keep you reading until the end.
Delhi Yarns will definitely appeal to short story enthusiasts, particularly because the storylines are simple, yet still imaginative and charming enough to draw readers in. “The Encounter,” in particular, is full of humorous dialogue as a young doctor picks up a drunkard after almost running over him in the middle of the night. Another story, “For As Long As…” will leave you feeling wistful as a hospital employee delves into the throes of young and confused love inside the emergency room.
Within this compilation of short stories, Dangwal often employs an interesting and unique technique to the framework of her stories: she completes the entire story arch, rather than leaving readers at the crescendo, the very precipice of a story. What is most surprising, though, is that this technique works well with the quirky details that the author spreads throughout Delhi Yarns.
Conversely, one factor that will not appeal to readers is that there are several instances in each story where the narrator could have let the imagery hint at what lay ahead and rely on subtlety and contextual undertones to move the story forward. Instead, Nabaneeta Dangwal uses narration and dialogue to state the obvious, thereby removing some of the charm from any given story. As a result, the dialogue sometimes feels stiff and slightly obvious. Delhi Yarns, then, may not be the best choice for readers who enjoy the thrill of mystery or the excitement of an unfinished plot.
Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because the storylines are deceptively simple and relatable to readers, yet the details carry a sense of allure that will allow you to fly through page after page of Delhi Yarns. Despite dialogue that may feel clumsy at times, Nabaneeta Dangwal is able to illicit empathy for the protagonist of each short story, while still managing to keep the tone light and humorous. Surely, this is a sign of a writer with rich life experiences and talent, both of which are necessary to grab readers’ attention.
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Delhi Yarns
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