Review of Three loves and other stories
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Sherry Wilson 1
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- Latest Review: Three loves and other stories by Lata Gullapalli
Review of Three loves and other stories
[Following is a volunteer review of "Three loves and other stories" by Lata Gullapalli.]
The first story, “Three Loves”, gives its name to the collection. Traces of oriental ways of thinking, coupled with the growing-up concerns of a teenager, produce an interesting narrative. We get glimpses of oriental mysticism: the "energy of the universe" resolves all.
The second story, “Magic”, is the most sensual tale (followed later by “Magic Again”, equally sensual). This is the sexy story, not graphic but passionate and intense. A heartfelt and impassioned love story.
“Soul Energy” centres around help and gratitude. It is a treatise on oriental acceptance of one's circumstances, and a description of deep friendship. But, from the joy of happy friendship, the situation darkens, and despair is eloquently rendered in this tale of stark contrasts.
“The Yen of Happiness” is the banking story: a trim narrative with surprises. A romantic story that never really gets to romance. The unromantic setting is the world of stocks and trading. The lovely lady involved daintily delivers the unexpected. The nicely-paced narration keeps the reader engaged right up to the final surprise.
“Restart” deals with the widespread phenomenon of bullying. The twist here is the oriental approach. Yet again Positive Energy is summoned to solve the problem. The mystic East knows how to harness this positiveness and make it work.
“Magic Again” is the continuation of “Magic”. It describes the same couple and what happens next. We witness the ups and downs of this sensual and passionate couple, and the passion is still wildly flaming.
“Growing up” can be summarised in a quote from the story: “it was a reasonably common occurrence for some parents to think their oldest is a grown-up the day they have a second child”. This astute home truth, experienced and recounted by the eldest daughter, is neatly depicted.
“Roots”, the last story, is about a woman who rethinks her past and family ties; in the end, she sees her family relationships differently.
The author of Three Loves and Other Stories, Lata Gullapalli, offers both ordinary and extraordinary tales with an oriental twist, featuring some intriguing glimpses of Eastern mysticism. Particularly forceful are the descriptions of energies, Positive and Negative, which are summoned to resolve life problems. The stories, even those that deal with mundane everyday situations, have a mystic/poetic vein running through them. I like the author's unique east/west mix, both in story content and in language choice. Describing somebody as being blessed with the third eye of intuitive understanding embodies Asiatic mysticism and alternative ways of explaining the world. And I like Lata Gullapalli's vernacular expressiveness: “Instead of the closeness she felt a salmagundi of a messy neither this nor that, which defied definition too.” This ragged enigmatic phrase conveys abundant meaning. Then, if you are looking for traditional India: “They got married in true South Indian style with 23 dishes on the menu.” And a hint of colonial times: “Shekar’s boss called him and said, in his pucca sahib style, . . .” Another characteristic of Lata Gullapalli's particular style is the stories-within-stories technique that reveals glimpses of faraway traditions and histories.
This unusual story collection even contains a bonus track: a mystery tale without a title! It is about the Indian caste system. The enchanting lines of poetry that introduce every story are in cursive script. Possibly, the first line of poetry here contains the title. There is no other heading, no title to the tale. It is the secret story, hidden in the middle of the book, a nifty surprise for the reader.
Throughout the book, the prose is somewhat uneven, it skips between awkward and charming, yet it is fascinating reading, both in content and style. Unfortunately, there are various editing issues. They do not deviate the flow of the stories or detract in any way from an absorbing read. Erratic commas and misplaced dashes persist throughout the text; we get to know them well. Fortunately, the stories flow nicely even with this bumpy punctuation.
Despite much lilting phrasing, as “the magic that was lurking on the edges of her day washed over her,” and gentle humour: “I just couldn’t really turn up at her place every time a hat dropped or whatever the saying was”, the book lacks polish. Unfortunately, the above punctuation/editing issues affect the rating for Three Loves and Other Stories which is four out of five stars, or three out of four stars.
Those who appreciate exotic settings and alternative story-telling styles will like this book. For poetry lovers, there are intriguing verses and much poetic prose, in parts vaguely echoing the style of Rushdie: “The entire world that you inhabit, your family friends and the earth sky stars . . .” Readers interested in “universal energy” themes will fully appreciate the touches of oriental mysticism.
******
Three loves and other stories
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The first story, “Three Loves”, gives its name to the collection. Traces of oriental ways of thinking, coupled with the growing-up concerns of a teenager, produce an interesting narrative. We get glimpses of oriental mysticism: the "energy of the universe" resolves all.
The second story, “Magic”, is the most sensual tale (followed later by “Magic Again”, equally sensual). This is the sexy story, not graphic but passionate and intense. A heartfelt and impassioned love story.
“Soul Energy” centres around help and gratitude. It is a treatise on oriental acceptance of one's circumstances, and a description of deep friendship. But, from the joy of happy friendship, the situation darkens, and despair is eloquently rendered in this tale of stark contrasts.
“The Yen of Happiness” is the banking story: a trim narrative with surprises. A romantic story that never really gets to romance. The unromantic setting is the world of stocks and trading. The lovely lady involved daintily delivers the unexpected. The nicely-paced narration keeps the reader engaged right up to the final surprise.
“Restart” deals with the widespread phenomenon of bullying. The twist here is the oriental approach. Yet again Positive Energy is summoned to solve the problem. The mystic East knows how to harness this positiveness and make it work.
“Magic Again” is the continuation of “Magic”. It describes the same couple and what happens next. We witness the ups and downs of this sensual and passionate couple, and the passion is still wildly flaming.
“Growing up” can be summarised in a quote from the story: “it was a reasonably common occurrence for some parents to think their oldest is a grown-up the day they have a second child”. This astute home truth, experienced and recounted by the eldest daughter, is neatly depicted.
“Roots”, the last story, is about a woman who rethinks her past and family ties; in the end, she sees her family relationships differently.
The author of Three Loves and Other Stories, Lata Gullapalli, offers both ordinary and extraordinary tales with an oriental twist, featuring some intriguing glimpses of Eastern mysticism. Particularly forceful are the descriptions of energies, Positive and Negative, which are summoned to resolve life problems. The stories, even those that deal with mundane everyday situations, have a mystic/poetic vein running through them. I like the author's unique east/west mix, both in story content and in language choice. Describing somebody as being blessed with the third eye of intuitive understanding embodies Asiatic mysticism and alternative ways of explaining the world. And I like Lata Gullapalli's vernacular expressiveness: “Instead of the closeness she felt a salmagundi of a messy neither this nor that, which defied definition too.” This ragged enigmatic phrase conveys abundant meaning. Then, if you are looking for traditional India: “They got married in true South Indian style with 23 dishes on the menu.” And a hint of colonial times: “Shekar’s boss called him and said, in his pucca sahib style, . . .” Another characteristic of Lata Gullapalli's particular style is the stories-within-stories technique that reveals glimpses of faraway traditions and histories.
This unusual story collection even contains a bonus track: a mystery tale without a title! It is about the Indian caste system. The enchanting lines of poetry that introduce every story are in cursive script. Possibly, the first line of poetry here contains the title. There is no other heading, no title to the tale. It is the secret story, hidden in the middle of the book, a nifty surprise for the reader.
Throughout the book, the prose is somewhat uneven, it skips between awkward and charming, yet it is fascinating reading, both in content and style. Unfortunately, there are various editing issues. They do not deviate the flow of the stories or detract in any way from an absorbing read. Erratic commas and misplaced dashes persist throughout the text; we get to know them well. Fortunately, the stories flow nicely even with this bumpy punctuation.
Despite much lilting phrasing, as “the magic that was lurking on the edges of her day washed over her,” and gentle humour: “I just couldn’t really turn up at her place every time a hat dropped or whatever the saying was”, the book lacks polish. Unfortunately, the above punctuation/editing issues affect the rating for Three Loves and Other Stories which is four out of five stars, or three out of four stars.
Those who appreciate exotic settings and alternative story-telling styles will like this book. For poetry lovers, there are intriguing verses and much poetic prose, in parts vaguely echoing the style of Rushdie: “The entire world that you inhabit, your family friends and the earth sky stars . . .” Readers interested in “universal energy” themes will fully appreciate the touches of oriental mysticism.
******
Three loves and other stories
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Three loves and other stories by Lata Gullapalli
