Monday, November 5, 2018

Book Review: Gurgaon Diaries by Debeshi Gooptu







I met Debeshi on Twitter, and I am so glad. Our interaction lead me to her wonderful stories on Juggernaut Books App. Later, I interviewed her on my blog. You can read her insightful interview HERE.

A big thank you to Debeshi for gifting me her book, Gurgaon Diaries! What a breezy read it was!

Gurgaon Diaries {Published by Rupa Publications} is a collection of {mostly} funny, quirky and thought provoking tales. Although, it is categorized as fiction, the way every story carries a warm, personal touch, it should be categorized as creative non-fiction, in my personal opinion.

The book is divided in 3 parts --- Life, Work and Play. As the title suggests, it tells the tales of Gurgaon life.

As I have said earlier, the stories are mostly funny/sarcastic, and Debeshi is really good at humour. However, some stories seem to draw our attention, in an interesting manner, towards some social issues and our daily life problems that compel you to ponder.

Debeshi is a wonderful storyteller, and the stories in Gurgaon Diaries are engaging. They are really short, hardly 3-4 pages long, that made it an easy and smooth read.

Although, I liked all the stories, I have my favourites.

Like 'Lost in Translation' ---

'Are you a Bengali? I asked politely. She did not look pleased.
'How do you know?' She barked. Seriously, I thought to myself, as though there was any doubt after hearing you speak in Hindi!

Yes, this really funny story focuses on Bengali accent {And Debeshi is a Bengali}.

'Hum tumko peeetai kaurega!' :)

Then, there is touching Naseeruddin --- 'If it's the small change that's making a big difference in someone's life, that's good enough for me,' says Debeshi. This, and many other, stories reflect Debeshi's beautiful thoughts.

'Fishy Business' is another favourite that talks about an unusual, I mean really unusual, bond. And there's 'Sex and the City' ---

'What do you think "sex" means?'
Tween {Who is questioning the mention of 'sex' on her ID card}: 'You know, Kissing and stuff.'
'OK smartass, then what should your ID card say instead of 'sex''?
Tween: 'Easy! Gender.'

Point! And this smart tween has an important role in this collection.

'Doctor, Doctor' is another touching story that points out the insensitivity of some doctors that really angered me.

'Freedom Calling', 'The Horrors of Halloween', 'Mind Your Language'...and many, many more!

To be honest, some stories from the section 'Work' did not work for me, maybe because I am not familiar with the corporate world, so it's just me.

Overall, Gurgaon Diaries is an interesting collection, full of fun and insights. The stories are engaging. If you are looking for a quick, funny read, go for it.






1 comment:

  1. It sounds like an interesting book, thank you for such a lovely review.

    ReplyDelete