This book contains nine short stories. And there are four stories I want to share.
In the first story”Carapace” is about a young woman has to choose
between two men. The first one is Anura Perera; he earns a lot of money and can
provide her with a house, expensive clothes, and a good life. The second one is
Vijay, her true love. Vijay works as a cook at Beach Hut, and he just wants to
lead a substantial and happy life. The woman loves Vijay, but he does not have
marriage intentions. To the woman’s disappointment, she may choose Anura in the
end.
In the second story” The Inspector of Schools.” It talks about an
inspector who visits schools where the conditions are bad and dirty. In
addition, most of the schools have not enough books, so he wants to help the
students learn and offer them a place where they can study. However, the
inspector makes recommendations but they are refused. He is so depressed and
regretful that he cannot do anything for the students.
“The Kite-maker” refers to how wars can divide families. It is about a
couple who wish for peace and is eager to find his son back because of the
cruel war. Consequently, the man makes a kite shaped like a dove with silver
bells in its wings, and hopes his son can come back. One day, some people give
back the couple’s son because they recognized the broken kite. Thanks to the
kite, the divided family is able to be together again in the end.
“The Night Train at Deoli.” This story is about a boy who remembers a
girl at a railway station. He meets her there when she tries to sell him a
basket. They hardly speak some words; but he is interested on her. He only
meets her twice and tries to know who she is. However, the girl is not at the
railway station any more. The boy never forgets her.
The characters in these stories tell experiences of their childhood.
They keep some memories in their minds or have some regrets of the past they
want to tell. In their young and carefree childhood, there are many stories
behind their backs.
It's surprised me that the stories are different from the childhood I imaged. Especially for the first story, I'm curious that whether we would determine we would have marriage in the future or not. But that's not the point. I think if I were that woman, I would struggle too. I think maybe the author try to tell us, don't make the decision that we will regret.
ReplyDeleteWars are really cruel and tear people apart. When I saw the end of the story, I really touched by the reunion of the family. If the parents gave up looking for the child, maybe they would never have the chance to see their son again. Thank you for sharing the story:)
ReplyDeleteThe first story is just like a soap opera we can see in Taiwanese TV but somehow a bit close to reality.
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