Kevein Books and Reviews

Maylis De Kerangal has written an extraordinary book that will continue to haunt readers for a very long time. Written in French and beautifully translated into English by Sam Taylor, ‘The Heart’ tells a rich, poignant story of how the beating heart of a young boy - fatally injured in a car accident and declared brain dead - is transplanted to give new lease of life to a fifty one years old lady whose own heart is on the verge of failure. The entire story spans a period of 24 hours from the moment the car crash takes place, to that gut wrenching moment when the transplanted heart beats for the very first time in the rib cage of that dying woman. In between, the story captures the passage of time dramatically with each passing moment revealing the searing pain of the parents who must first come to terms with the death of their young son who, just a few hours ago, was alive, surfing the wild sea waves with his friends, and now, lies cold on the operating table, under the bright ...

During his lifetime, John Williams wrote three novels: “Butcher’s Crossing” (1960), “Stoner” (1965), and “Augustus” (1972). Nearly forty years after it was first published, “Stoner” became a publishing phenomenon after it was rediscovered through word-of-mouth publicity. To tap into this cult following, Vintage has now published the other two books also. “Butcher’s Crossing” that, for the most part, is as good as “Stoner”, and in some aspects, even superior to it. Will Andrews is a twenty-three year old Harvard drop-out who is stifled by the droning voices in the chapel and classrooms. He often escapes from the confines of Cambridge to the fields and woods where he feels more comfortable. Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s lecture on nature, he imagines that his true self lies in the wilderness where he feels a part and parcel of God, free and uncontained. In a spirit of self-discovery, he sets out to seek this wilderness and washes up in Butcher’s Crossing, Kansas – a sha...

Why do people read memoirs and biographies when the world is flooded with fiction and non-fiction of various genres? Probably to peep inside a personality or to feel inspired. Nowadays from moderately hit film stars to very famous sportspersons, all go for publishing their stories about their lives and struggle. It makes them even more popular and common people can relate their struggle and pain with the superstar personalities. Unstoppable: My Life So Far is a memoir of global tennis star Maria Sharapova. She is from Russia but at the age of six she was taken to America to some famous tennis club for training and grooming since her father knew that his kid would be a superstar someday in the field of tennis. And she proved him right by winning Grand Slam titles five times. Now she lives in US. The book majorly talks about how she struggled to become a tennis super star and what kind of challenges she faced to maintain her place at such high level, where competition and ri...

The title of the book is long-winded, but the book is equally captivated. The book explores the themes associated with readership, sheer exuberance of reading, and letter writing among readers and writers and readers vs. readers.  To understand this book, consider this equation: a book you read years/months ago has been landed to some other reader’s by any means, now you get a message from that reader discussing about that book, and then communication commences between both of you. Exchanging ideas and sharing more on reading hobby – kind of pen friend. It’s a great stuff. Based on the similar lines is the great novel: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Well in this novel, you will find modern modes of communication (like email, social media, cell phone) missing, well then telegrams, letter writing, and diary writing were the best means for exchanging views and sharing thoughts. Thus, you will find this novel narrated...

In India people don’t need to search about Aurangzeb online or offline, the name itself is enough. From the Indian history, Aurangzeb has always been surrounded with pernicious myths, even in schools it has been taught that Aurangzeb was the most powerful and successful king of Mughals because of his barbarian nature. And because of this negative portrayal he has been always placed around controversy. On the other hand, he was the only Mughal Emperor to actually have an empire that expanded the Mughal Empire to its maximum size. Aurangzeb, a personality that has been researched and written on by many, but still remains one of the widely talked off Emperors even today. He is seen as a king who was communal, and pushed forth an Islamic agenda. Well, many of these myths have been broken by this book. Only readers can decide whether this book was written in the emperor’s favour or to check the veracity of history. It is an intelligently argued book, which gives a logical reas...

Indian contemporary novelist Anuja Chauhan is quite popular among Indian readers for writing light-hearted romance. Well, with ‘Baaz’ she was up to something else, probably a foray into serious, intense, war-fiction literature. Unlike her previous novels ‘The Zoya Factor’ and ‘Battle for Bittora’, this book is different in theme, orientation, and backdrop, because of a male protagonist. Yes! Readers won’t be bereaved of romance; it too has the lightness of romance in patches. Baaz is more serious in its façade, since the story will take you back to 1971 when Pakistan was fighting to take over Bangladesh and India interfered to its rescue. Ishaan hails from a small village in Haryana, like any other typical village boy he loved watching passing by trains. From there he grows up to become an officer in IAF.  While serving his country as a fearless pilot, he develops deep bonding with two more officers Maddy and Raka. They three form an inseparable kind of bonding and friend...

J.K. Rowling has had difficult time getting away from her ‘Potterdom’ image when she wrote ‘The Casual Vacancy (2012)’ with the same name, critics framed her and readers were literally shocked to see her changed colours. Though ‘The Casual Vacancy’ was not accepted like a potter book, well it confirmed that Rowling has found her new creative groove in mystery writing. So, she came back with different trick – pseudonym of Robert Gailbraith. First she wrote ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’ featuring fictional detective Cormoran Strike and it worked well. Readers found Strike as striking as Harry Potter. Now the second in the series is ‘The Silkworm’. This book delves deep into the dirty politics of book publishing industry of London that has long snubbed J. K. Rowling until she became the Potter Queen. It is a mystery. Strike, the lead character, here has to find the reasons behind the murder of Owen Quine. Rowling has intentionally placed this writer character snobby and an utter...