Ramblings of an Insomniac

This is one book I will not rate consciously. If I rate it five stars, it can be interpreted as I loved the book. Which I didn't. I hated the book. I feared the book. I feared the story. It made me afraid. It sprang innumerable bouts of anxiety. It triggered my depression. I was advised and with all the good intents, to stop reading the book. I couldn't do that.  Somehow, the thought of stopping the book midway made me feel guilty. I know, I know... But, it did. I have no justification for it. I can not help the way I feel. Having said that, I apologise to all the women out there. I am not qualified to comment or write anything on this book. Simply, being a man disqualifies me from writing a single line about the book. Just one word from my side... Let this tale serve as a caution. Not only about the Gileadean Society's treatment of women- but much later on, during the epilogue. It is clear the world doesn't learn any lesson from the era. They are still pretty much the...

I remember the first time I read The Calcutta Chromosome. I was new in the world of English Literature, contemporary literature to be specific. I started with Da Vinci Code. Thereafter I was introduced to the world of Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, Robin Cook, Michael Chricton. It was a fast-paced, action-packed world. Somebody recommended Amitav Ghosh. I was a bit apprehensive. Mind you, these were the days when the Internet was not in abandon. Children magazines like Anandamela were bringing out issues devoted to discussing what is a browser. What the hell... leave alone Gmail, even googling was not a recognized word. So, I didn't know who Amitav Ghosh is. I read his name, I knew it was fashionable for Coffee-House intellectuals to discuss his writings and comparing him with Sir V.S. Naipaul or more popularly with Ghosh's contemporary, Vikram Seth's writing. All of these ramblings are just to put in context the timeframe when I first read Amitav Ghosh and The Calcutta Chromo...