Sivantha Kaikal by Sujatha review by
Vijay Venkatesh
Before anyone reads this review, I would first like to admit that my tamil-book-reading skills had dwindled over the last 10 years or so for the plain reason that I never had a chance to get in touch with one. Thanks to my fellow friend Premnath for constantly singing the Sujatha anecdotes that actually got me into reading my first book of this renowned author (a short story).
Despite all the huddles and my personal drawbacks, I managed to finish the book in a below average time. I was happy with my effort of finishing my first tamil novel and happier that I picked a good one. A good novel does not mean a great story which brings a wow factor in the reader's mind. It can be a plain story with extremely interesting narration, crisp dialogues and eye-catching screenplay. I am sure that all Sujatha fans would agree to that but this being my first novel of Sujatha I should say the man milked 10 litres from a starving cow.
The first thing that amazes me is how a story of a modern genre was written almost 30 years back and how it still fits to the modern trend. The addition to detail to every single aspect of the story was even better. It is easy to close a scene with a group of men playing a game of cards in some well known club in some famous place in India. But to research on a game of Bridge, to get all the technical terms behind it, to decide the moves of a player, and to bring out a scene out of it is something extra-ordinary. On that aspect I give all credits to this writer (even though I happen to be the last known man on earth to appreciate him, I feel its never too late).
Having said that, the next thing I would give credit to is the set of dialogues in this short story. Especially the climax, makes one think of different mindsets/perspectives to a single scene. Be it a plain prayer to god or a guy who was just about to have sex but stopped because his best friend was in a critical state of health, the author has delivered a man's unfiltered feelings and emotions very well.
Overall, the book was a great read and an inspiration for me to realize that language is no barrier to appreciate a good story. I felt the story could have been a bit stronger but I'm no expert to judge a genius tamil writer. Looking forward to read his other books and share more reviews.
Rating: /5
Despite all the huddles and my personal drawbacks, I managed to finish the book in a below average time. I was happy with my effort of finishing my first tamil novel and happier that I picked a good one. A good novel does not mean a great story which brings a wow factor in the reader's mind. It can be a plain story with extremely interesting narration, crisp dialogues and eye-catching screenplay. I am sure that all Sujatha fans would agree to that but this being my first novel of Sujatha I should say the man milked 10 litres from a starving cow.
The first thing that amazes me is how a story of a modern genre was written almost 30 years back and how it still fits to the modern trend. The addition to detail to every single aspect of the story was even better. It is easy to close a scene with a group of men playing a game of cards in some well known club in some famous place in India. But to research on a game of Bridge, to get all the technical terms behind it, to decide the moves of a player, and to bring out a scene out of it is something extra-ordinary. On that aspect I give all credits to this writer (even though I happen to be the last known man on earth to appreciate him, I feel its never too late).
Having said that, the next thing I would give credit to is the set of dialogues in this short story. Especially the climax, makes one think of different mindsets/perspectives to a single scene. Be it a plain prayer to god or a guy who was just about to have sex but stopped because his best friend was in a critical state of health, the author has delivered a man's unfiltered feelings and emotions very well.
Overall, the book was a great read and an inspiration for me to realize that language is no barrier to appreciate a good story. I felt the story could have been a bit stronger but I'm no expert to judge a genius tamil writer. Looking forward to read his other books and share more reviews.
Rating: /5
