m a n u s c r y p t s

Shashi Tharoor

This is a collection of Shashi Tharoor’s early works.. really early It has 14 stories and a two act play. While they are not of the fantastic quality of say, The Great Indian novel, it definitely shows the class of the author, who even during school and college days, displayed an affection for words, and humour.
Each story is preceded by a note from the author that explains the context, and the mood. This adds great value to the reading.
The stories range from semi autobiographical to takes on the social, cultural and economic milieu prevalent at the time the story was set, and pure fiction. Some of them are also unique perspectives on commonplace occurrences. A lot of stories reflect the ‘Indian middle class’ values and mindset, and I could identify with that a lot. A lot of the wit is pun driven, so if you’re a wordsmith you’ll like it.
The play is a wonderful humorous metaphor on the Emergency.
In essence, a decent read.