Review : Winter Evenings

 Name     : Winter Evening

 Author  : Navtej Sarna

 Publisher : Rupa Publications

 Cost      :  Rs. 350

Navtej Sarna's stories are keenly observed vignette of ordinary lives, told with profound empathy,a keen eye for the telling detail,and economy of style .

                                                       - Shashi Tharoor

A very good book ,best suited to accompany us in moments of solitude and peace. A perfect read , in case you wish to take a break from the rush and busy life.

                                                        Shashi Tharoor has quoted very correct about the author. Realistic stories that very well  match an ordinary life is the best part of this book. Something that can be throughout observed in all the nineteen stories included in this very book. 

Be it the very first story that sources the name of the book, Every story outcasts a good blend of everyday life situations with another everyday ordinary characters that in fact makes the reader associate the characters with  an acquaintance or a known person that they often come across.

The dialogues and narration with keen description of each and every detail actually makes the stories a very interesting read. Since it is a collection of multiple short stories, it does not demand links or continuation while reading, Out of nowhere the reader can choose a story to read .

The story of Raya , the second short story in the book is the story that I loved the most. A very different take on classic Romance, A different picturisation of the story of an old lady in search of  her lost love that which ultimately land in the author helping her now about the whereabouts of the man she once fell in love in Russia.

The story 'The Superintendent's Formula' is a soft description of the roots of bribery and corruption that emerges from the helpless government officers in the same job without any promotion or improvement in their work.

Since it was the very first story I read from this book, It stayed in my mind for a long time. Though the stories herein are not the one that keeps you hooked up reading, these are the ones that you can pick up anytime and wont be bored in case it is a repeated read

The first person narration of certain stories are very good that gives a very different view towards the story. Most of the stories set in pre independence era or alike situations are very detailed still short and crisp.

Be it the story of the grand son who narrates the story of the sad and terrible days during the partition or the Sikh protests in Punjab that his grandmother faced, Or the story of Madam kitty who has to quit the home nursing job due to suspicions and bad past. Every story has a different background and moral,  which makes this book much different than many a short story collection.

I would suggest this book to every one who loves reading detailed short stories, for I found every story interesting.I would rate this book four out of five.

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