Faceless - the only way out by Tapan Ghosh

Faceless - the only way out is written by Tapan Ghosh, a debutant author from Mumbai, and it is slated to become a major motion picture in the near future.

Book Blurb: "Dildo in a bin! Who put it in?"

Embarrassed about mistaking a vibrator for a bomb, Khush and his anti-terror squad go about looking for the owner of the pleasure tool.

Khush and Shom have been friends since childhood. In their forties now, they love to swing to latino beats in Mumbai's nightclubs. Shom, the reticent one, is very different from the flamboyant Khush.

Everything changes when Shom meets Raima. Their sensual yet spiritual love is separated by age, wealth and background. Shom throws caution to the wind and meets life head on, choosing honesty over hypocrisy. It's a Love Story emerging in the contemporary world of wealth, lust and power, like the freshness of the lotus flowering in stagnant waters.

Raima, a victim of circumstance, is exposed to the world very early in life and as such she is tough, sharp and street smart. She is the soul of the book.

Faceless is the story of love and passion so powerful, so pure, that we live it with Shom and Raima.

The story set in Mumbai (SoBo, Khandala, Daman, etc) has a host of characters; we have Khush (short for Khusrau Screwvala), Shom (actually Suman Bhatia), Natasha, Raima, Natasha's mom Swapna, Saif Hussain, Aruna, Aneesh and Aneesha, and many more. However, as we progress, we find that the book mainly revolves around Raima and Shom, with Khush making the occasional appearance along with the luxury vanity van called the "Land Yacht".

I had recently read and reviewed a book - The Blogging Affair - by yet another debutant author and wanted to stay away from sauce and empty plots for a while, but that was not to be and soon enough Faceless – the only way out found me.

The plot is flimsy to say the least and the first line on the book blurb "Dildo in a bin! Who put it in?" was quite a turnoff. The narrative or the manner in which the ... umm story is told doesn't gel with me either. The result: After The Blogging Affair, this is another book that I have taken the longest to read.

The Plot: Shom is a self-made successful businessman and best friends with Khush, who too is super-rich and moonlights as the deputy to the chief of Mumbai’s bomb squad - and that too post the 26/11 terrorist attacks! Strangely though Khush spends most of his time in pubs and discos, drinking away and 'having fun'; he sees himself as doing a great service to womankind by satisfying their needs.

Shom and Khush are both married men with families, Shom having married his rustic wife at the spur of the moment under some unpleasant circumstances. He has a past with a childhood sweetheart - Aruna. The unhappiness and emptiness (this bit is quite contrived though) of his life makes him seek 'solace' from time to time. He meets architect-cum-escort Raima Sengupta (many years his junior) on Facebook and Blackberry chats. They decide to remain faceless but maintain contact nonetheless. Then they decide to meet.

Raima has lost her father quite early in life and is brought up by her loving aunt whose creep of a husband molests her when she was just fourteen. Fortunately she remembers the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky saga just in time and decides to keep her dress (the one with her uncle’s semen) safely - and the uncle wilts. Her mother is bed-ridden.

She has been in a relationship with Saif Hussain - an ISI backed terrorist and a close aide of Headley (the mastermind of 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai). She plays a vital role in getting him imprisoned, while Khush sees to it that no harm comes to her. However she ends up being on the hit list of shadowy figures. After Saif and Khush, she meets her soulmate Shom - through FB and BB chats and then face-to-face.

They meet as often as they can. They call each other soulmate and the author has done his best to portray whatever happens between them as love and tender romance, but it simply falls flat. It comes across as one-dimensional, as lust, and is tiresome.

My two pence worth: The flow of the story is jumpy and not at all logically convincing. There are too many inconsistencies, disconnect and clunky writing for the readers to sustain their interest after a few minutes. That the story is narrated in a flat tone and lacks humour doesn’t help either. It drags on and on and there is no Loin to rescue us from the overwhelming Mona-Tony.

Frankly, the narrative starts with a vibrating dildo (in a bin) that people confuse for a bomb, but Khush finds out the truth and becomes the hero of the day. The gadget belongs to Swapna, Natasha's mother, who in turn is a friend of Raima. And that's how Khush and Raima meet. The author's portrayal of the 'needs' of middle-aged and neglected women leaves a lot to be desired. He even brings the third gender - the shemales - into the plot, and they have absolutely nothing to do with the storyline. It was insensitive to say the least. And Shom going underground (and faceless) - eliminating terrorists via a fully automated system? I would rather watch A Wednesday instead.

We barely get a glimpse of the city or the state - except for a feeble one - that of a beach, but are overwhelmed by the minutest detail - of the Land Yacht's interiors and those of the third gender.

Having plowed through the book, all I have to say is that perhaps the author wanted to write a story with the aim of converting it into a movie and therefore just went about adding all sorts of 'spices' and 'garnishing' that he felt would enliven it and result in a blockbuster. He even brought in past life connect and reincarnation - out of the blue!

After reading the book, the hardest thing for yours truly has been to write the review and boy am I glad that I have finally managed to pull it off! And now that I am done with it, I am in dire need of some strong south Indian filter kaapi.

But before I grab a cup, I must add that the book does feel good to hold and the editing errors are barely there. Even the book jacket cover is unusual and manages to hold your attention; there is somewhat of an element of the mysterious there. I only wish there was a plot too and a coherent one at that. Why has the author called this book "Faceless - the only way out" - I know not.

My Rating: Had it been the X-Mas-New Year season I might have been more generous and given it a 2/5, but since it is not, I am going with a 1.5/5 for Tapan Ghosh's debut book. Given the backdrop and the other sub-plots like reincarnation, etc., this one could have turned out to be a very good read. A much meatier read in its own right, if only there had been a clear storyline and the deadwood (for the sake of cheap thrills) had been pruned out.

With that, I am off to get some much needed filter kaapi.

Details of the book: Faceless - the only way out / Author: Tapan Ghosh/ Publisher: Frog Books (an imprint of Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd.)/ Publishing Date: 2011/ Format: Paperback/ ISBN: 978-93-81115-98-5/ Pages: 239/ Price: Rs.145 (Rs.109 @ Flipkart.)

Picture: The book jacket cover of Faceless - the only way out. Courtesy link.

A Sliver of Moonbeam by Ipsita Banerjee

The other day I was reading Ruskin Bond's "Notes From A Small Room" (a collection of his writings, taken from his diary and notebooks, up till a few years ago) and came across the name of one of his shorter pieces titled, "Catch a Moonbeam" - that has not been published before. Though I haven't yet finished reading the book, yet needless to say that I enjoy his writings immensely. He is one of my all time favourite authors.

In case you are wondering why I brought in Ruskin Bond and one of his works here, well, all I can say is that I am about to share my thoughts on lawyer-turned-debutant author Ipsita Banejee's first offering, "A Sliver of Moonbeam". Now you can see the "moonbeam" connection, no? But I have no plans of digressing any further.

Published by Frog Books, this one is a slim volume - only 106 pages; something you can curl up with on a lazy weekend, or read as a bed time book, or it can even serve as a quick read while traveling to and fro from work or any other destination for that matter. And at only Rs.95 it is very light on the pocket too!

Don't judge the book by the number of pages, coz it does pack in a quite a lot within its covers. Short stories - fiction as well as a few inspired from real life - some dark and with a twist in the tale, others - a little poignant, some sprinkled with a dash of humour, that will ensure a gentle smile on your lips. And then there are verses, a few that are an ode to Ipsita’s longing for her father - her Baba - whose presence and arms she seeks: to feel protected, to feel secure and to be the little girl once again with nary a care in the world. She also pens her thoughts, rather her feelings, on seeing him in pain - while lying in the ICU, and then his eventual journey into the sunset.

There are others too: of yearning, of faded love, of a sterile life, of longing and pining for someone, of wanting to be careless, carefree and casual once again.

There are myriad shades, though I would not say that the verses (rhymes rather) made for some deep philosophical musings, insights, etc., yet they do manage to leave an impact. Somewhat that is.

Why has the author called her first offering "A Sliver of Moonbeam" - I know not.

But what I liked best were her musings - drawn from real life. Titled, "Music and Perfume", "Sounds", "Little Angels", "Family Vacations", "Call In Them, Idiots!", "Nothing", "Idyllic Holidays", "Bengali", "Non-Application of Mind", "Mornings" and "Thanks, Mr. Bell" - they make for some delightful reading.

About her tryst with trying her hand at piano playing, her attempts at singing, on being tone deaf and how she was thrilled when her daughters were born. Since everyone exclaimed how lucky she was to be blessed with two little angels ... and how even after the passage of over a decade, she is still waiting for the slightest hint of a halo on either head, even an illusory soap induced rainbow like aura!

There are her musings about life when there was no TV and about life when suddenly there was TV all day and all night! And how she has never found a better baby sitter to rival the idiot box. You will smile reading about her account of the dreaded part of family vacations - packing; especially with her two brats, one of whom insists on wearing a slip of a dress on New Year’s eve, in Bhutan - in winter; while the other wants to carry her skimpy shorts that "make my legs look long". And how a chocolate she had insisted could not travel with them was later found to be squished inside her favourite sweater (!) and how while trying out the local food she would be greeted with a "You just ate an unborn pearl, Ma!"

Being maid-less for six weeks and then finally tiring of fantasizing about a luxurious life in a mansion with Brad Pitt. Of being pregnant and handed a long list of don'ts (including any book by Stephen King) and generally being asked to just lie in bed and dream of cherubic babies; then giving birth and feeling like a cow that has given birth to a leech hanging on to her breast for dear life! Reminisces of every childhood holidays spent in water or on trees ... than on land. Of the immense possibilities and challenges posed by languages, especially Bengali - where one would end up saying a whole paragraph in order to call someone "nyaka" (a complete Bengali specialty, I tell you) - in English. Of being a minor expert in rain showers, and on being constantly 'advised' by her mother on the importance of a steady diet of fish curry and rice - for her kids (instead of the worthless Maggi) - since "it makes your brains open up" ... while all the while she was sure that it didn't work for her!

Of scoring 3/100 in Sanskrit, of her brats informing her that there is 'shor' in her doodh and that she does not like Complan so why she cannot get Milo instead. This, during the morning mega rush, while she is struggling to pack them to school! Of times when the telephone was an instrument, black and heavy - that one could even use the receiver as a dumbbell because the telephone lines were not working most of the time anyway. Of being heard giggling on the phone (by her parents) and how conversations longer than 10 seconds made the frown lines deeper ... and 'the ultimate sin' - if, God forbid, any BOY called. Of relying on the Indian Postal System of getting her thoughts across, and on still getting tongue-tied on the phone.

I really had a good time reading this section and I feel Ipsita has a good hand at fun and humour. Its gentle and relatable and not the sidesplitting type and her writings do make us reminisce on our own lives, as well as our childhood and carefree times past. I would love to read more of her writings in the future, especially this aspect of her writings. She does not give the impression of trying too hard and is effortless.

The book feels good to hold and I don't really recollect any editing errors; so if at all there were any, they must have been really negligible. And that certainly added to the reading pleasure.

Suggestions: I wish some more thought had been given to the choice of the titles - of each story/chapter. There is some scope for improvement, rather innovativeness there. Ditto the book blurb. This brings me to the book jacket cover. I won't say it is unsuitable, however I feel it falls short of doing justice to the contents of the book. There should have been some "sunshine" there, so to speak - in line with the funny, humourous, tangy, sweet, bitter sweet and sarcastic flavours - which lie within its fold. As we all know, visuals are important in choosing a book - especially by a debutante author, where 'First impress-aan izz last impress-aan'!

My Rating: I am going with a 3.5/5 for Ipsita Banerjee's debut book and I look forward to her future writings with interest.

Details of the book: A Sliver of Moonbeam/ Author: Ipsita Banerjee/ Publisher: Frog Books (an imprint of Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd.)/ Publishing Date: 2011/ ISBN: 978-93-81115-15-2/ Pages: 106/ Price: Rs.95 (Rs.81 @ Indiaplaza.)

About the Author: Ipsita Banerjee describes herself as irreverent, crazy and tactless, but also a mother, a lawyer, a wife and a daughter. Like most women today, she plays a juggling act: maid, driver, tutor, professional, cook... and writes when she has the time. She lives in Calcutta with a large assortment of in-laws, and can be contacted at ipsita70@gmail.com

Picture: Courtesy link.