The Vigil and Other Stories by Gita V. Reddy is an
interesting read of collection of 15 stories. All the stories are thought
provoking, intriguing and self-questioning. After each story I had to give a
gap to think about it and reach to a logical conclusion that almost matched
with the manner story was concluded in the book. Stories are connected to each
person’s life and hence it seems so natural and interesting to read each story.
The Vigil is a story about women entrepreneurship
and the lifestyle that revolves around them at this level. Naina is one of the
top position holders in a company who gets pregnant while a critical deal is
happening in her company. The story intervenes with her career and personal
life where she gets totally engrossed about her career and forgets one of the
most important phases of motherhood. A small incident strikes her on this
missing part of her life and how she gets back on her track of becoming
cautious about her about to be born child.
Mr Krishnan is another good story
about a man who goes into short attacks of heartache. It has been told in a
quite humorous style about his old car and how he manages his life beyond
certain shortfalls of his life. Sitas’
Lives is yet another interesting story based on Hindu Mythological –
Ramayana – on what pain Sita passes through after Lord
Ram gets her recovered
from Lanka’s King Ravan.Overall, all stories are quite different thematically and entirely different from each other in The Vigil and Other Stories by Gita V. Reddy. A must read for all readers interested in short stories.
