I am right in the middle of reading this massive tome - The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee. This book is massive in every way - size, scope, and the number of characters I have to track. Still, despite the effort required to read it, so far I like this book quite a bit.
I particularly like the social and political thoughts that pepper through this novel without any judgment whatsoever by the author.
The quote below is from a letter written by an idealistic boy to his mother. He has run away from home to join the budding Naxalite (an offshoot of the Communism) movement, as he no longer is able to enjoy the pleasures of life when he sees so many suffering from poverty and drought.
Ma, I feel exhausted with consuming, with taking and grabbing and using. I am so bloated that I feel I cannot breathe any more. I am leaving to find some air, some place where I shall be able to purge myself, push back against the life given me and make my own. I feel I live in a borrowed house. It's time to find my own. Forgive me.
~ The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
