A TRUE LIE
AUTHOR: VINOD BHARDWAJ AND BRIJ SHARMA
PUBLISHER: HARPER PERENNIAL INDIA
GENRE: FICTION
PUBLICATION DATE: 12th February 2019
FORMAT: PAPERBACK
PAGES COUNT: 168
MY RATING: 3/5
BLURB: (Taken From Amazon)
Vinod Bhardwaj's novel Seppuku was an expose of the contemporary Indian art world. A True Lie - a sequel of sorts to that novel - takes on the world of Indian journalism.
On the one hand, it is the story of print journalism regressing from its Golden Age. It bears witness to the swift changes in old-world journalism in the age of color TV, as brand managers become editors. On the other hand, there is the novel's protagonist, Sudhir Chandra, who battles unsuccessfully with the memories and scars of childhood sexual abuse, and tries to navigate unsuccessfully through a maze of complex relationships with women. Like Schopenhauer, he feels that sometimes revenge can be sweet, only to realize in the end, the futility of such vengeance.
This is a a boundary-breaking novel from a seasoned journalist, and will appeal to a a wide cross-section of readers.
MY REVIEW:
'A True Lie' by Vinod Bhardwaj focuses on the diverse shades of Hindi Journalism.
The story is narrated by Sudhir Chandra, who is also the main protagonist of the novel. Sudhir is a print journalist, working in a well-reputed publication house, Kakkar &Co. Throughout the novel, he narrates his life journey, his journey from rural land to his life in the megalopolis, his traumatic childhood memories and complicated relationships with women and etc.
To know more about Sudhir's story, read the book.
The book is about 170 pages and the writing is very simple and neat which makes it an easy read. The author has incorporated some clever twists which makes the story interesting. Other than exploring the world of Hindi journalism, the novel also focuses on subjects like sex, eroticism, male rape, etc and all of these have been narrated in an unrestrained manner. The author has also explored the complexities of man-woman relations in this novel.
However, the narrative style was weak. The story was moving back and forth, from Sudhir's past to present life, which was making the plot confusing at times.
All in all, 'A True Lie' was a fine read for me. I would recommend this book to the readers who are looking for a light yet witty read!
To buy a copy of the book, click on the link here
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Vinod Bhardwaj was born in Lucknow in 1948 and completed his MA in psychology from Lucknow University in 1971. He has published three collections of poetry, Jalta Makan, Hoshiyarpur and Hoshiyarpur Aur Anya Kavitayen. Brij Sharma has translated Vinod Bhardwaj's novel Seppuku into English.
*I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.*
For more bookish updates, follow me on Instagram
AUTHOR: VINOD BHARDWAJ AND BRIJ SHARMA
PUBLISHER: HARPER PERENNIAL INDIA
GENRE: FICTION
PUBLICATION DATE: 12th February 2019
FORMAT: PAPERBACK
PAGES COUNT: 168
MY RATING: 3/5
BLURB: (Taken From Amazon)
Vinod Bhardwaj's novel Seppuku was an expose of the contemporary Indian art world. A True Lie - a sequel of sorts to that novel - takes on the world of Indian journalism.
On the one hand, it is the story of print journalism regressing from its Golden Age. It bears witness to the swift changes in old-world journalism in the age of color TV, as brand managers become editors. On the other hand, there is the novel's protagonist, Sudhir Chandra, who battles unsuccessfully with the memories and scars of childhood sexual abuse, and tries to navigate unsuccessfully through a maze of complex relationships with women. Like Schopenhauer, he feels that sometimes revenge can be sweet, only to realize in the end, the futility of such vengeance.
This is a a boundary-breaking novel from a seasoned journalist, and will appeal to a a wide cross-section of readers.
MY REVIEW:
'A True Lie' by Vinod Bhardwaj focuses on the diverse shades of Hindi Journalism.
The story is narrated by Sudhir Chandra, who is also the main protagonist of the novel. Sudhir is a print journalist, working in a well-reputed publication house, Kakkar &Co. Throughout the novel, he narrates his life journey, his journey from rural land to his life in the megalopolis, his traumatic childhood memories and complicated relationships with women and etc.
To know more about Sudhir's story, read the book.
The book is about 170 pages and the writing is very simple and neat which makes it an easy read. The author has incorporated some clever twists which makes the story interesting. Other than exploring the world of Hindi journalism, the novel also focuses on subjects like sex, eroticism, male rape, etc and all of these have been narrated in an unrestrained manner. The author has also explored the complexities of man-woman relations in this novel.
However, the narrative style was weak. The story was moving back and forth, from Sudhir's past to present life, which was making the plot confusing at times.
All in all, 'A True Lie' was a fine read for me. I would recommend this book to the readers who are looking for a light yet witty read!
To buy a copy of the book, click on the link here
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Vinod Bhardwaj was born in Lucknow in 1948 and completed his MA in psychology from Lucknow University in 1971. He has published three collections of poetry, Jalta Makan, Hoshiyarpur and Hoshiyarpur Aur Anya Kavitayen. Brij Sharma has translated Vinod Bhardwaj's novel Seppuku into English.
*I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.*
For more bookish updates, follow me on Instagram
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