Karimayi - Chandrashekhara Kambara & The Book Of Longings - Sue Monk Kidd

I love reading on trips, as it offers the guilt-free guilty pleasure of choosing books that are written for the sole purpose of 'beach' reading. My excitement quickly waned as I could not bring myself to read anything that I already had a sense of how it was going to turn out; so, out the window went mysteries, romances, thrillers, crime etc - I had single-handedly ruined it all for myself. It is disheartening to know that you can never read for comfort anymore. Apparently, I read to churn, wince, think, mull, build, connect and know. And a variety of writing styles is also what I seek, so no repeating authors unless its a Madeline Miller. Knowing my love for history, A kind soul suggested historical fiction. I tried. The challenge was finding writers (IMHO) who could weave in the story, keep it grounded in facts (to what ever degree that it is available) and write well. There were a few I found and loved but there were many that I couldn't bring myself to finish. And I hate that, having never written a book, I work very hard at finishing what someone has toiled over for great periods of time.

Two that I read on a trip that I wouldn't mind recommending.

Karimayi, translated from kannada is a story about the changing world order in Karnataka - from the old ways to the modern during the British era. The old order is shown in the form of Gowda, a stable, understanding and open leader. Whereas the new is represented by the power-seeking, immature, rash and eventually criminal Gudisakara. The author's tilt is clear. Within this power struggle he adds the myth and wrath of Karimayi, the local goddess and the social evils of alcoholism that creates unwarranted chaos.

The language is colloquial as it seems like a direct translation. It was a good story, kept me hooked to enough to finish it by the time the trip got over. It was familiar as it was set in Karnataka - culture, language, food, relationships etc. The characters were too many to understand any one in depth (could also be the result of the translation, hard to tell) - they were at best two-dimensional. The intent behind many an action, though stated clearly, didn't hold up to deeper scrutiny.

Read, if you love a good story and you don't mind being in and out of reality.

The Book Of Longings is the story of Jesus' wife, Ana. Again, a great story. Caters to the 'progressive' woman today. Ana rebels in every way - she is scholar who makes her own paper and ink, escapes a marriage to an old man, defies a powerful father, supports a rebellious brother and marries a man who is still finding himself. She grows into a strong, mature person who literally readies herself to face her husband on the cross. Their love story is rich with emotion and distance (as you know, Jesus is called for a greater purpose).

It is a compelling story, clearly marked as fiction. But I could see it happening. The factual/historical markers are all in place. I just felt the writing catered too much to the audience. The language, the notion of feminism, was written with today's culture in mind. I felt like the narration could have stayed with the times of the story. This is my first book by the author so not sure if this is just her style.

The story is great, do pick it up on your next trip.