My new and old companions

I loved A Pack of Lies - one of the most important reason being that I relished the "old gluttony" feeling I had not experienced in some years. I began reading it one afternoon and I found myself gulping words and sentences. I didn't want the torrent of sharp, brutal, heart-wrenching words to end, but there I was gulping down the words. I hated keeping aside the book to cook, then dine and also go for a movie (Pan Singh Tomar). I did all of that, and then I returned home to finish the remaining 100 odd pages left.
A brilliant debut by Urmilla Deshpande (Gauri Deshpande's daughter), A Pack of Lies is very powerful. And, yes very voyeuristic too. One can't help but wonder if Ginny's mother was based on her or if she really was the "other" Gauri Deshpande, whom one didn't know earlier. I know...I was a little shocked at the different  picture of Gauri Deshpande staring at me from the pages of the book.
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On days when I wanted to reach out for "A pack..." and reread it all over again, I stop myself. This time I don't want to be a glutton...I want to relish each and every word, soak mysel in the torrent of words and emotions. I want an uninterrupted day to read the book.
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And, then there is this other book, which I have read umpteen times in these 2 years. I pick it up and read from any page, I go back, I begin from the beginning, I stop in the middle. Moni Mohsin's Tender Hooks is an absolute cracker and laugh riot. And, very poignant too. Full of malapropisms, it holds a mirror to the Pakistani society. Those few pages I read every now and then, I chuckle aloud or grin and smile. It's my favourite bed time companion and when it's not near my bedside, you will find it in my bag. Moni Mohsin's writing is very original. Thanks Butterfly!
  

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