Book Review - Swimmer Among the Stars

Swimmer Among the Stars: StoriesSwimmer Among the Stars: Stories by Kanishk Tharoor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read this book for a book club, and I wasn't disappointed. Tharoor is a superb writer, filling each page with a lyricism that belies his poetic side. There is no doubting his erudition and vast global knowledge - his writing is effortlessly pitted with witticisms and a scholarly air. But, unlike most Indian authors I've read, Tharoor doesn’t burden his work with verbosity, or a need to show off his intellect with an overuse of the thesaurus – instead, he keeps it relatively simple.

The stories are a mixed bag, and as a compilation entertaining to read, but without a central theme or purpose. It feels more like a ‘Best of’ album, than a comprehensive new record. That’s neither a negative nor a positive, it’s just how it is.

It is hard to compare the stories, but simpler to have some favourites over others. I particularly liked the one about the eyelashes – it was simple and sweet before it took on a much darker tone. I loved the first story as well, not only because if its quirky nature, but because it humorously addressed the complexities of the Indian bureaucratic system – it may not have been the best choice as an opener, as it gave the initial impression of being a fun and funny, which it turned out not to be.

The astrolabe story was a good subversive one where the technologically advanced man isn’t allowed to be the saviour of the natives, but is instead a thing to be studied and mocked.
I enjoyed the concept of the United Nations of Space, and how the main players happen to be from countries often forgotten when it comes to representation. The twist in the end is brilliant, and I would honestly love to see that story turned into a film.

The story ‘Portrait with Coal Fire’ stood out for me because of the dialogue. There are three parties involved, each with their own distinctive voice and the story is a rollercoaster of emotions. I feel the most down to earth story was the one about the college student. Don’t know if that was autobiographical or simply drawn from the author’s experience, it was a human tale about love, loss and longing.

One of the most outstanding stories was the one about icebreakers. The author easily captures the claustrophobic, desperate situation of all the parties involved, while also bringing in some much needed levity for characters and readers alike.

I’ve seen several reviewers comment on the Muzzafar story – while I enjoyed it, it read like a derivation of an old Bollywood film. I couldn’t get into some of the stories, mostly because they felt overlong.

I don’t know if Tharoor was aware of it when he was writing (he probably was), but the majority of the stories feature Indian, Arab, brown, Muslim protagonists. They come in all forms – good, bad and ugly – yet race is never an issue in the stories. All the characters presented to us are human beings, replete with human foibles; it makes a difference who is creating the stories available in our popular media, because they are the ones who can add to diversity and represent clearly.

Several of the stories will likely leave a long-lasting impression on me. I wanted to have loved this book even more, but couldn’t. Given the sheer beauty of the language on display, this book is a must-read for all short story readers.

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