LESSONS IN FORGETTING

–       Anita Nair

The cover of the book is not one I would go for. I like bright covers, and even if not bright, then interesting enough to catch my eye. I saw the book on the shelf and felt it looked quite morbid and the only thing that made me pick it up to have a closer look at it was the fact that it was written by Anita Nair, a writer whose work I have enjoyed in the past.

There are two stories going on in the book – two different narratives of two people and how their lives become intertwined with each other at some point. Meera’s husband suddenly abandons her and her son in Banagalore, in a home that she shares with her mother and grandmother. Not long after, Meera meets Jak who is an expert on cyclones and has returned from the USA to India to investigate events that led to his 19 year old daughter into a coma. Events lead them to each other and the story does pick up every now and then.

This is not a book that I could not put down. It did take me a little longer than usual to finish it but it was good enough to deem a read to the last page. The book was a bit too dark for my taste but with typical Anita Nair style, it is a well-written book and the plot is not one where you have to slow down to piece it together in your head before you can read the next line.