Aerogrammes And Other Stories
by
Tania James
(Review by Karthik Keramalu)
Lion and Panther in London: The plot is of two brothers struggling to find wrestlers in London. And when they do find the right opponents, harsh tongues do the wagging. Honesty is degraded and deflated. Imam and Gama’s innocence is juiced by Mr. Benjamin.
What to Do with Henry: Lyrics swallowing the unusual friendship between Neneh and Henry. Animals surrender to your love than to your cane. Pearl, a white woman adopts the chimp. He likes to be with blondes. Unfortunately, things take a wrong turn and Henry lands up in a zoo. The bereft chimp, Henry, goes berserk on her ‘sister’ Neneh after failing to recognise her, many years later.
The unfamiliarity breathes through the pores of the warm family in The Gulf. The stupor views playing between the mother and the father of the daughter are benevolent. The daughter’s inquisitiveness in wanting to listen to her father play the violin is a smooth rendition by Tania James.
The Scriptological Review: A Last Letter from the Editor: Vijay’s undaunting flair for seeping into the heads of people is rimless and enchanting. The strokes and slants present in the writing reveals the person’s cavity. It is a hazy form imprinted by the protagonist Vijay in this letter.
Lament souls peering into the rudderless space is Aerogrammes. Mr. Panicker and May segregate the lost and found in bliss and nobody tries to sabotage the thin flicker of hope dangling obtrusively. Insanity cannot be defended by the sane; it can be regarded as a wheelchair of unreal and anarchic strength. Tania James envelopes the characters and wades them through a picture-less frame.
The bended and filtered glances that only an old man and a woman with a daughter can exchange is charming. The frayed lantern the young and old carry with poise is hard to miss. The little girl in the story flaps between being a young adult and a kid. Ethnic Ken demystifies the notion of an elderly swagging in a house that can’t be your home.
The broken bridge that can never be repaired but still can be used is what Light and Luminous is about. Minal Auntie’s light is hidden in her chest, far beyond recognition. She mirrors her thoughts and wails but shows no discomfort. In Light and Luminous, Minal Auntie falls prey to her own words. She is that woman who loses and regains confidence.
A brother is a good friend. He won’t let you down even when there is too much haggling dripping in an issue. In Escape Key, Amit and Neel, the brothers go back and forth and like fork and noodles remain good friends.
Girl Marries Ghost: A surreal and silent dream lingering all day. It is pure magic that vanishes and abandons the reader in the end. Gina and Hank’s companionship is misty and follows no routine.
A fine example of Tania James’ prose would be from The Gulf where the kid says “I was the dented suitcase he had left behind, the one with no wheels.” In this collection Tania James ensures the reader has his / her beak bent to the water through the narrow opening.