He was just deadly
that Sunday morning; she had never imagined that he had it in him. She had
screamed in pain and agony. Although he had got her sprawled awkwardly on the
floor, although she was in a state of severe shock, yet she was looking up in
great admiration at her “lawfully wedded husband” standing above her. He
deservedly sported a triumphant smile. Madhulika Liddle spins a powerful story
of an illicit dalliance of a woman stuck in a boring marriage, which ends in a
horrific surprise.
Madhulika has a
smooth flow in the narration of the 12 stories in the, “My Lawfully Wedded
Husband and Other Stories.” What I particularly enjoyed, additionally, in her tales
were the picture perfect descriptions of the everyday scenes that one takes for
granted. Sample these two:
“Sudha, curled
the fallen hair around the tip of her forefinger,” from Hourie.
“Her mouth was
full of clothespins – ugh – and her shoulder was heaped high with pillow
covers, a bed sheet, petticoats, shirts and an apron printed with bright
crimson poppies. She had close-set eyes, bright and prying………,” from “My Lawfully Wedded Husband.”
Her tale about Hourie, the whore, could pride itself of
a superior research and, thus, sounds more authentic than that of other Indian
authors who have attempted stories involving prostitutes. Her storyline also
has a mild touch of erotica. However, the ending is not very dramatic.
In contrast, the
opening story Sum Total has you
guessing until the end when the author lets loose a double whammy of twists to
the tale. A Sheldonesque take, if one may say so. In A Brief Lesson In Trust the author allows the protagonist to
cynically take advantage of the gullibility of a naive friend.
Again, in The Crusader, the story is interspersed
with enjoyable, intimate whispered conversation between a couple whilst watching
a movie – eavesdrop on it:
“Hummpf. In that
nightdress he’s wearing? Looks stupid.”
“Who cares about
the nightdress? It’s what’s under it that matters.” Deeksha giggled.
A Tale of a Summer Vacation is about two
sisters loving the same man and lays bare the machination of one of them to
achieve her goal of getting him. St. George and
the Dragon is a story set in a government office that goes on to prove that
there is lot of merit in the Biblical Beatitude that says that “Blessed are the
meek, for they shall inherit the earth!” Of course, with a little help from
Shivani Sinha.
Feet of Clay falls a little short
because it is along expected lines; perhaps, because the newspapers cover the
subject of child molestation extensively. Hence, the twist is not knotty
enough. On the other hand, On the Night
Train is quite naughty and delightful. Silent
Fear is creepy enough to give cutis
anserina.
The last story, The Howling Waves of Tranque Bar, is of an
artist of a different kind. It is the story of grève d'orage.
This compendium
of crime stories makes a good read.
This review is a part of the biggest http://blog.blogadda.
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