KNITTED TALES:
A Collection of Emotions
by
A Collection of Emotions
by
Blurb
What forces an innocent girl to become a sex symbol? Her desires? Or cruel fate?
Is a lifetime enough—for avenging a betrayal? How do you hide secrets that never stopped haunting you?
Can vengeance and secrets of your past devastate your present? How can long-buried crimes of yours suddenly raise their head? Can sinning be saving?
Is your spouse your soulmate? What if they never understood your feelings? Can you still live with them?
Lastly, does life give only two options? Live or die? What if there is a third?
In her debut anthology, Rubina Ramesh tries to find answers to these questions that are often from the heart and yet makes the mind ponder over the solution. Or is it the other way round? Either way, Knitted Tales is a bouquet of emotions that is bound to touch both your head and your heart.
FIRST IMPRESSION:
The Knitted Tales by Rubina Ramesh is a much anticipated book and I was too eager to read it. I thank the author for providing me with the review copy. The cover looked stunning and requires a special mention. The summary and the tagline of the story were only additional factors that made me want to read the book.
REVIEW:
Before I present a overall review, I would like to talk about each tale in the book because giving a generalised collective opinion would not do justice to this book of tales with completely different flavours.
A secret in their closet - one of the best beginnings a story could hope for, and a really imaginative tale with paranormal elements. The ending was especially chilling and I would remember this tale for a long time to come.
Betrayal - another thriller that plays well with the readers' perspectives. A well written tale with an ending I didn't really foresee, despite understanding the setting from the beginning.
Chiclet- She was showing us a mirror of reality and we did not like what we saw.
A simple story about the never ending menace of bullying and the most effective way to combat it. A tale that questions the parents' reactions to their children's experiences in school and how they become the advocates of the very things they seem to fight against.
Forgive me, for I have sinned -
If silence had a sound of its own, then there would be a cacophony of screams.
A different kind of tale that talks in depth about emotions and the memories of the past haunting the soul. Loved it for the writing and the letter included in between.
Lolita -
Some memories are like the unwanted dandelions in a garden. Unwanted yet stubbornly creeping back, even when resolutely cut every week.
A heart touching 'behind the scenes' tale of an actress. The story impressed me with the style and the way it described the events in metaphors. Brilliantly woven.
No regrets - the classic tale with the twist in the end. Talks about the nuances of marriage and how conforming to standards does not always translate into being the best. This tale wins appreciation for being a subtle reminder that an outwardly 'perfect' marriage is not always a happy one.
SuvarnaRekha - it is always a joy to learn how things came to be called the way they are. This is one such story, and thought it is fictitious, I really liked the imagination behind the tale. Prophesies can come true in the strangest of ways. Special mention to the author's note in the end of the story, explaining her reasons for writing this.
The Fairy Godmother - a tale about one of the most common emotions in childhood - jealousy at the birth of another child into the family. Gently nudges the sensitivity of parents to focus on doubling their love instead of narrowing their focus.
The Missing Staircase - a tale of love and regrets, the suspense was maintained well with the narrative intially confusing but making perfect sense by the ending. It took some time to get used to, but I rather loved the word play in this one.
The other Woman - the story did not pack much of a suspense but it was full of emotions, and was one of the deepest stories of the whole lot. The beauty of the story is in its climax, the absolute helplessness against the inevitability of circumstances
Daddy, Hear Me out - a must read tale for parents. It talks about identifying the abilities of the children and how unique they are, instead of trying to fit them into society's preconformed moulds.
Cliff Notes - absolutely wonderful in its dark element. A completely unexpected tale that is from an unexplored view point but talks about the darkness in human emotions. Easily the tale that had the greatest impact on me from this collection, not because it spoke of something different, but because it spoke of something so indecently common.
Overall comments:
I am always appreciative of anthologies for two things - they do not require the continuous burst of focus that novels require and could pack a multitude of emotions via different stories, unlike a novel. But on the other hand, a short story collection is also one of the most difficult things to pull off successfully, mainly because it is harder for each story to have a closure and an impact on the readers' minds.
Knitted Tales managed that very well, always holding my interest. I finished the entire book in one sitting and loved the different emotions in the tales. The book did not gloss over facts or try to pass off sub-par stories in the name of emotions. It was blunt, to the point and absolutely unique as a book.
I will nitpick and talk a bit about how the stories could have been even more perfect if they had been worded a bit more carefully. There was a dark undertone to most tales and that connects with most readers in an instant, at which point worrying about how the words are phrased takes a backseat. Knitted Tales is a book to be read in a retrospective mood. It has its memorable moments, though I wanted a few more memorable lines from it, but that is a personal complaint.
I loved the book as a whole mainly for the variety it presented and the unapologetically honest writing style that did not shy away from portraying the basest of human emotions in a straightforward manner. Special brownie points because it managed to do all this without earning even one twisted snort of disgust or an uncomfortable flinch from the reader. It did not resort to the stereotypes of the genres and that is why it has earned my respect!
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About the author
Rubina Ramesh is an avid reader, writer, blogger, book reviewer and marketer. She is the founder of The Book Club, an online book publicity group. Her first literary work was published in her school magazine. It gave her immense pride to see her own name at the bottom of the article. She was about 8 years old at that time. She then went to complete her MBA and after her marriage to her childhood friend, her travel saga started. From The Netherlands to the British Isles she lived her life like an adventure. After a short stint in Malaysia, she finally settled down in the desert state of USA, Arizona. Living with her DH and two human kids and one doggie kid, Rubina has finally started living the life she had always dreamed about – that of a writer.
Her other published works include:
'Home is where Love is’ a short story in the anthology Writings from the Heart. Ed. by Beth Ann Masarik.
‘You Stole My Heart’ and ‘Let me Go’. Short stories as a part of the anthology Long and Short of It by Indireads.
'Wake Me Up' as a part of the anthology Marijuana Diaries by Fablery Publishers.
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Standing ovation to the author and the reviewer :D
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