Receiving prizes for writing campaigns is wonderful. Reading and reviewing them is a huge bonus. But when I received Abhimanyu Jamwal’s verse novel, I was a bit stumped. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it because it was my first verse novel. In fact, I couldn’t do it for a reading challenge a couple of years ago.
But these doubts dissolved into nothingness within a few minutes of starting this book. The story flowed smoothly, without a hitch, as if I was reading prose but with lilting music and rhythm. The introduction and prologue nicely set the stage for the story in poetry to unfold.
The protagonist wakes up one morning to find sudden, inexplicable changes in herself. She feels horrified and afraid of the consequences of these changes. Escaping mistaken identities, unfair insinuations, and oppressive insults, the beautiful heroine’s day bumps forward until finally she finds herself facing a dilemma. To accept the changes (some great benefits) or revert to her old self (other benefits)?
If you want to know what happens, read Songs of a Barber’s Tuesday by Abhimanyu Jamwal. It is terse, poignant, verily gut-wrenching, and tells a riotous story. I find it difficult to believe this story is made up.
A poetic, lyrical take on the state of modern society (which, by the way, hasn’t changed much from earlier societies, considering the oppressed continue to be so, the conflicts between the haves and have-nots persist), the fear of uncertainty driving the desire (or need?) for material and emotional stability.
I enjoyed reading the book although it took a little while to wrap my head around a story told in verse. Once I got the hang of it, the reading went smoothly.
I loved the symbolism in the book; Vaastu City of the haves and Nagar X of the have-nots, the discovery of the emptiness “down there”, and so much more.
Despite the intensity of the topic, the author’s tragicomedy approach made reading not so heavy at all. I found myself smiling often.
Do pick up Songs of a Barber’s Tuesday to understand what lessons we can learn from living life, especially those that can never be taught in the best of schools.
Author’s Note:
Won this book for the monthly campaign: ‘Mixed Tape Mood Blog Hop’ hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #EveryConversationMatters blog hop series
If you like this review, you might like this too: The Tree, the Well, and the Drag Queen
