Donna's Reading List: Recent Episodes
Donna Barman
An Assamese short story that has become a household tale. The story is themed around polymorphism, and takes place in the backdrop of a typical Assamese village.
Lost inside a labyrinthine cave, a man ponders upon death until he realizes that he isn't alone in the dark after all.
After Toto the monkey, grandfather brings home another pet. And this time, there's a tiger in the house.
An excerpt from Malgudi Schooldays, detailing the life of Swami and his friends on a regular monday at school.
Ever had a pet that was an absolute menace at home? While we love and adore pet animals for their cute antics, sometimes it becomes near impossible to tame them. Ruskin bond once again reminisces about one of the many pets his garndfather had brought home.
An Englishman recounts the mysterious happenings at his employer's family estate. The local gossip predicts something scandalous or superstitious. But the truth is stranger than fiction sometimes.
What would you do if you won a lottery? A man lets his imagination run wild, envisioning the life he could have if he had riches to spare.
An old man lives all alone in an ancient house. He is rumoured to have hordes of riches hidden away. When a band of robbers decide to loot him, they meet with something very unexpected.
Ever fancied seeing faces of human beings in patches of peeling paint? In this story, the protagonist sees just that. And then obsessively hunts for the face on the wall.
A story about escaping the fast paced life of the current world and longing for a time when people lived much simpler lives. The story focuses on a man's search for the third level of Grand Central Station when all the world knows that there exist only two.
Khushwant Singh's penmanship triggers a sense of nostalgia in anyone who reads this story. The friendship between grandparent and grandchild is deftly captured here.
A lady in recuperation absolutely abhors her surroundings and writes about the progression of her nervous condition. The story is a look into the fancies and falacies of a mind left to its own devices.
A scandalous love affair between a renowned physician and a lady of high societal standing drives much gossip in London's social circles. Will the love affair lead to calamity or is there a happy ending to be expected?
Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker, this book is a scarring read. The recommendation is aimed at giving readers a peek into how it felt to read the book without divulging any spoilers.
Regarded as HP Lovecraft's magnum opus, The Call of Cthulhu delves into the occult world of strange rites and unearthly beings. The first episode in this series of three, called The Monster in Clay, covers the notes of Prof Angell's observations around 1926.
In this final part called The Madness from the Sea, the narrator is finally able to piece together the dreaded knowledge that claimed the life of his uncle and drove several others mad.
The Tale of Inspector Legrasse covers the discoveries made by the narrator while investigating into the Cthulhu mystery. This episode reveals the widespread extent of the Cthulhu cult.
A man is driven to madness by his inebriated mind creating a perverseness of spirit, while his pet cat suffers at his hand. The damned cat is avenged by what the narrator claims to be a crafty monster.
The writer describes his observations about a man of intellect, whose life inspires and excites him. A master of short story-telling if there ever was one.
A war-time story set in Dublin during a period of civil unrest. This thought provoking story makes one wonder about the futility of war and how it affects those on the front.
This short story is a translation of Rabindranath Tagore's original Cabuliwallah tale. It takes a lighthearted look at the bond shared between a father and a daughter, with the perspective of the man from Kabul adding a layer of depth into the story.
Nominated for the 2020 JCB Prize for Literature, Undertow is a book that has been receiving a lot of love from readers. This spoiler-free review aims to discuss some of the highlights of the book.
A popular tale by one of the greatest French short-story writers of all time. The story focuses on the life of a Norman peasant and his unfortunate brush with injustice.
A reading of The Tell-Tale Heart. Master storyteller Poe writes about the gruelsome murder of an old man by a an accused madman. But the madman insists he has his own reasons for doing away with the oldie. The story illustrates the murderers point of view.