What one might expect from such an anthology is, in sum, what one gets. As the reader moves from story to story, character to character, setting to setting, a holistic sense of the Nepali Identity is felt. The book, it seems, sets out to explore, as a collective, what the world looks like through the eyes of an array of distinct yet Nepali characters.
What is surprisingly pleasant about many of the stories is that, considering the length of each, the characters have been brought out and developed skillfully.
Prawin Adhikari’s “The Face of Carolynn Flint” is a brilliant example of how characters really do make a story. Out of context, the plotline comes across as being strange, unbelievable, and perhaps outright fanatical. However, in the first-person narrative of his nameless character, the absurdity of the story, outside of a few instances, falls straight into the backdrop, bringing the life and emotion of Prawin’s characters to the forefront. And these characters are unusually addictive.
Preeti, Smriti (Jaiswal) Ravindra’s protagonist, is another unfaltering character. “Old Iron Trunks” is a sweetly engaging story, both in terms of the Nepali domestic dynamic Smriti has chosen to explore, and its portrayal through the eyes of a rather charming and intelligent young girl.The themes explored throughout the collection, though differing, are somewhat consistent to the social and political contexts of the Nepali experiences of life. A few of them stand out for their remarkable characters, while others are thoroughly satisfying in their colorful and inviting imagery.
Peter J. Karthak’s “Dark Kathmandu Sideways” leaves the reader fully content in the scenes that he sets, and the experiences of what it really means to live in a city as scenic, yet as foul, as Kathmandu. This juxtaposition manifests itself wonderfully through his characters.
Similarly, Sushma Joshi’s contribution, “Law and Order,” also brings to surface this juxtaposition. However, while her choice of theme and storyline are impeccable, the story begins to drag a bit, and some readers might find themselves slightly lost in her portrayal of her characters’ stream of thought. The solidity of her characters and plotline are somewhat muddled, as the reader may fail to grasp the parallels that she, and subsequently her characters, assume.
Though there certainly are a few genuine and worthy pieces in this anthology, it seems as though perhaps some of the writers rushed through to their final product. And thus, while the writers may have potential, to the common reader, a lot of the book comes across as mediocre, amateurish, and as an overall disappointment. The more prominent, media-hyped and well-known writers, like Ajit Baral (also co-editor) and even Manjushree Thapa, are undoubtedly a thorough disappointment in this collection.
Baral’s piece doesn’t do much in captivating his audience, on any level. His characters are not noteworthy, and are underdeveloped. For such a short-length story, he takes on too colossal a plotline, and his characters are too big for the reader to understand under such a word limit.
Meanwhile, Thapa’s piece is focused entirely on literary technique, a kind that is unfathomable to the average reader. Ultimately, any reader’s interest in or grasp of what’s happening is lost in her ambitious attempt to turn the short story into a poetic masterpiece. And poetic it is, but about what and why is mostly left to one’s imagination.
There are fifteen stories that make up this anthology, and together they do provide an idea of the socio-political milieu of Nepal and her children. The themes are all there, the potential is there, but there is a certain lacking in most of the book’s contents. Whether it is literary technique in some, character development in others, or a consistent storyline, these shortcomings, unfortunately, somewhat overshadow the endearing and admirable attempt that the collection aims to be.
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