Review on the Riot by Shashi Tharoor

" it is all about the journey between oblivion and memory" says shashi Tharoor (ST) about his novel "Riot".

This happens to be my first social fiction and I could not resist writing down my reflections on this book.

The book , is more an observation than a ficiton. It covers the depth of human behavior and typical psyches. ST describes "India" in the perception of different minds. The minds of an American father who is working with an MNC , an american mother, a typical south Indian bureaucrat, another Sikh bureaucrat,an American girl who visits India as a part of her project, a muslim historian, a Hindu fundamentalist...ugh ! so many perceptions for the word "INDIA".

The context of the novel dates back to the year 1989, where in the communal tensions in northern India were erupting at different parts. ST really gets into the minds of the characters and makes the reader get the feel how these characters percieve India.

The subtelity with which he covers each and every "sensitive" issue in the Indian context is really excellent.

My reflections: I began to really feel the connectedness as i read through the book. I was highly impersonal throughout the reading and I could absorb the context and the message he was trying to convey.

ITS A MUST READ!