3 days ago
Review Finds Sparks and Missed Opportunities in Short-Story Collection
The book is a collection of twelve short stories by Pratyaksha.
Many of the stories are about people wanting love, excitement or a different life.
The reviewer thinks two stories, “The Hunt” and “Ma, Let’s Fly,” work especially well.
“The Hunt” shows how desire changes as a man grows older.
“Ma, Let’s Fly” explores a difficult relationship between a daughter and her mother.
Another story, “You Were My Death,” uses beautiful language about Odissi dance but does not feel fully like fiction.
The reviewer says several other stories use familiar ideas or repeated images.
Overall, the book has some bright and interesting moments but is uneven.
Pratyaksha’s collection The Mistress of Phoolpur contains a dozen short stories about desire, solitude, belonging and transgression.
The review identifies “The Hunt” and “Ma, Let’s Fly” as the strongest and most affecting stories.
“You Were My Death,” inspired by Odissi dancers Surupa Sen and Bijoyini Satpathy, is praised for its concept but criticized as overly rhapsodic.
The reviewer finds several stories weakened by clichés, repeated metaphors, insufficient editing or unremarkable twists.
“Bibi” and “Honeymoon,” which bookend the collection, are described as the weakest stories because they rely on shock or fail to deliver dramatic impact.
- Who
- Author Pratyaksha and the short-story collection The Mistress of Phoolpur; the reviewer evaluates the book.
- What
- A review assesses the strengths and weaknesses of Pratyaksha’s dozen-story fiction collection.
- Where
- When
- Why
- The review examines whether the stories successfully explore desire, memory, solitude, belonging and the consequences of transgression.
What the Collection Achieves
What the Collection Misses
Creative ideas
What the Collection Achieves
The stories present intriguing situations involving desire, family relationships, dance and unconventional choices.
What the Collection Misses
The reviewer says many of these ideas are not developed far enough to deepen the reader’s understanding.
Emotional impact
What the Collection Achieves
“The Hunt” and “Ma, Let’s Fly” are considered affecting, particularly because of their treatment of aging desire and a strained mother-daughter bond.
What the Collection Misses
Other stories are judged forgettable, clichéd or emotionally ineffective.
Style and execution
What the Collection Achieves
“You Were My Death” contains rhapsodic, sensual prose and incorporates verses by Paul Celan and Anne Sexton.
What the Collection Misses
The review criticizes repeated metaphors, inadequate editing, an unnecessary shock in “Bibi” and an unremarkable twist in “Honeymoon”.
Key facts
- Book
- The Mistress of Phoolpur: Stories
- Author
- Pratyaksha
- Publisher
- Speaking Tiger Books
- Number of stories
- A dozen
- Strongest stories
- “The Hunt” and “Ma, Let’s Fly”
- Dance-inspired story
- “You Were My Death,” inspired by Odissi performers Surupa Sen and Bijoyini Satpathy
- Weakest stories
- The review describes “Bibi” and “Honeymoon” as the weakest stories
Quotes
Dancers in “You Were My Death”
The dancers’ collective voice as represented in the story inspired by an Odissi performance.
“We lose our bodies; we flow into you…When you raise your arms heavenwards, we soar. You fling us, throw us, and we follow every step of the way.”
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Narrator of “The Hunt”
The unnamed narrator reflecting on desire and aging in the story.
“My body has lost its music, its rhythm. My heart has grown dry and dull. Nothing stirs it. Colour has leached from my life. My mind does not go mad anymore, not after any damn thing.”
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Daughter in “Ma, Let’s Fly”
The daughter narrating her dream about her mother near the story’s conclusion.
“Ma is driving so recklessly. My heart is hammering with fear, with excitement, with amazement. Ma was never so daring. And in one sharp curve, the car breaks the barrier and flies off the road in a tangent.”
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Sources
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