In the recent days, I happened to come across Lopamudra Banerjee’s “All that Jazz and other Pathbreaking tales.” I was happy to review it and it found a place in the Setu Bilingual MAGAZINE. Captivating stories about ordinary lives In the recent days, I happened to come across Lopamudra Banerjee’s “All that Jazz and other Pathbreaking tales”. I often read and enjoy her brilliant write-ups on various online literary platforms. Lopamudra Banerjee is a writer, poet, memoirist in her own right; she has written and published “Thwarted Escape: An Immigrant’s Wayward Journey” – a memoir; two poetry collections and also translated Tagore’s selected works of fiction and drama. Her “Thwarted Escape” is also an award-winning memoir/nonfiction book and her other works are wonderful too, especially the English translation of Tagore’s timeless classic “Nostonirh” and 7 other stories (The Broken Home and Other Stories). She has done an excellent job of translating this rather daunting novel and Tagore’s women-oriented stories and comes over as a powerful translator. This time, however, she has come up with her first book of fiction, a collection of 10 short stories and a novella. It’s a captivating compilation, to begin with. In my opinion, her short stories (A fistful of wants, Rendezvous, Trapped, Femme Fatale, Amor Mio– my favorites) are wonderful for their characterizations and plot. Each story has its suspense and surprise, a mix of a seductive fantasy and an unapologetic realism, filled with gripping twists and turns and flawed, but relatable characters. Their tales of heartbreak and revelation are nuanced and riveting, as the author moves gracefully from one character to another- be it the 16-year-old self from Rendezvous, or the abused, exploited Shalini, from Amor Mio. Her narrative voice is wonderful, and she reveals their inner secrets, with intimate details, so vivid, that it makes the readers feel that they have known these characters for long. And that is perhaps not wrong, for we relate with Lopamudra’s characters on a deeply personal level, for she brings out their humanity. The appeal of her stories lies in the fact that they provide catharsis in the end, and we await the next one coming up. Her storytelling power is impressive. Full review on: https://www.setumag.com/2021/02/all-that-jazz-other-pathbreaking-tales.html
