The Unforgiving City and Other Stories || Vasudhendra, Mysore Nataraja

From the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi winner Vasudhendra comes a powerful collection of stories that shock, move and amuse by turns. As the characters struggle to find their feet in a fast-changing India, they mirror our unspoken dilemmas, torn loyalties and the loss of innocence.

In the extremely popular ‘Red Parrot’, an innocuous image from childhood returns to haunt a man when he visits his idyllic hometown. In ‘Recession’, the desire for a child leads a couple down unexpected paths. In other stories, a young woman in love rethinks her future when buried family secrets are suddenly revealed; a boy learns that insomnia may be the symptom of something more ominous; lonely apartment residents discover the thrills and perils of social media.

Deftly crafted with gentle wit and a lightness of touch, each gripping story exposes the deepest contradictions of modern life. The fluid translation retains the flavour and nuances of the original Kannada, creating a rich reading experience.

FROM THE BOOK

‘The dance was called Paper Dance, where couples were asked to dance within the boundaries of a newspaper spread out on the floor. Stepping out of the boundary led to disqualification. As Devika was single, someone from the crowd stepped forward. It was Vinayak Kulakarni. . . . Devika sensed her partner’s hesitation. He would forget his steps the moment he touched her. His ears turned red and he refused to look into her eyes. His boisterous friends shouted to him from behind: “Hey, Kulki, come on, get closer.” But, the more she boldly held his waist and drew him nearer, the more he would shrink; he held on to her gingerly. Devika egged him on nonstop, eventually helping him break out of his shyness. By the time the newspaper size shrank to the size of a paper towel, they were still in the game and, finally, Devika won. That was when she whispered her mobile number in his ear.’