Café
Latte
By
Amit Shankar
Review
By Ila Garg
The anthology comprising of 18 remarkable
short stories, Café Latte, has been published by Vitasta Publishing Pvt. Ltd.
The collection is penned down by the author, Amit Shankar, who is earlier known
for his novels titled Flight of the
Hilsa, Chapter Eleven, and Love is Vodka – A Shot Ain’t Enough. The cover of
Café
Latte is simple yet
beautiful. The coffee cups gathered together symbolise the many different
stories compiled together in this book. The use of pink and green color is
interesting too.
In addition
to writing, the author is an avid music buff and a great exponent of the guitar.
His genre includes rock, jazz and blues. We often see a reflection of this in
his stories.
The blurb reads as “We
are brought up listening to and reading stories, which makes us form a clichéd
framework of expectations and concepts about life. Café Latte takes you on a
tantalizing foray into the unusual with some refreshing and some startling
narrations. The stories cover a broad spectrum of people and events and will
have you turning the pages eagerly for the twist in the end.
So shed the
mundane, become a fearless traveller and savor a fresh approach towards the
enigma called Life.”
Each story is instilled with realism at its
best. Different hues of death are portrayed efficiently. The language is simple
and comprehensive. Details are also well written. On the whole, the collection
is nicely compiled and stories are engrossing.
Although, as I began reading the first story
in the collection, Temple Of The King,
I was in two minds. I felt that the plot wasn’t that extraordinary. However, I soon
found myself enjoying as I reached the second one in the compilation, 26 Down Express. The climax left me
shocked. However, I felt I’m back to square zero while reading Let Me Help You Die.
The two elements of surprise and shock are
well knit in this collection by the author. Expressions from heart are always real
and pure, same is the case here in Café Latte. The narrative is quite
strong. Sometimes the pace gets fast, though the emotions are well maintained.
True reality is pictured which pinches you somewhere and shows you the mirror
unto society. Code of Honor is one
such story that described the life of an army man in all its sanctity. The Jazz Player is one of the saddest
stories while The Black Widow left me
shaken. To write a convincing paranormal fiction is not an easy task after all.
Café
Latte thus leaves your eyes moist with tears.
Not all stories are the same, though. With their
predictable ending, Temple Of The King,
Let Me Help You Die, Smart TV and few more left me
questioning the author’s earlier bestselling status.
The stories end with a lot of subtle questions
that leave your mind ticking. The author has made very interesting and keen
observations before penning down each story. Kudos to the writer for his
brilliant attempt and the well execution of the experimental writings!
In a world driven by technology, people have
limited reading time, short concentration span and more than enough things on
their platter to leave them distracted and thus unlikely to pick a novel. But Café
Latte being a short story collection gains some brownie points here. The
book is also a different effort as none of the stories is romantic or nowhere
near to it. The book attempts to glorify death, loss and pain associated with
it.
This book is recommended to all readers who
are bored of reading romance.
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