Ms. Sunderesan’s, The Convent of Little Flowers is a story collection from the past, present and the future. I liked the plotline and the narration of most of the stories. I was able to relate these stories to incidents and characters I’ve come across in my life.
The story “Three and a Half Seconds” reminded me about a real incident which I read in newspapers. Ms. Sunderesan’s skillful narration took me to the inner depths of this true incident and she really touched my heart. She practically made me to yell at Meha and Chander . . . I wanted them to kick their ungrateful son and drag him to the police.
“The Faithful Wife” on the other hand, reminded me of Roop Kanvar who committed Sati and is a reminder for everyone that the Indian society still keeps some of its rotten and barbaric behaviors. It’s unbelievable to see how parents can turn into greedy monsters and sell their own flesh and blood. The story was very shocking to read and the last paragraph was truly emotional.
The gem of this collection is “The Most Unwanted.” I wish this was the first story in the collection. The emotion of innocent love has the power to soothe even the hot headed ones; what a touching, heartwarming story!
Ms. Sunderesan takes a little detour with stories such as “Hunger” and “Key Club.” She tries to make a bold attempt in talking about swinging clubs in “The Key Club.” Even though it did have a powerful and liberal theme, the story just got lost with the other stories. Maybe because talking about sex is often considered a taboo and she approached this story in a lighter way.
This collection has some awesome stories and uninteresting ones too. “The Chosen One” is one of those I’d categorize as boring. My idea of reading a story or a novel is to feel the emotions and to get entertained. I am rarely in a mood to intellectually decipher the inner meanings of stories.
Another complain I have on the collection is the lack of positive themes. The contexts of all the stories are India. However, almost all of her stories portray only the dull emotions. It would be a good change if she could also write stories that are positive and uplifting about India. Just like the people of other countries, we Indians also have goodness and evil among us. People need to know that there is also an untold liberal side of India —a vibrant and a brave India, which some writers conveniently choose to ignore.
In the story “Fire,” Kamala's grandmother kills her own granddaughter, along with her lover. People say India is a land of contrasts and I was thinking how different my own life was when compared to Kamala’s. My parents and my in- laws went for love marriage in the early 60s. My mother-in-law is from Brahmin Iyer family, and she got married to a nair. Nobody tried to burn her alive or even raise a finger; they just let her make her own choice. Her society let her live her own life the way she wanted it. I am a Christian and am married to a Hindu/ Agnostic/ Atheist (still haven’t figured that one yet). Personally I’ve never come across any unfortunate events as retold in these stories. Sure, I’ve read them in newspapers once in a while. But then, this cruelty, evil, and barbarism are not something that exists in India alone— I’d say every society has their share of horror stories.
In general the collection was interesting. However, I also felt that she could have used some more editing. I’d say the stories could’ve had some more color and depth had she used punctuations to good use. R. K. Narayanan’s Malgudi Days is a great example on how punctuations can be used to augment the intonation of the writing. R. K. Narayanan’s works are also an excellent example on the positive portrayal of the strength and vibrancy of rural India.
As far as editing errors are concerned, I’m untrained to suggest any corrections. However, I’d know when something is wrong as I read it. Here are a few quick examples:
1. The first paragraph of “Three and a Half Second” goes like this: "This really started when Bikanir had formed as a bud in her forty one years ago."
2. In the “The Faithful Wife” on Page 54 the last paragraph has a 3 line long sentence, which has no separation between words. Long sentences such as these are difficult to read. I think the emphasis got lost somewhere in the middle.
3. On page 77 there is this unreadable sentence: “Her contentment when I held her — some aunty screaming I was to put a hand under her head for it had not set yet — her first smile, and that not for gas."
In spite of these minor editing errors, I enjoyed reading this story collection; especially, “The Most Unwanted,” made my day. Thank you Indu!
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