Tigers and secret diaries

Writing On The Wall (Bloomsbury, Rs 399) by Tom Standage seeks to bust the myth that the “social media” as an idea is revolutionary. Standage argues that the “first social-media ecosystem” came into being when the Roman empire was established. The statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero, developed an “elaborate system to distribute information”, thereby laying the foundation for what one now knows as “new media”. Standage backs up his narrative with elaborate historical and graphic data to highlight that platforms like Twitter and Facebook have “deep historical roots” that are almost 2,000 years old. Although some arguments seem a little far-fetched, the book is well-researched. Standage also compiles extensive notes that make the book more appealing to readers who want to do some serious research on the subject. However, he steers clear of using too many technical terms. Language and humour is employed effectively.

The Quiet Riot of Robin Shute P. (Rupa, Rs 295) by Prabhjot Kaur is the delightful story of a “young Indian surgeon by training and research scientist by ambition”, who is saddled with a strange name and a bully of an older sister. Later, he also has to deal with a wife with a “rapidly combustible” temper. But the protagonist, who goes by the name Boy, is blessed with a wild imagination which makes his existence bearable. Boy evades the eccentric people around him by escaping into his parallel universe. He lets his “imagination run riot” in his diary entries, which are full of tales about his secret dates with a girl called Subhasini. Kaur manages to keep the readers interested till the end by peppering her narrative with funny instances. Little Boy’s interaction with Master Subramanian is one such episode. The opening scene where Boy meets his future wife, Priya, might remind the readers of Walter Mitty from the James Thurber’s short story, “The secret life of Walter Mitty”. This is the author’s debut novel and one must say that she has the gift of creating characters that stay with readers long after they have finished the book.

One. Too Many. (Power, Rs 100) by Zubin Rashid is a an overly emotional story of romantic failures and shattered dreams. The characters are, at best, uni-dimensional. One of the characters in the book, who had his heart broken by one woman, says that all women are meant to be despised. The world imagined by the author seems painted in either black or white and is replete with cliches. The book is, mercifully, only about 60 pages long, and one can read it up only if one wishes to while away some time during a long journey.

Tiger by the TaIl (Hachette, Rs 350) by Venita Coelho manages to do what many tiger conservation activists have been trying to achieve for a long time. Through her light-hearted tale set in a make believe universe — a tiger, a human being and a monkey, who use JungleSpeak to communicate with each other, join hands to rescue missing tigers — Coelho subtly drives home the idea that people need to wake up to the plight of the endangered species and make an effort to save them as their numbers are fast dwindling. The adventures of the Animal Intelligence Agency, comprising Rana and his teammates, make for a fast-paced and gripping narrative that is bound to keep readers hooked. Coelho’s plot demands a willing suspension of disbelief, but she ensures that one remains informed about the subject as well as entertained. The book has illustrations and rare facts about the tiger to enhance its readability.