Book Review: Suspended Animation by Shweta Ganesh Kumar

Pages :  116

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 4.75/5

Review:  Lately I've been on a time crunch and if you are someone who is in the same boat as I am, you will welcome 'Suspended Animation' as a breath of fresh air. For several reasons.I'm a sucker for anthologies. Short stories to me are what summer flings are to most people. They pack so much in a few pages while keeping it simple.  I dream of starting my writing journey, IF ONLY someone approached me to contribute to an anthology. 

'Suspended Animation' as of now, stands to be my favourite.The stories are of ordinary people, like us, stuck in a loop or some memory or in search of something they desire, may be not aggressively in all cases, but still in a rut. It makes me reflect on some incidents that might have occurred in my life, even though they happened years ago, it still managed to imprint my mind and I found more reasons to bring them up in conversations with strangers. This book encapsulates those instances precisely!

The trick with short stories is that you really have to understand the theme behind the words. What the author is trying to convey. They mostly carry the air of emotion with as little description as possible. Focus has to be tight. Here are people who are still living in an unfinished memory, still anticipating closure or completion while time is zooming past by. Yet it is hard for the them to get out of this lull. There's waiting, for something, anything to happen, good or bad and the uncertainty running parallel. 

My personal favourites were all the stories that took place in Kerala, because Southern India makes gorgeous backdrops with added character and the one that takes place in Scotland. Anthologies are quick in reading nature, since they are so concise, the urge to keep going is very high. However, I do feel that one or two of the stories could be exempted from this collection, just to stay as close to topic as possible.

 On another note, it definitely is a highly relatable read, we know the characters, the people and situations very well in all our lives. I'll be re-reading 'Suspended Animation' for sure. Recommended to all.

 Final Rating : 4/5

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Top 5 Books That Make You Think

Sometimes these 'TOP 5' lists really challenge me to crunch everything I read and love. Every time I skim through my Read list, I realize I love more books that I'm allowed to mention.
For books that make me think, I've tried my best to stir things up a bit and offer you guys as much of a variety as I could. So here goes:

5. Suspended Animation by Shweta Ganesh Kumar

Probably my most favorite anthology ever. These simple stories will leave you thinking about how people are stuck in time even though the world is whizzing past them rapidly. Often we hold on to incidents for too long and find the smallest reasons or excuse to talk about them or bring them up.  Few life reflections were made on my part. Review to be up on the blog soon!

4. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Although I wasn't as big of a fan of this series as the other booktubers and bloggers, I've got to say, it did make me think about the whole concept of beauty and the possible extreme levels it could reach in the future. In this world where perfection and beauty are the highest demand with lurking government agenda, being average or normal with flaws is the only way to keep your sanity. Again, if you are someone who is intrigued by concepts like 'who is beautiful and by what standards,' you should definitely check this out.

3. The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie

Why a Salman Rushdie book you may wonder. We all know the man is anything but simple. Characters so beautiful and intriguing even in the most hurtful ways makes me want to jump into his stories. However, the reason why The Moor's Last Sigh lingered was for Uma Saraswati. Not a big role but a pivotal one. Enough to wreck havoc like no tomorrow. It's a case that just cannot be closed in my head. She loved him,  she controlled him like a master puppeteer, then why did she hurt him so much? Why did she want to be with him and then ultimately drink poison for her wrong doings? She's one female character whom I could never understand and never forget

2. 1984 by George Orwell

Of course. How could there be a list without me mentioning 1984 by George Orwell. It does make you think for ample reasons. The technological advancements, the security system and the control over people. Forcing them to stay in the system in pure misery void of any personal development, growth or remote chances of encouragement. A genuine pioneer in the dystopian genre. It wouldn't hit you when you read it but once you are through, the severity of it all will stay with you.

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 

Like I've mentioned on some of my older posts, this is not an easy one to digest and thats what also makes it my favorite. Here's a book, written decades ago that makes you feel for a Paedophile. What most people fail to see is that Nabokov is not glorifying his protagonists. They're awful people with terrible choices, he wants you to see that, understand them entirely, feel for them and eventually hate them for what they do. Its a real challenge to just read Lolita and thinking about it after is a different roller coaster ride by itself. Nonetheless, I will not be able to forget this for years to come.

What books made you think? I'd read your favourites.

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