La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust Trilogy)

La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this last year, I have been turning back to the genre of fantasy, one of the few genres that lets me truly escape this world. It is true, however, that in fantasy, very few books can go on to completely encompass you in its world. While I found Philip Pullman later than most people – in my mid-twenties – his is one such world. I read His Dark Materials a couple of years ago and absolutely fell in love with the story. It has complex villains, lots of greys where you aren’t sure which side you are on, a compelling and flawed protagonist, and a setting that is so otherworldly and also quite plausible in the larger scheme of things. So, of course, when I got my hands on La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust trilogy), I was excited. This book is set in the same world, so it had to be good.

To cut to the chase – it was. The book gave me what I was looking for, a nostalgic visit to Lyra’s world. But it is also very different from His Dark Materials in terms of storytelling and even setting. While we hardly see much of Jordan (the college where Lyra grew up), we are still pulled in by the picturesque and domestic life that Malcolm, our protagonist, leads in Lyra’s Oxford.

Pullman sticks to the idea of having two main characters as the story progresses, and he does it beautifully here as well. Both the characters (not naming them for those who are yet to read the book) are again quite a contrast and have enough depth to make it quite easy on the reader’s imagination. The setting, while monotonous in comparison to the earlier trilogy, does justice to the story he is trying to tell. It is not a vast adventure of worlds here, but an incident in a young boy’s life. To that, it is pleasing to read. From instances of Malcolm’s carpentry (which is quite satisfying to me as a reader) to obstacles that they face later, it is the small details that make this story what it is. There is also the subtle hint of a mystery (Malcolm’s headaches) that make me intrigued enough to pick up the second part of this trilogy. Of course, Lyra being a part of that story is a great pull for those of us who have read His Dark Materials.

To sum up, whether or not you have read the previous trilogy, La Belle Sauvage is a great find. I do however recommend that you read His Dark Materials before picking up The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust Part 2) – if only for the pleasure of Pullman’s master storytelling.

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Hippie – A Review

This books seems to be finding itself just as much as the protagonist. It starts off with some promise to a story but until halfway through the book all we find are declarations and a very slow character development. While it is interesting to learn more about the author (Paulo Coelho), and despite being an autobiography of sorts, I did not feel as connected to this book as a reader the way I have to his other work (for instance, The Zahir). The crux of the story comes to light during one scene which is an interview between the french father, Jacques and a journalist who wants to know more about the ‘hippie’ culture. I think what Paulo intended to say for this matter, he did so most truly in that one chapter. I read another review that describes this book as flat, and honestly I think that’s the best way to put it. I finished it because I couldn’t not finish a book, but was it worth the read? Eh…while it’s not entirely bad, one could give it a pass.

Em and the big Hoom – A Review

When you notice the ebb and flow of your own thoughts, you realise that they are a constant tumble of ideas and observations that are shoving for space to stay that one moment longer in your head before you are distracted by the next thought. In the space of your mind, you are unafraid of judgment or repercussions. On some days, you may even allow yourself to wade into the darker corners of your head, thinking of scenarios that would otherwise horrify you with their atrocious nature.

Jerry Pinto captures the casual tone of our minds and puts that voice on paper, showing us the truest version of a middle-class family in Mumbai, with no filter or even judgment on the good and bad. Things just are. He discusses topics like a famous sweet shop at the corner and the killing of one’s mother in the same tone. It is almost like the writing is unable to shy away from the underbelly of the protagonist’s life, quite like when we cannot always push away the thoughts that we “shouldn’t” be having.

Thus, the story is both intimate and funny, dark and sometimes as nonchalant as the four of them sitting around with nothing much going on. The language flows so easily, the writing seeming effortless even in its most significant or chaotic moments. This book is an act of such vulnerability that it was impossible for me not to be there, completely transported into the smoke-filled one-bedroom apartment listening to fragments of a story over the lifetime of the storyteller.

If there were any criticism that I had to afford, it would be with the characters on the sidelines. I would love to know more about Susan and Mae, and maybe even a little more about the mystery that was the Big Hoom. Overall, this is a book that I read in a matter of a few sittings and it was one that stuck with me long enough to avoid picking up a different book just to be able to mull this over a little longer.