Tilled Earth: Stories

Interesting peeks at (fiction) lives in Nepal. I used it for some cultural understanding.Manjushree Thapa is well known for being a Nepali-English writer. However, the way this english flows can be hard to follow.Recommended for cultural understanding projects, but probably not most people's ideas of entertainment.

If I ever have to pick a version of Nepal I want to remember, it would be hers. Through simple and realistic stories, Tilled Earth managed to capture my attention and kept me engrossed the entire time. As a reader, I enjoy stories that are brought to life by characters and nuanced observations that finally form a picture that is fascinating.-The book starts with relatively shorter stories, giving us glimpses of the kind of storytelling that is to be expected. As 'Thapa' moves towards the complexities of a country, the rough terrain, the variegation in people and cultures, she already has the reader’s attention.-Detail-oriented writing is what impressed me the most. In ‘Heera Mahajan loses his way’, 'Thapa' talks about the notion of mother Earth, something very important to the local people and what is in grave danger due to industrialization and development. In ‘Friends’, two contrasting people have a conversation over time- one native to Nepal and looking for an escape, while the other wanting to connect back to his roots after a life abroad. But eventually, they develop a strong bond.-In ‘The Buddha in the Earth-Touching Posture’, the religious side of Katmandu(Lumbini)- the place where Buddhism took shape has been narrated by a man impassive to the religious practices and stories without evidence. Similarly, each story has something to offer, be it perspective or information.-Thapa brings Katmandu to life and not just the glorious bits but the dirt-filled roads, the mean and unyielding men you would come across very often, tourists full of stubborn excitement, their hearts, and smiles bubbling with tales, the confined lives of women and a land that a few people want to abandon due to its every-shifting political scenario. The stories focus more on what can be seen and felt, rather than speculative stories. She breathes life into her characters, simultaneous recreating a land that deserves to be read and remembered.

good