Tall Man Small Shadow: December 2013

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Tall Man Small Shadow (Book Review)

Tall Man Small Shadow by Vipin Behari Goyal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tall Man Small Shadow by Vipin Behari Goyal
Pages : 152, Genre: Philosophical Fiction
Published July 10th 2013 by cyberwit.net

I have always believed that no book should be stopped reading midway and this book has just further cemented my belief.

I lived every moment of my life as if that was my whole life. If it is death, I am dying every moment; if it is life, I am living every moment. - Vipin Behari Goyal, Author;Tall Man Small Shadow

'Everything is a coincidence'.

Is it ?

How much would you agree to it or how much would you disagree to it? Both parties have a good read in waiting.

To begin with, it is roughly a story of Indian parents searching for a son-in-law. Well it's just the beginning. The story takes turns in the most unexpected of moments, rises and falls with situations that would just not be expected in a normal person's life.

The narration by Aalya's father (Anupam) is in itself a matter of conflict for the reader. He speaks of feminism, existentialism and then he is describing about how he wants a good guy for his daughter ( with frequent references to the final suitor's religion and caste). Somewhere the reader is unable to agree with him because it does not fir into the character sketch he provides of himself.

This book deals with IVF, Lesbian-ism and such issues in an open-minded way. The 'shadow' has been effectively used to depict many of the thoughts rising in the minds of the characters. It can prove to be a factual pleasure for lovers of Poetry and Philosophy.

The different instances of uneven marital relationships have been brought to light by the author in a good way in the form of research done by Aalya for her thesis.

Somewhere the book does get a bit dry i.e. when Anu goes deeper into his philosophical thinking but everything gets balanced thanks to the climax of the story! It is well-crafted and worth a read.

P.S. One of the main characters has been omitted from any kind of description here. That one character has the power to change the dimensions of the story! Don't miss it.

- Divya Nambiar

Author(Mr. Vipin Behari Goyal)