Suspended Animation - Comments

A really great collection of stories with some memorable characters and some very familiar situations. Some of the characters like the schoolgirl and the nosy neighbour have been portrayed so realistically that you feel you known them from before. The funny piece on global warming and the one about the politician’s visit to the village are very smart writings. I will recommend it as a very good buy.

One of the best books of short stories I have ever come across.

One of the best short story collections I have read and definitely the best by a single author. 22 short stories on one theme and there was never a dull moment. I loved the references to Kerala and could see the connections and even the mood of the place well shown. The stories are mostly emotional so I would have liked some more funny or comic pieces but apart from that the collection rocks. I even read a few stories twice.

Spread across the length and breadth of the world from places like Scotland to Bangalore, to the Phillipines, these 22 short stories capture human emotions of anticipation, fear of the unknown, the tingle of expectancy or plain resignation to fate.

In these stories some of which are funny, some are ironical, some are sweet and some plain heart wrenching, we join 22 characters for whom waiting is a constant reality of life.

The Story about the LochNess monster sums it up for me. That someone could put a simple and innocent looking theme and connect it to an urban myth is commendable and it shows the author’s creativity. In fact all stories involving animals are beautifully written and give a unique look into waiting. The collection is fresh in approach and sweet and nice. I did not get how the theme of suspended animation fit some of the stories but I am in suspended animation for the next collection.

Suspended Animation is simply a fantastic collection of shorts with some real tearjerkers. I was deeply moved by the story of a cabbie hoping to run into an acquaintance, puts the things we take for granted in perspective. The story of two beggars is heart wrenching and so are some others. What starts out as a slow and laid back narrative soon picks speed and you find stories of increasing complexity. The language is simple and the twists are clever but not in your face and that makes the stories more relatable and accepted.