In the Lives of Puppets - T. J. Klune (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 17/3/2024

Author: T. J. Klune

Publisher: Tor Books

Publication Date: March 14, 2024

Rating: 4.5/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours)

About the book:

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommissioning, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

Review:

        Alright! Confession time, folks!!! I could not complete the previous two books by T. J. Klune. Not that anything is wrong with the storyline, but they were all a tad bit slow for me. But the hype around them is too loud to ignore and I just wanted to complete one of his books. What is a better way to do that than committing to a blog tour? So here I am, finally finishing his latest work and . . . loving it to the core.

        The blurb may mention a Pinocchio-inspired plot, but to me, it felt more like a modern twist on The Wizard of Oz. There is a journey involved albeit for a different reason and evolved machines with feelings. We could predict the story to some extent, so don't expect any surprises there. The novel was enjoyable all thanks to one character, The Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate and Drill or Nurse Ratched for short. There are no dull moments with her around.

       Oh! I can sense some resentment from someone around here. Don't worry Rambo, I could never forget you (I would like to have my ear drums intact, thank you so much). Despite your rambling, you are the cutest little vacuum I have ever come across. I am sure no one will dare to disagree.

        Guess you got the gist of what you can expect from this novel. Even with the light-hearted tone, the story doesn't fail to deliver a powerful message. A warning to be cautious so as not to be overpowered by our own creations. Will that deter us from doing what we want? Only time will tell. 

Meet the author:

TJ KLUNE is a Lambda Literary Award-winning author (Into This River I Drown) and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company. His novels include The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries. Being queer himself, TJ believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive, queer representation in stories.

Rumours of Spring: A Girlhood in Kashmir - Farah Bashir (Review)

Date of Reading: 9/3/2024

Author: Farah Bashir

Publisher: Harper Collins India

Publication Date: April 23, 2021

Rating: 5/5

About the book:

Rumours of Spring is the unforgettable account of Farah Bashir's adolescence spent in Srinagar in the 1990s. As Indian troops and militants battle across the cityscape and violence becomes the new normal, a young schoolgirl finds that ordinary tasks - studying for exams, walking to the bus stop, combing her hair, falling asleep - are riddled with anxiety and fear.

With haunting simplicity, Farah Bashir captures moments of vitality and resilience from her girlhood amidst the increasing trauma and turmoil of passing years - secretly dancing to pop songs on banned radio stations; writing her first love letter; going to the cinema for the first time - with haunting simplicity. This deeply affecting coming-of-age memoir portrays how territorial conflict surreptitiously affects everyday lives in Kashmir.

Review:

        Granted, it has only 228 pages, it still took me nearly one month to finish this heart-wrenching memoir. Starting from her grandmother's death, Farah Bashir takes us through memory lane compartmentalized through each moment of that single night when the whole family sat vigil over the departed soul. It is, by no means, a pleasant journey and that makes it all the more hard to digest.

        The constant curfews, raids, the terror of reading newspapers filled with death and terror -- growing up as a girl in Kashmir is a never-ending struggle. Farah doesn't want to make headlines in the newspapers. She just wishes for a peaceful life followed by an uneventful death marked by a piece in the obituary column just like her grandmother, Bobeh. The things we take for granted find a new meaning here.

       As an Indian, I have often wondered what really goes on in this much-disputed area known for both its beauty and history of conflict. We know the military's version for sure, and Farah Bahir walks on a very thin line so as not to blame the military or the militants. None of them makes their lives easy. They are under constant surveillance and the pages of her memoir are filled with the fear and uncertainty that defined her childhood in Kashmir from 1989 onwards.

        This is a poignant tale of a once vibrant state and the resilience of its people in the face of daily challenges. Despite the adversities they endure, the spirit of the Kashmiri people shines through in Bashir's storytelling.

Meet the author:

Farah Bashir was born and raised in Kashmir. She was a former photojournalist with Reuters and currently works as a communications consultant. Rumours of Spring, published by Harper Collins, is her first book.