Fly on the Wall and Other Stories
Fly on the Wall and Other Stories’, the debut book of Shubha Sarma, is a collection of 13 marvellously scripted short stories. Many stories are set in Eastern India and a few have Delhi settings. Each story is narrated lucidly with a simple and straightforward storyline. All the stories are very interesting. The author has been able to keep the storyline very tight. There are no unnecessary insertions nor is there any exaggerated projection of the characters.
The stories cover a myriad of people living in modern day India. The characters in the book vary from successful corporate women to anxious homemakers and from a newly wedded bride to old people in the autumn of their lives. The reader’s curiosity is kept alive throughout the book even though the themes of some of the stories may not be unheard of. The author has achieved this fete by weaving an interesting web of events with unique twists at the end. More than the story line, it is the way the author writes that makes the stories so special.
The plots also cover a wide topography, thereby obliviating any chance for monotony. For instance, the first story ‘Fly on the Wall’ is about an immoral man who meets a befitting end; ‘Flesh and Blood’ –the second of the stories, is about a young homesick Indian living in America who returns to his ailing father in Assam only to find that his family has embraced the person whom he considers responsible for his exile in the west. ‘The Buda’ is about an old woman who attempts to commit suicide due to the incessant taunts of her daughter-in-law. ‘The Tabla’s Refrain’ gives a glimpse of sibling relationship and describes how a young boy and his brother try to earn some money in order to buy a tabla.
Being an IAS officer herself, the author has put together three stories of young civil servants in their district postings, that are quite insightful and interesting to read. In the last story of the book a girl aspiring to major in Psychology discovers the secret of the haunted flat in her building. ‘Rain’ the twelfth in the book is actually a collection of 5 short stories where the events are invariably influenced by the unpredictable heavenly showers. In one, the sudden showers give an opportunity for Rina to befriend her step-son and in another the interaction occasioned by the rain helps Varun discover the truth about the ‘Miss Plainface’ of his office.
The cover page with its crimson drops of blood and lecherous fly gives a sinister and dark feeling, thus giving a wrong impression of the book. Though the book does have some sad stories, only the first and the last story deserve any kind of disturbing graphic accompaniment.
Reading this book is akin to watching a collection of short films about common everyday issues. One can read the book at a stretch and feel full and satisfied. Overall, ‘Fly on the Wall’ is a perfect addition to the Indian fiction collection and is a book with a strong presence that is here to stay.
T.S.Anupama