Short Stories by Gracy

 

"My dearest readers, your question is why my stories never traverse the luminous paths of life. It is not that you are not aware that all the paths of this world are being taken over by darkness. Since those responsible are human beings, what is the point of being disappointed that I am not a storyteller who spreads light?"

36 stories in about 210 pages (their length mostly varying from one to about 5-7 pages the last entry being the longest one, a novelette) - each one delivers a punch in the gut, pierces the heart with ice daggers, leaves us with unblinking eyes and dropped jaws.

Baby Doll, It is Winter now on Earth, The End of a Naive Romance are few that hold you by the scruff of your neck and tell "Don't cringe, this happens in our society".

Gracy gives ghosts as much right as the living on the Earth for in her stories spectral visions and apparitions regularly give us creeps. Illusory Visions, Orotha and the Ghosts, Theechamundi, Coming Home, Kallu are few such instances.  

Failed marriages, drunkard husbands, women who entice, harass and suffer, dysfunctional families and crushed childhood make up the scape of this collection.

The author's candour in dealing with infidelity, female sexuality, man-woman relationships or when taking a dig at religion/caste will stun you. Her use of Devi Mahatmyam, references to Kunti (in A Raindrop in Summer) and Draupadi (in Panchali) in her stories show use of her clever imagination. Her use of metaphor in storytelling is classy; rabbits and lizards as protagonists, a train as a witness to few worldly mishaps on the route it travels, a man (in story Doomsday) telling how numbers taunt him endlessly are some fine examples.

These stories where violence and macabre do a cool jig, are loaded with the scents, sights and local folklore of Kerala. Though largely grim, there is little humour too that shifts from dry (in Denouement) to cynical (in Ball, This is Joseph's story, Anna's too). Some stories end brusquely in violence to the extent of confounding us.

With translation and editing taken care of by EV Fathima and Mini Krishnan, readers are guaranteed a wonderful reading experience. This Harper Perennial edition bundles up a translator’s note and an interview of the author by the translator in its insights section which provides a comprehensive understanding of the author’s writing style and personal life episodes that shaped it.

The collection is like a potent medicine that works better when consumed in measured doses with intervals in between. It definitely helps clear our clouded vision of the society, one that is marred by toxic patriarchy and heavy misogyny. And for such a work, the title chosen - a popular Bollywood number should hopefully not downplay the importance.

Baby Doll : Short Stories by Gracy makes an instance where the more we think of the stories , the more we get knotted in our own words/thoughts and to disentangle ourselves, it definitely takes time.