9. Tales from Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry (Fiction, Short Story Collection)

World Lit Challenge: India

Tales from Firozsha Baag is a collection of short stories, all focusing on one or other of the residents of the Firozsha Baag apartment complex in Bombay, India. The stories are all linked, with the point-of-view characters from one tale appearing as secondary characters in the others.

The book starts well, becoming a bit slow in the middle, but building to a triumphant finish. I’m a fan of short stories, when they’re done well, and these certainly are. Mistry has a gift for creating vivid snapshots of ordinary life, which he uses masterfully in these tales.

Bottom line: I’ll definitely be reading A Fine Balance, Family Matters, and Such a Long Journey in the near future.

Books read: 9/50
Pages read: 2,295/15,000

X-posted here.

Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2007, Rohinton Mistry, World Lit Challenge