Everyday People: Tales of People You Know — by Salini Vineeth
Pages: 43
Price: Rs. 49 INR(Kindle Edition)
ASIN: B07YNGV1CK
Buy here: https://amzn.to/2Nw73iQ
‘Everyday People’ is a collection of eight short stories featuring familiar strangers. These are stories of ordinary people whom you have met — at work, during the daily commute, in your friend circles, or on social media. However, the stories have a twist or an element of thrill to them. They rip open the sheath of mundane lives and present you with raw, poignant, and profound vignettes of urban life. These stories attempt to capture the dramatic flipside of the banal existence of everyday people.
As the editor defines them…
The stories are the perfect mix of sensationalism out of the mundane, exhibitionism of what has been undercover, and the simple refinement of human thought perspectives. The words sway and dance, tantalizingly just out of reach, trying to entice the reader into that false lull of security until a twist comes that makes them wonder, ‘What did I just read?’
About the author:
Salini Vineeth is a fiction and freelance writer based in Bangalore. Most of her prose revolves around the dilemmas of urban life. She has worked for ten years as an Electronics engineer before turning to full-time writing. Her debut fiction novella — Magic Square- was published by Amazon in 2018, and has sold over a thousand copies. As a freelance writer, she contributes to the technology blogs of a few start-up companies. She is a history buff and loves mystery novels. She lives in Bangalore with her family.
My take on the book:
Everyday People is a collection of eight stories, with Bangalore city as backdrop. Each of the stories touch the different facets of urban life in a busy and happening city.
The first story Craving is about a young man missing his home, mother and home cooked food amidst the daily work hustle, leaving him with no chance to savor the aroma and flavors of home food. Lady of the house subtly mirrors the patriarchal mindset of majority of families where the lady of the house is still looked down even after conquering the world outside.
Beyond the Wall is about the simple pleasures kids crave for which may not be fulfilled on most occasions due to socio-economic challenges. The Surprise Gift gives message of how love is about the intention than the actual act. The blue light is a fun story which thrills while amusing the reader on how human touch is all that is needed at times.
The Vacation highlights how a relationship might means different things to the two people and how expectations can build or destroy them. The First Steps is a heartwarming story of comparisons and expectations versus hope. The Ugly Indian is fun story of modern India and people who are seen at the two ends of this spectrum.
All the stories are simple, narrated to the point with minimum characters, and have different theme. The stories also highlight how life is different for people living in same city based on their profession, family background. My personal favorites are The Blue Light and The Ugly Indian for the fun factor and the unpredictable twists. I wish some of the stories were further developed instead of ending abruptly. Pick this short story collection for good entertainment and subtle message, while touching the everyday life of people we see around.
My rating:
4/5.