Title: The Wait and Other Stories
Author: Damodar Mauzo
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Price: Rs. 499
Link For Purchase: The Wait And Other Stories
My Take:
Damodar Mauzo’s book of short stories is a delectable potpourri of tales that evoke an array of emotions in the reader. The one characteristic that marks the stories is that the ending always has something delightful to offer. In other words, Mauzo knows how to deliver a punch in the last line in a very effective manner. The stories are short, and each one is just around eight to ten pages long. Some are even shorter than that. But despite this, Mauzo manages to keep the stories fast-paced and makes the reader turn the pages quickly in a bid to reach the ending. The characters in these stories are well defined and stay in one’s mind long after reading the book.
Too often one finds that in a book comprising of many short stories, we tend to forget the story after a few days and sometimes after a few hours. But Mauzo’s tales are written in such an inimitable style and with such depth in the plots that they remain etched in one’s mind for a long time. Most of the stories bring out the irony of life’s vicissitudes and how despite one’s effort, fate can always turn the tables. While reading some of the stories I got reminded of the proverb ‘Man proposes, God, disposes.’
All the stories are set in scenic Goa, and I got reminded of my visit to the place during my second year of engineering as part of an industrial tour. The stories also make one pass through a prism of emotions as one moves from tale to tale. The story I liked the most was ‘I was waiting for you’. The other tales which struck a chord in me were ‘Burger’ though it had a predictable ending, ‘Gentleman Thief’ and ‘Yasin, Austin, Yatin’.
There are a few negatives in the stories which I would like to point out. In a few stories, I found that the ending was a shade too predictable. But despite this, Mauzo manages to bring the reader to the edge of the seat and spring the ending in such a way that it still leaves a good taste in the mouth.
With the help of these tales, the reader can piece together what Goa would be like. One more negative point that rises to the mind is that a few of the tales were also confusing and the reader must keep a sharp watch on the thread of the story if he wants to piece together the wholesome plot. To avoid this one more round of editing is needed. But all said and done, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Damodar Mauzo’s ‘The Wait and Other Stories.
Conclusion: A big Yay! You can read these mild-natured tales to spend a lazy afternoon. These stories are fun and educational in nature. They make the reader ponder over the vicissitudes and ironies of life couched in some delightful piece of writing.
Rating: I am going with a 4/5 for Damodar Mauzo’s book of short stories, ‘The Wait and Other Stories’. I have cut off a point for the predictable ending in a few of the tales and the confusion that is evident in them.
Rating Scale:
1. Poor
2. Fair
3. Good
4. Excellent
5. Outstanding
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The book looks interesting for a casual read.