Title: My Name Is Cinnamon
Author: Vikas Prakash Joshi
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Hay House Publishers India
No of Pages: 216
Price: Rs 279
Link for Purchase: My Name Is Cinnamon
My Take:
Pros:
The story moves at a gentle pace like the slow and steady waves of a quiet river. Such waters are generally deceptive in appearance and look shallow but turn out to be very deep. The correct phrase to describe the way this book is written is ‘light but with a surprising amount of depth’. The story is about fourteen-year-old Cinnamon, who is an adopted child. The name Cinnamon is a nickname given to him by his parents. His adoptive father is Marathi while his mother is Bengali. As the story proceeds, we are presented with some witty and humorous instances in his interactions with his classmates. These make us muse over the life of young children in general and at times remind us of our own childhood.
Some of these interactions are a shade on the rough side but they are necessary to maintain the continuity of the tale. The adoptive parents showed plenty of love for Cinnamon and treated him like their own son. They are very particular about his education and give him all the material comforts which parents generally give their children. Despite all this, Cinnamon finds himself thinking often about his birth parents. Would they resemble him? Would they be tall like him? These are some of the questions that arise in his agile mind.
The book is mostly written from young Cinnamon’s point of view, and he shows a surprising amount of maturity in thought for a lad of fourteen. There are a few characters who have shades of Grey in them though they are essentially good people. The characterization is very good, and we find that they stay etched in our minds for quite some time after we finish reading the book.
The author gives room for all kinds of emotions in the story like mirth, sadness, happiness, and several other feelings. Cinnamon visits Kolkata during summer holidays and spends time with his cousins and the events that occur during this trip are truly humorous. The language used is easy and engaging as it ought to be for a book belonging to the young adult genre. The story is really touching and the book appeals to the reader at a highly emotional plane.
The author has done a good amount of research in constructing the story. He has based it on a true story, and this adds to the appeal and authenticity of the book.
Cons:
The book held my attention from the first to the last page. I could not find anything that could be truly called a drawback without nit-picking.
Conclusion:
A big Yay! Pick up this book if you like tales that appeal to you emotionally. It is a gentle vivid story and if you like the young adult genre then I am sure you really ought to give this book a read.
Rating:
I am going with a 5/5 for Vikas Prakash Joshi’s ‘My Name Is Cinnamon’. It is a tale told in a moving and poignant way and it stays on your mind for quite some time after you read it.
Rating Scale:
1 Poor
2 Fair
3 Good
4 Excellent
5 Outstanding
This review is powered by the Blogchatter Book Review Program
A good review. It throws insight into the book.
Yes, Tom, it is a good book. Appeals emotionally.