A Fine Balance and Beasts in My Belfry- Books

Two books as different as chalk and cheese. I read them both recently. Here is an attempt at reviewing them.

Rohinton Mistry (A Fine Balance) is an author I have never tried before. I know, that sounds like a dish you eat. But authors can have that effect on you. An Agatha Christie is like a tried and tested recipe. Or a Wodehouse, for that matter. Or an Asterix comic. You know what it will do to you. But an untested author, you are never sure, even if you read a few pages at the bookstore before buying it. But this one was exquisite, and almost unputdownable (abbreviate it as upd for the SMS generation?). It is a simple enough story of two tailors, a beautiful middle aged Parsi lady and a young Parsi man. And a host of colourful characters who keep popping in to enliven proceedings. It's a story of individual pride (the lady not getting married to any of the line of suitors her brother brings in), of torture (how the tailors were low caste cobblers in their village), of hope (except one, none of the characters loses hope in the face of extreme adversity), and many other things, including politics of the mid-seventies. Certainly gripping for the way the story unfolds, and its myriad twists and turns.

The Gerald Durrell story (Beasts in My Belfry) is more of the tried and tested kind, but delightful nevertheless. It tells of the time that its author went to work for a zoo in Whipsnade and his experiences there. He is put in charge of the lions section, which actually contains many more animals, including polar bears and tigers. His description of their doings is insightful and hilarious. A true animal lover, his stories can be enjoyed even if you aren't one.