Curtain Call *Review*

“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

They came. They wrote and they held us with words! Published by Half Baked Beans and compiled and edited by painstaking hardwork of Rafaa Dalvi this anthology of stories is a stunning take on stories by different writers who belong to various ages, are proficient in certain genres and are multi-talented. You would find a doctor sharing word space with an interior designer or a housewife. What matters is the kind of writing they’re all seeking for and what they ultimately came to.

In common words, Curtain Call is an anthology of short stories that’ll leave an imprint on the souls of the readers. Well, it is more than that. It is like a seamless picking of the writers of different moods and genres getting together to enthrall everyone in one composite form. For me it is a beautiful amalgamation of what the writers were at that time.

This multi-genre book got me happy, sad, spellbound, in stitches and even fear — a gamut of emotions at one go. So who all interested me? Mahua by Vivek Banarjee had an unexpected ending which made me change my somber expressions into laugh of glee! Ookleeboo by Diptee Raut sounds like a Casper story but read it and you feel that the name actually leans away from the whole story in a sweet and yet not so sweet way. Ekta Khetan’s The Princess Bride is a stunning tale of relationship that gets into a totally surprising end. Each story is a delight to read and I wouldn’t say more to reveal all about others. All the authors have given their best shot and more is to come.

What pulled me to the book was the title. Was it the grand ending or a new beginning? Why this title? As I read each story I realized it wasn’t about the beginning or the end but how it made each writer feel to have started a story, ended it and yet kept the reader’s attention. It is a tribute to the love of writing and the reader’s “thanks” for transporting them to the other world.

The title of the book maybe “Curtain Call” but it isn’t a curtain call for these writers who I believe they have potential to bring out more beautiful stories as these.

Pick up the book at Amazon and do read it!