Welcome to The Compulsive Reader. This site features reviews of new release books by some of the hottest writers working today. There are also author interviews, profiles, links to sites where you can immerse yourselves in the authors and more. Don't forget to subscribe to our free newsletter to receive information about new book reviews, interviews, competitions, exclusive articles, reader reviews, etc. People begin as one thing and end up another.
People begin as one thing and end up another.
In Royalty, a visit from the revered and campy Raja interrupts the preparations from for the summer exodus to the Himalayas. When Sarla's cook leaves on his overdue summer break to escape the summer heat of Delhi, Raja leaves Sarla and Ravi for the more socially graceful Dutta-Rays' houseboat in Kashmir. Sarla's disappointment combined with the superficiality of Delhi social life, and the enduring depth of Ravi's love as they sit on top of a mountain provide a powerful opening to the stories. Winterscape is a beautiful story, resolving itself in the visual white image of two women looking out at the snow. As is always the case in Desai's world though, nothing is as simple as it seems.