Reviews

• A well written and thought-provoking story about bombings in India, captured from four different perspectives - the parents who lost children to the attack, the survivor, the terrorists and the activists. At the beginning of the story we are introduced to two families. On the day the children head to town to pick up a TV from a repair shop, all three boys become victims of a bomb explosion. One of the families loses both of their sons to the attack. The other boy survives with a few minor physical injuries. The author zooms in and out to transition from one perspective to another, and writes about the effects this attack had on different people throughout many years after the bomb explosion. He concentrates as well on the growing hate between Hindu and Muslim people in India, and the tragedies suffered by Muslims in the country, especially post 9/11 attack on WTC. Mahajan skilfully paints the picture of grief, a mother’s wish for revenge, the methods of coping with the loss of a child, and the psychological effects terrorist attack has on the survivors. He shows also how lack of understanding from others, and the difficulty one finds to belong, can cause drastic ideological shifts. Although the book was not my first choice and it took me almost 1 year to pick it up from my book shelf after buying it, I am glad I did. I felt that the author rushed a little bit at the last chapters and cut the story short leaving me hungry for more, but in all fairness it may be because I wanted for it to last a little bit longer. In the current worldwide chaos caused by the militant groups, and civilians and politicians response to the attacks, this is not a book I would recommend to anyone. It is a story about fanaticism and terrorism, however the author did not demonize or dehumanize any of the characters. Personally I liked that he remained neutral even when writing about the attackers, but I do realize some people could not appreciate it. If you are seeking for a book that explores religious and sociological reasons of why people act and behave in certain ways, this is your book. If you are open minded and interested in gaining a 360-degree view on terrorist attacks, this is your book. To me it earned a spot on the shelf of books I will read again in the future.

• This story follows two families from 1996 when they are victims of terror to present day . The author, through their stories , illustrates how an entire society is its own self destructive force as it becomes simultaneously it's own terrorist re victimizing itself. The author does an effective job in describing how these small political factions prey on the hopeless and are master manipulators of the disaffected for their own selfish gains. Religion as a simple tool used to justify the manipulation. Terrorism begets terrorists generation after generation without any worthwhile gains. There is no end justifiable by terrorist means, only destruction. I would recommend this book.

• I loved Karan Mahajan's first novel 'Family Planning' and thought it was very funny. I suspect I was expecting rather more humour in 'The Association of Small Bombs' - a book which turns out to be unremittingly serious and quite heavy. That's not to say it's a bad thing - it would after all be pretty flippant to write a funny book about terrorist bombings - but it was a surprise. From writing about an uber-fertile town planner who only fancies his wife when she's pregnant, it was quite a leap to writing about the repercussions of a 'small' bomb in a Delhi marketplace. Does a bomb care that it's small? Are the dead any less dead for being fewer in number than the victims of a 'big' bomb? And how does a 'small' bomb impact the victims and their families? It's an interesting premise. The story meanders over an extended period - starting with two brothers and their friend going to the market and only the friend coming back again. Then we're off to Kashmir to get to know the bomber and his innocent friend who will get the blame. We spend time with the bereaved parents of the boys, with the surviving boy as he grows older and gets involved with a campaign to preserve the human rights of those locked up for the attack who (probably) didn't do it. He in turn is connected to a second wave of terrorism. It's quite complicated. For the most part, it's quite well paced and mostly believable. There is one ridiculous part close to the end that will require a high degree of suspension of disbelief, but on the whole I'm willing to forgive and forget on that. With two such different books under his belt, I'm intrigued to see where Karan Mahajan might be headed next.

• I struggle to give this 2 stars. I was so happy to finish this book. It was just so boring. You think there is a main character but then the author tries to expand and provide personal viewpoints from other characters. The most interesting part of the book is the beginning and the end. There was so much potential but characters are introduced and then lost and vaguely brought up later. The biggest trauma in the book was one of the (main)characters struggle with pornography, seriously. The main concept of the book was lost in my opinion.

• I picked up this book which one of the regarded fiction novels in India to come out in 2016 to read some good literature. The story is tightly knit around terrorist bombings and the motivation of the terrorists as well as the impact on a few families and victims over a long period of time. The story moves quite slowly but there are dense and attractive descriptions on the thoughts inside the minds of characters and the surrounding environment. The story is told from multiple angles as many of the characters struggle with reality in the aftermath of violent incidents or the ideologies. Sometimes, more attention is paid to the inner lives of characters and the background story is moved forward by a few brusque paragraphs. Some of the characters, especially Ayub seem a tad bit unbelievable. Recommended if you want to understand terrorism and its impact. Not recommended for an easy read.

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