Twist in the tales

Adventure, mystery, myths, horror, ghosts, science fiction and more is offered to the young reader of The Woman in White by author Jhangir P. Kera-wala. This collection of five stories is meant to appeal to the sensibilities of children 10 years and older, as notes the back cover of the book.

Although all stories convey some message to impressiona­ble minds, and the ending is predictable, the way the stories unravel is sufficient to keep a young adolescent glued to the 142-page paperback. Among the most sensitively narrated is "The Wonder Boy.” Looking at the world of poachers and fellow canines through the eyes of a dog Cocky, a reader learns to empathize with the workings of the animal kingdom.

That children yearn for justice and fair play comes across in "Two Buttons and a Pin” where teenager Rishi helps an unknown poor boy Dhanu who is being framed for attempted murder. The affection, guile and rivalry among siblings comes to light in "Much Ado About Nothing” where young Ka-rishma sets out to hook the criminals who have decamped with the supposed Kohinoor dia­mond.

Attempts at bravado, bragging and one-upmanship lead the coterie of four friends to investigate a ‘haunted’ house, face the tragedy and bring relief to the innocent victims who were in need of counseling in "The Woman in White,” the story which shares the title with the book. The final journey in this book ends with "Two Hours of Doom” when Shiv is teleported into the 35th century and back to present day Calcutta after a fascinating sci-fi trip.

Many of the characters and subjects referred to in this book are an extension of the ones introduced by Kerawala earlier in The Witches of Waitiki which was a 176-page collection of short stories. Prior to these books Kerawala, then based in Calcutta, was preoccupied with his comic series called The Adventures of Timpa (a take-off on the Adventures of Tintin). After a brief spell in the corporate world Kerawala was commissioned to bring out Timpa in the form of a book.

In The Woman in White, along with the emotions the author has also woven scenes from India: whether it is Delhi’s chilly winter nights that take "even the old-time seasoned locals... by surprise,” the Poona cyclists "whizzing in and out of heavy traffic with such im­pudence,” or the yesteryear Indian mother’s famous remedy for many ills — no lunch, no dinner; a large peg of castor oil!

Published in January 2005 by Unicorn Books (J-3/16, Opposite Happy School, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002, tel: 23276539, 23272783, e-mail: info@pustakmahal.com) this lively compilation with illustrations by Jishu Dev Malakar would make an affordable gift at Rs 80.

PARINAZ M. GANDHI