The Uncle’s Story by Witi Ihimaera and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and Gay writing

Having spent most of my work life in an extremely open and diverse organisational culture I have met n number of colleagues and contacts who led happy lives with same sex partners.I have seen old men pining for their young boyfriends like lovesick teenagers , mature women with wives to manage their homes while they were busy outside . So the rainbow world is not new or strange to me. Yet when it comes to reading books or viewing movies on LGBT themes I am not comfortable. In fact most of the time if I know that there is any trace of LGBT element in a work I prefer to ignore it. In spite of my preferences I must say the two books in discussion will definitely be amongst the top favourite books in my reading list. I had picked up the books at random while browsing through the library racks and had no inkling what the writers had to say. I liked the style while reading the first few pages and decided to read them in full. There was no looking back and I simply loved the stories.

Hei runga, hei raro ! hii haa, hii haa – the karanga the ritual call of Maori women strikes a magical chord in my imagination .I am instantly transported to a world which I can only conjure up in my dreams. The sons are all getting ready to leave for the battlefield as their proud families look on. It reminds me of my ancestors and the songs that Sylheti women sang during various rituals with some lovely dancing . The singing and dancing can still be witnessed in rural Sylhet in Bangladesh. It also reminds me of scenes of tribal dancing and singing witnessed during my childhood days in Jharkhand. Human behaviour is so similar in all cultures.


Witi Ihimaera is an award winning Maori novelist .His publishers describe him as the first Maori novelist. The Uncle’s story is a beautiful and passionate tale of love and longing, of Maori masculinity and Maori beliefs and life. It is also a story of two generations of Maori men. I am not particularly receptive to LGBT themes but Sam and Harper’s love is so poignant and so romantic that you tend to overlook the gender of the characters and what lingers is the overwhelming beauty of love that touches your heart to the core. Sam is heterosexual and later marries and leads a regular life. Uncle Sam’s story made me realise that love in its purest form is truly spiritual. This is definitely one of my most memorable reads.

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witi_Ihimaera )

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters is a brilliant thriller set in a Victorian background. The narrative and story telling is superb. The turn of incidents keeps you hooked throughout the novel. Same sex relationship is treated in a most subtle and sensitive manner which does not intrude upon the central theme of the book.

Follow the link for the full story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingersmith_(novel)


I am happy that I began with ignorance and emerged with a wealth of knowledge. If I had started with prior knowledge of the content of the books my prejudice would have stopped me from discovering such treasures. I would definitely be the loser.