Annie Kapur
Bio
200K+ Reads on Vocal.
English Lecturer
đLiterature & Writing (B.A)
đFilm & Writing (M.A)
đSecondary English Education (PgDipEd) (QTS)
đBirmingham, UK
Stories (1970/0)
Book Review: "Earthlings" by Sayako Murata
I have read some pretty disturbing books in my time. From Chuck Palahniukâs âHauntedâ to Bret Easton Ellisâs âAmerican Psychoâ, from âThe Girl Next Doorâ by Jack Ketchum all the way back to â120 Days of Sodomâ by the Marquis de Sade. These books are some of the more extreme ones I have read. When we come more and more into our own times we see names such as Stephen King, we see names such as Lionel Shriver - author of the traumatising novel âWe Need to Talk About Kevinâ and we also see the more recent works of Cormac McCarthy. From the Sci-Fi terror of Harlan Ellison to the disturbing love stories of Vladimir Nabokov, Iain Banks, Joyce Carol Oates, V.C Andrews and many more - the world of the psychological thriller is filled with intense stories of absolute horror. But, I have to say that one of the most disturbing things I have read in the last five years has got to be âEarthlingsâ by Sayako Murata - the author of the famed âConvenience Store Womanâ. It is not only a psychological thriller, it is a post-apocalyptic dystopian nightmare, it is a political system which regards itself as an overlord of the planet, it is a fight for survival when one defers from the path given to them. From murder to incest, from cannibalism to rape - this book is quite possibly one of the most disturbing things you will read to date. Her is a tip for doing so: make sure you are not eating anything at the time.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "Jack" by Marilynne Robinson
I think we have all heard enough about the segregational culture of America in the 1950s and though I love 1950s music and film culture, I can definitely say that I was not 'born in the wrong generation' due to the fact that I am brown and happy that I am in a time where that is respected as a positive aspect of my character. However, I understand that the kind of music I listen to and the films I watch from the 1950s had a culture where that was not so and thus, when I read a book from this time or set during this time, I keep that in mind no matter what it is about. There are many books set in this period such as the famous âTo Kill a Mockingbirdâ by Harper Lee all the way through to the African-American Southern Gothic books of Toni Morrison. But I think that possibly one of the best modern examples in our own day of this is the books of Marilynne Robinson, especially this one entitled âJackâ which explores the more subverted aspect of interracial romance at a time where this only just was not accepted but was condemned outwardly by others.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Humans
Book Review: "Dreamland" by Rosa Rankin-Gee
Normally, I would say that fiction set in the future has âall been done beforeâ and that there are no more stories to tell. When it comes down to âDreamlandâ though, I think that there has not yet been a book set in the not so distant future quite like this one. Strangely different from its title, âDreamlandâ has absolutely nothing to do with the atmosphere or subjects of the book but instead it is regarding a specific place within the book. Instead, âDreamlandâ is a cross between a migration novel and the post-apocalyptic nightmare of hell in a hand basket. However much I thought this book was dark and grim to the extreme, it was also extremely well written and is set in our own near future, to become one of our generationâs modern classics alike to â1984â and âBrave New Worldâ. A future which is possible, which is plausible and yet, one we can only imagine in our darkest thoughts.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Legend of a Suicide" by David Vann
I have read quite a few books about people killing themselves or contemplating suicide. There seems to be this narrative of having been overtly depressed so to that it is reflected in the language whether it is narrated by the victim or not. But there is something different about âLegend of a Suicideâ in the sense that there is not this sense of desperate grief but instead this question of why. There is this question of why because of the fact the victim of the suicide is someone whom the protagonist and narrator viewed as not only successful financially but also as a person who was moving on with their lives. Now, there is an argument of the fact that people commit suicide when they believe people least expect it as to not worry anyone in advance, but the scene in which the fact does kill himself is something else entirely. There is this sense of time stopping, but there seems to be none of this helplessness that surrounds it. In actuality, the scene is pretty disgusting. The father shoots himself in the head and his own brother finds him later on when the birds have already been pecking at him and the flies, eating him. His desecrated corpse is then reported to the child (narrator) and his mother. We then get this flashback upon the parents and why the marriage crumbles into nothingness.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Psyche
Book Review: "People From My Neighbourhood"
For starters, let me say that I do not normally read flash fiction as it is a bit too short and non-descriptive for me. I like long, philosophical and breathtaking descriptions of atmosphere and setting so the longer the book means the more the description and the more the description, then the better. However, I have read Hiromi Kawakami before. I have read âStrange Weather in Tokyoâ and âThe Nakano Thrift Shopâ and both of those book explore realms of the extraordinary other in terms of their place in the world if they existed. This book entitled âPeople from my Neighbourhoodâ is not much different but instead of exploring the extraordinary other, it instead normalises or attempts to observe the behaviour of the people who are considered to be ânormalâ and therefore, âothersâ the ordinary. Kawakami does an amazing job of writing to shock and terrify but sometimes the stories are far too short and lose their effect straight after reading. So overall, I would think this book is a good attempt at shocking flash fiction but probably was not up to my own personal tastes.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Lore" by Alexandra Bracken
I have read many revenge narratives. Everything from Shakespeare to Marlowe, Shelley, Byron and Coleridge, Faulkner and Melville, Fitzgerald to Kerouacâs revenge on modern life and all the way down to the modern narratives of Philippa Gregoryâs women of history and their own private acts of revenge. From time to time, I have noticed that changes in the narrative style of revenge make it more and more pleasing when the protagonist finally gets their revenge every single time. With each turn, we have a new meaning to the act and it is never just one single act. It can be many small acts in which the protagonist builds to a pinnacle and the climax of the novel becomes more intense than ever. There are possibilities though, left in our modern times, for even more changes to the revenge narrative. This is where âLoreâ by Alexandra Bracken comes in.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Tomorrow They Won't Dare to Murder Us" by Joseph Andras
âTomorrow They Wonât Dare to Murder Usâ is a book about morality and how we begin to question it in situations of extreme danger. When a terrorist attack is being planned by Algerians upon France, there is a certain expectation that we must detest them and we must condone the safety of the public. When the Algerians state that nobody must die then not only do we begin to question our morality but we also begin to question their motives. In this book, we see exactly what horrors these people have endured their more violent neighbours of the French. We see exactly how the Algerians are constantly treated as the outsiders despite being able to speak French and live as the French do. We see exactly the price that is paid for being different in even the slightest of ways. Within the book there are these moments of brutality in which we see people come together against adversity and yet, be punished differently based on who they are and where they are from. It is an absolutely gut-wrenching book for the most part because of the way in which we see certain characters go through intense amounts of pain.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Criminal
Book Review: "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig
Matt Haig is one of the great writers of our time. His understanding of the human condition is more than incredible and his writing style never fails to touch your very soul. One thing that is incredibly unique about Matt Haig's writing is that there is a quality to it that makes it very easy to read and yet, it gets into some real depth about what the character is going through. I have found him to sort of resonate the writing of Ian McEwan. When I read Ian McEwan's "Nutshell" - though it was easy enough to read, there was some real depth to the character the reader encounters. This is the same with Matt Haig's writing and especially the book "The Midnight Library" - it is something that touches everyone even though not everyone will certainly experience the same thing. From the very beginning in which we see the character when she is about sixteen yearsâ old and all the way through the book that is set nineteen yearsâ later when she is thirty-five yearsâ old - we constantly get reminded about various aspects of uniqueness about this character and thus, we sympathise with the difficult position in which she has found herself in.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Humans
Book Review: "Pilgrims" by Matthew Kneale
I have read many books influenced by other works and most of them have been via classic literature and folklore. Christina Henryâs books influenced by âAlice in Wonderlandâ and âPeter Panâ, Gregory Maguireâs books influenced by L.Frank Baumâs âThe Wizard of Ozâ as well as others influenced by Baumâs novels including âDorothy Must Dieâ by Danielle Page and the next in that series, âThe Witch Must Burnâ. From other classic literature, there has been many including the series inspired by âThe Iliadâ by Mary Renault or the series inspired by âThe Iliadâ by Madeline Miller. From this, I have gotten used to reading things inspired by other things, poetry and books alike and really, reading something that was inspired by Chaucerâs âThe Canterbury Talesâ is really refreshing as I have never encountered something like it before.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks