Haunting Jasmine

By Anjali Banerjee.

Quite an interesting concept.

Jasmine is asked to mind her Aunt's bookstore on a remote island, while the latter is away in India. As the name suggests - the bookstore seems to be inhabited by spirits. Not just any spooks mind you - but those of famous authors from Edgar Allen Poe to Kipling to none other than Jane Austen.

That's what got me irritated. Why Jane? Because everyone knows her? Because "Pride" has been washed, rinsed and repeated a million times over in a million ways? GAH!

Many of the events in the narration seem rushed and hurried - they are off to a slow start and it's like Banerjee wants that particular incident to come to a convenient and final conclusion and can not be bothered with the finer details.

However despite this it must be conceded - Banerjee writes well - and I love the non-appearance of "being brown" in a white world angst.