Night Train At Deoli And Other Stories Ruskin Bond Review

If you’re used to plot-driven stories, this will feel strange. That’s the point. Bond writes , not thriller maps.

The stories are set in a pre-liberalization, pre-mobile phone India. Trains were steam engines. Telegraphs were news. This India is physically gone, but Bond preserves it in amber. For NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) and urban youth alienated by skyscrapers and malls, these stories are a map of a "home" they never had. Night Train At Deoli And Other Stories Ruskin Bond

This is a masterclass in the twist ending. A blind man shares a train compartment with a girl he infers is beautiful based on the sound of her voice and the scent of her perfume. He engages her in witty, flirtatious conversation, only to discover at the end (via a new passenger) that the girl had gotten off the train long ago—and that she was blind, too. It is a heartbreaking story about the illusions we build to connect with others. If you’re used to plot-driven stories, this will

“To be a traveller is to be a ghost—to haunt the places you will never fully possess.” The stories are set in a pre-liberalization, pre-mobile