Periscopes (Book Review)

S. Perry, Periscopes, Mumbai: St. Paul Publications, Year of publication and price are not mentioned.

 The book is a collection of literary pieces which have appeared in various papers and periodicals in India. The aim of the book in the author’s words is “to enlighten and entertain”. The book has 6 sections under which there are an irregular number of reflections or articles or literary pieces or whatever else you would like to call them. They seem to me, mostly pieces of advice on a number of issues. At times they overlap and repeat themselves but then again, that’s what advice is, right? Sometimes similar advice works for similar issues.


The cover page proclaims the book as “A galore of wit and sparkling humour and inspiring anecdotes to banish your blues” but I couldn’t find any of these things inside the cover. What I found was advice that often used anecdotes or poems or quotes to embellish and illustrate the point. The sparkle escaped me or maybe my eyes have grown dim. I don’t see why the reflections should be so popular. They speak of simple things. But then again, it’s the simple things that often need careful attention. In that respect, I think the author has done well to remind us of how to live meaningful and genuinely good lives. I confess I wasn’t taken up with the work but I think it offers meaningful points for reflection. 

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