A catchy book cover, intriguing title and a witty brief – that’s how this book comes across at first glance. When you delve deeper, this obviously humorous and stirring account of lockdown life is so much more than that. A brilliant new voice that can make you laugh and think at the same time has arrived!
As you flip through the first few pages, you land on one titled ‘statutory warning’ instead of the traditional ‘acknowledgement’/ ‘disclaimer’/ ‘prologue’ sort of pages. Of course, it compels you to read further. And then follows the engaging real content.
The question and intrigue that the title of the book poses is answered in gradual nuanced writing in the book. Without writing it in as many words, the book expounds that even on our darkest days, a little positivity and sense of humor can take us a long way. Das’s writing glorifies the immense power of little distractions in the times of uncertainty, and dishes out therapy-level letters replete with her personal experiences and observations. This compilation of the author’s lived memories along with her satirical take on many social foibles, switches structures frequently but never sinks into a jarring narrative. You are taken on a ride of happy nostalgia, recounting the recipe recommendations for banana breads, villa hunting in Goa, work from home stories, quarantine start-up plans and so much more. And without even realising it, you are moved to internally assess the lives you have lived post the advent of the pandemic in the world.
It may sound simple to say that the book is a compilation of numerous letters but when the readers get to know the addressees of these letters, they will be pleasantly surprised. These are mostly living or non-living things that people use in daily life but take for granted. Plants, social media, wardrobe, and the list goes on. Hardly anyone would have thought of writing a letter to them earlier, leave alone doing it in such an interesting way. Out of these, the letter addressed to the location almost treated as Indian’s desi Las Vegas or Amsterdam, is expected to generate the most attraction amongst the readers.
The author, Anindita Das, is not a new-comer to the art of writing. Das is an award-winning creative from the advertising world and her exemplary creativity is visible in almost every line of her engrossing debut non-fiction book, including the corresponding chapter titles. However, it is not limited to lines alone. Numerous terms and phrases also appear to have been freshly-coined by her and thus succeed in keeping the readers hooked till the end.
Das’s experience in the field of copywriting is well reflected in her sensitive handling of the subject. At no point, the book descends to become insensitive towards the victims and families affected by the disease. In other words, even though it is a book brought-out in the humour genre, it is empathetic to all the pain and adversity that came along with the pandemic.
‘What The Pandemic Learned From Me‘ published by Evincepub Publishing, is all set to stand-out amidst the flood of its competitors. As promised, the subtitle ‘a hilarious antidote to the pain that Corona dealt us’ completely justifies itself. All in all, ‘What The Pandemic Learned From Me’ is a great pick to overcome the boredom introduced into human lives by Corona. It is the kind of book one would easily veer towards on a lazy day during the lockdown, or as an amusing companion while one takes a metro ride downtown. Must-read for at least them who are, by God’s grace, keeping safe from the virus so far.
Overall, this publication is yet another praiseworthy work by the Evincepub Publishing team as well.
Best wishes to everyone involved in bringing-out the book and hope that everyone gets through these tough times safely.
