Opening Line
The opening line, right off the bat, in the first story of the collection sets the stage for the ample use of metaphor and simile in this collection of short stories. The writer is not one of those minimalists who is stingy with information. She is instead quite lavish in her descriptive prose, eager to share imagery as well as the facts:
“I was four then, but some memories are still vivid, etched in my mind, like the red bougainvillaea by my grandparents’ house.”
Closing Line
The magic of metaphorical language also comes in handy for bringing stories to a close. “When Anklets Tinkle” is a bit more lighthearted than most of the other stories and that lighter tone is reflected in the story’s closing image:
“The shadow of a smile lit Mrs. Srivastava’s face as she gently tapped his arm. Silly man…he was a silly, silly man.”
Fantasy Men
The title story is swirling vortex of sexuality that ranges from innocent schoolgirl fantasies to horrific rape. The fantasy part is encased within the young narrator’s limited realm of experience and her passion for reading gothic romances. The burgeoning world of desire is readying itself to meet up with a reality that is sure to be crushing to the book lover:
“Sex was something that one day would happen to the likes of us and then lightning would crack and the heavens would change colour. We would have our Rochesters and our Rhett Butlers, it was only a question of time.”
Dialogue
The characters which the author writes about are intelligent enough to adopt metaphorical imagery into their everyday conversation. Of course, most people do this naturally and without even thinking. Which is why one should always be suspicious of a person who does not readily pepper discourse with metaphor; it has been determined to be a distinct sign of a lower-than-normal ability to correct interpret the emotional tenor of a conversation.
“He said, ‘Borwankar sahib, why are you taking this tone with me? You ask me questions as though you have no faith in me. This is not a detective agency. Why must you interrogate me in this manner?”
Ghost Story
“When Anklets Tinkle” is, on the surface, a ghost story. And a ghost story needs to feature a few good scares or scenes of hauntings. This is accomplished very efficiently in a short paragraph filled with metaphorical language describing the effects of fear:
“In the silence that followed, she was suddenly wide awake. Realisation and fear seeped through her like poison. Slowly, she got out of bed. For some time, she stood there, not wanting to know, her heart beating like the heart of a mad woman. She walked to her daughter’s room and opened the door. Namita was not there.”
