Customer Reviews

Arresting God in Kathmandu

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Congratulations to Samrat Upadhyay for the excellent work. As a native of Nepal, I have no doubt that this book has successfully portrayed the simple-yet-intricate, spiritual-yet-material, rustic-yet-urban and naive-yet-sophisticated life in Nepal. While some of the stories have unexpected endings (like that in O Henry stories), most of them are designed to radiate subtle messages from the very beginning, which is really the evidence of writer's artistry and control over the plot. With his flawless English, the writer has proudly stood in line with other native writers of English.

The suppression of libido under the guise of morality and duty, the recklessness of Nepali youth under the seize of alcohol and the male chauvinism as the core of hindu culture, this book serves the kaleidoscopic purpose not only to view and judge the Nepali society, but also to understand and wonder the complexity of human mind and the conditioning of social surroundings. And in this regard, this book has a universal message and can appeal to all those who desire to understand other fellow beings.

Samrat Upadhyay's Arresting God in Kathmandu is a book of 9 short stories chronicling life in Nepal, mostly in the capital of Kathmandu. A Nepali now living in the US and writing in English, Upadhyay's book wonderfully brings the sense and feel of Nepal to the reader in a very smooth and articulate manner-much smoother than one would imaging would result from a translation.

The book primarily focuses on relationships between men and women. I say relationship as most of the protagonists depicted are together via arranged marriage and it would not be accurate to call these "love" stories per se.

One of the best features of the novel is the fact it looks at this aspect of Nepali life from the viewpoint of a variety of social stations of Nepali society--from the famous to the forgotten-and does an admirable job of delineating how the dictates and mores of the society burden it's people at all levels and how some are able to avoid/mitigate those effects.

Unfortunately, this limited focus also leads to the major weakness of the book, a somewhat repetitive mantra effect-you feel you've been here before, perhaps one too many times. However, for the most part, the stories are well written and the characters sufficiently engaging that this is in fact a rather minor glitch in the over all context of things.

Nepal is currently a country in social and political upheaval-and hints of that turmoil are introduced fleetingly here and there throughout the text. I personally would have enjoyed a bit more development along those lines as, I suspect, I, like most Americans, are limited in their knowledge of Nepal to what I've read about Mt. Everest climbing expeditions, a topic never even hinted at I this text. For example, in The Cooking Poet we see quite clearly the poet leads a dual life-as an artist and as a political agitator. Non of the later is developed and one imagines it could have been and the inclusion would have greatly enhanced the book without taking away at all from it overall focus.

However, this is an excellent first effort and, hopefully, Upadhyay will broaden his focus and bring much more breadth of Nepali society to us in as entertaining a fashion as he has brought to the arranged marriage topic. I personally look forward to reading him again.

Having finished Samrat Upadhyay's, Arresting God in Kathmandu, I am listening to Patsy Cline and wishing his next book was already published. I was touched by Samrat Upadhyay's sensitivity and insight into a wide range of emotions from very different character perspectives. I read in an editorial review that if one is wanting an excursion into spirituality that they will be dissapointed. Not so. Samrat Upadhyay captures the true spirituality of everyday suffering and joy without forcing it on the reader. I look forward to Guru of Love in January.

really enjoyed this slim volume of short stories and can't wait to read his first novel. A gifted writer in the tradition of Rohinton Mistry and all the other wonderful and talented Indian writers --and now I have been somewhat exposed to Nepal's culture as well...I highly recommend this book

This collection of short stories explores the nature of desire and attraction in a changing society avoiding the excesses of many writers in this area. The stories are well-written and the characters are memorable. I look forward to reading his novel, and I highly recommend this collection.

I picked up this book because of the title (and thats the only purpose the title serves here). And shock does not end there. It grows with each story you read between those covers and then it wanes becoming almost predictable when you reach the last few stories.
But all said and done- This is a brilliant first effort by a young Nepalese author. Samrat Upadhyay delivers a very good read.
It gives the rare insight into the Nepalese community which although very much similar to India is uniquely different.
Highly recommended for everyone who would want to know Nepalese psyche a little better.

It's a great book that portrays the social reality of Nepal in a story form.

Congratulation to Samrat for the superb book that he has given to us. I look forward to reading more of his books. Good luck!

I love world literature and was hoping that I could get swept up in this book this summer. Unfortunately, I found it repetitive and a burden to finish. I got about halfway through and had to set it aside for a few weeks. As another review pointed out, the stories were approached with a similar voice that became tedious. For me, this was unbearable. I eventually finished the whole thing, but found myself counting the pages to the end.

I have worked with dozens of people from Nepal and know that they are very spiritual people and forms of God are present with them all times. The author gave me insight into how they were raised and how their society is changing but is still very traditional and interlaced in the old ways. Their dancing and festivals are wonderful right here on Saipan. I liked the book and the writing was strong and clear. In the stories, there are tenderness, love, confusion, anger, compassion, mercy, guilt, and all the other emotions and feelings that all humans experience in their lives. I have now added Kathmandu and the Himalayas to my travel list.

The first three stories (chapters) were very engaging and quite enjoyable. By the sixth and seventh story - though each was different - it felt too familiar. Not necessarily predictable, but too much the same as before. The final story switching to first-person was strange and jarring at first, but by the end of the book seemed to "work". The book is definitely entertaining and makes Kathmandu and other areas of Nepal "come alive" even for those of us who have never been there.