Customer Reviews

Tokyo Cancelled

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is one of the most well written, captivating and creative collection of short stories that I have read in a long time. There are so many different plots and twists and turns to each story that one wonders how Dasgupta was able to imagine it all. I very much enjoyed the fact that each story is set in a different city across five continents. For the places that I knew, I really got the feeling that Dasgupta had a good grasp of the cultures he was writing about.

I would definitely recommend reading this book, especially if one enjoys foreign settings and a certain magical atmosphere.

A modern-day "Arabian Nights" for the next generation. Some of the stories in here are downright odd, but they're all enjoyable and perfect for late-night reading.

This book was not what I expected, and after finishing it, I still do not know what to think. The premise is what made me initially interested: a group of 13 strangers are stranded in the airport in Tokyo for the night and decide to pass the time by telling stories. Sounds interesting, right? I thought that the stories would be global and realistic stories about people and life. I was wrong. The stories are certainly global, and the author describes beautifully each city in the book with intimate knowledge, but the collection of stories are more like fairy tales and fantasies. I did not fully understand many of the stories, but the book kept me reading nonetheless. Overall, it was not a bad book, just different. The author writes well, and for the imaginative, this may be a great book. I just think that I would have liked similar stories about life told without the fantasy better.

Like another reader, I picked this up thinking the idea was an interesting slant on a theme of short stories. I was expecting something connecting the stranded passengers but I really did fall into the magical realism we're used to finding from writers like Isabel Allende et al. Actually none of the stories relate to each other (excepting some references in the last story to earlier incidents) though they all demonstrate the writer's knowledge of capital cities and some astude references to current global affairs (eg, the economic crisis in Argentina). I loved the unrealistic side of the tales, the exploration of the depth of the human mind and the concept of dreams as reality. Its refreshing to read such an International book (meaning, you really couldn't tell where the author is from by just reading the stories). I believe this is Rana Dasgupta's first book and I really have to give him credit for his incredible style and the enormous amound of research that went into the work. If I was to find one fault (and this is the only one) and while I really enjoy the style of writing and the great idea of using stranded/bored passengers to share their stories...........they all had the same style and they all used the same bizarre magical reality throughout. Some more individualism (ie, a different storytelling style) might have added to the authenticity of the situation.........The odds of finding 13 excellent storytellers on a stranded flight seems a little too incredulous! All in all, however, this was an excellent Summer read and I thoroughly recommend picking it up soon.

I rcvd my copy of Tokyo Cancelled, and started to read it the very same day. Frankly, I thought it may be a bit too high brow for me. The reviews were very "literary".

To my pleasant surprise, it is more accessible than I expected. There are 13 short stories of varying styles. The stories are told by travelers stranded in the Tokyo airport (hence the title). They are told in various forms: fables, modern tales, a sectioned/outline format, and set in modern and fanciful times. Be prepared to suspend reality. This is one of those books that can be read on many levels. I enjoyed the stories in and of themselves, but also enjoyed thinking about them afterward. I plan to read the book again. I suspect I will get more out of it on the second reading.

Dasgupta has an interesting writing style. I was often amused, occassionally embarrassed or surprised, sometimes sad or even bemused... overall a very interesting book. I still don't "get" the Frankfurt Mapmaker story, but I enjoyed it. Hmmm...I'll surely read it again. The Billionaire's Sheep was powerful - it made me think. I don't want to give anything away here - please forgive my generalizations.

This book is not of the IWE (Indians Writing in English) genre, though the writer has a good command of India. This is not Lahiri, Mistry or any other Indian writer - so don't expect that kind of novel. (Though I have enjoyed Lahiri and Mistry.)Dasgupta has his own voice. I plan on recommending this to a few friends who I think would appreciate this unique book.

I found the first story interesting....absurdist fantasy but then the next story was the same genre as was the next etc. etc. The two stars are for the use of language but the stories (do not equate it with the Canterbury Tales even though the dust jacket does) seem to pick something absurd, do something absurd with it and leave with an incomprehensible ending. That's fine in small doses but it doesn't add much to understanding characters or life in general. The "plot" device of 13 people stranded in an airport could have been something interesting but there is only one of the passengers who is given any identity at all so, an interesting situation is wasted and we know nothing of the people who are telling these stories. That would have added an interesting dimension.. Read one story from it and then go on to something else.

It's probably too easy to just say Canterbury Tales setup (travelers telling their tales to each other, very different voices) with absurdist tales (Eugene Ionesco would be proud). There's more attention to the inherent absurdity of the setup than the Canterbury Tales or Arabian Nights would allow; a 747, a snowstorm, a baggage claim area, children of the stars, and consumerist culture. It's a fun, experimental book worth reading if you have tolerance for postmodern fables. Or a weakness for baggage claim story groups...

This book could have been great, in my opinion, but it wasn't.

The book is meant to echo The Canterbury Tales, but doesn't. In fact, it would be blasphemous to mention the two in the same breath. The book's concept is great-- 13 strangers are stranded at an airport and each has a story to tell, but it wasn't handled adequately. Each story is creative, no doubt, and imaginitive, but at the same time many are familiar. Others are grotesque. The voice doesn't change at all throughout the book. The only somewhat interesting thing the reader can notice is the different locations in which Dasgupta sets the stories, other than that, the book becomes remarkably dull. It's almost impossible to read in one sitting as the style becomes repetitive.

The actual writing is good at times, the descriptions in particular are a treat, however Dasgupta at times inserts a "twist" into a story that seems completely ineffective and juvenile. Such as the image of the grim reaper in the middle of the short story: The Memory Editor (the image is meant to symbolize the main character's paranoia, I suppose, but is useless and sudden, and the "twist" ends abruptly with the main character realizing it's Halloween.)

The last thing about this book is the background story. I mentioned before that it should not be compared to The Canterbury Tales, and I'll state it again. The stories are meant to have been told by some unnamed member of the 13, however, several stories are not formatted to be told verbally, which is why I thought the background story should've been eliminated completely. For example, in The Billionare's Sleep, there is a string of dialogue involving the billionaire, his wife, a customer, and a telecom operator. Without any breaks between quotes, the dialogue becomes jumbled to the reader, and most be even more difficult to understand if heard out loud.

Overall the stories seemed rushed, with no specific thought put into how they would come together, and although descriptive and at times creative, the book leaves much to be desired. Overall quite a big disappointment.

As a kid I grew up on Brothers Grimm and Aesop's fables, and never quite got over them. But as an adult I do want something more modern. Basically if the fairy tale had been invented today, and all the sex and murder left in it, I think it would have come out like this. It's really one of the most amazing books of short stories I have ever read.

I read this book over 2 years ago and it is still under my skin. It reminds me of the Arabian Nights (1001 Tales) in terms of form. Very astute and interesting, especially the way that the stranded airport passengers' stories relate to one another, all under the umbrella of a framing story. Smart, witty, strange and entertaining. Good stuff!