Reading Room: The novella provides an immersive, time-bound experience: Gourav Rakshit

The book is a work of fiction which takes the reader on a journey through Krishna's most personal interactions with the four key women in his life - his beloved Radha, his friend Draupadi, his queen Rukmini and his wife Satyabhama. What intrigues me about this book is the irreverence with which Krishna's dalliances and naughtiness is represented, without trying to apologise for his patently un-God-like behaviour. His ability to juggle intimate relationships with four women with equanimity is intriguing in itself. The author's use of popular events in mythology provides the work with a veneer of plausibility, and makes for a thoroughly entertaining read.

I can't say whether I have a favourite genre! Rather I have a favourite style of writing. I'm a big fan of the novella, since it provides me with an immersive, time-bound experience similar to that of the cinema or the theatre. I surrender to the author and suspend disbelief or judgment, at the end, I'm either elated, hopping mad or just disappointed.

An all time personal favourite is "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway, which epitomises the craft of good storytelling. This short novel does an exceptional job of bringing to life an unusual cast of characters (including a wilful marlin) in a fishing village on the coast of Cuba.

I recently purchased "Bali and the Ocean of Milk" written by Nilanjan P Choudhary. Authors abound in too many flavours to restrict oneself to a few favourites, and so I'll call out one that most recently took my breath away – Khaled Hosseini.