Book Review: The Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories by Ruskin Bond (originally posted on IndiaBookStore)

  Book - The Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories by Ruskin Bond
Published - October 1989, Penguin Books
Rating- 4/5

After a marathon of reading heavy books (by heavy I mean the ‘theme’ and not the weight/length) and a barrage of unpleasant news thrown at me via newspapers and television, I wanted to read something simple. Not light or funny necessarily, but ‘Simple’ that is devoid of any complex twist and turns. And Ruskin Bond’s The Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories did the trick for me. 

It took me back to my school days, when each year I would eagerly look forward to read stories in my English textbook. (Many of Ruskin Bond’s short stories were part of English syllabus in Indian schools like The Cherry Tree, The Boy Who Broke The Bank etc.)

The review was originally posted on IndiaBookStore on 3rd November, 2013.
 
Excerpt from my review- 

'Heavy with subtle longing for golden years gone by, which were unadulterated with toxicity, Bond paints a beautiful picture in the mind of the readers through this book. By his own admission, you would find influences from his own experiences, as well as those of the people he met on his life’s journey, in the stories. Which is why, the book is an amalgamation of fiction and autobiography, just like most of his other books.


The central theme of all the stories in Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories is ‘Love’ in some shape, size or form. To name a few, he touches upon love for one’s hometown & the yearning for childhood in ‘When You Can’t Climb The Tree Anymore’, ‘My Father’s Trees In Dehra’, and ‘The Coral Tree.’  We get a glimpse at Bond’s love for writing and the struggle that followed in, ‘Bus Stop, Pipalnagar.’  He explored the instant connection and love at times we feel for some strangers you meet on long journeys in, ‘The Woman on Platform’, ‘The Night Train at Deoli’, and ‘The Eyes have it.’  Not to forget, his tribute to sweet-bitter pain of unrequited love in, ‘Love is a sad song’, ‘A Love Long Ago’ will surely strike a chord.' 

Read my full review of The Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories by Ruskin Bond here on IndiaBookStore.