Nani's Book of Suicides
A first novel of rare scope and power, Nani's Book of Suicides explores the cultural identity of an Indian woman through the tapestry of myths, family and family-lore….to constitute a treasure-trove of tales as colourful and vivid as Sammie's "myriad-minded" Nani herself."
"Singh employs the black thread of magic to weave a multi-hued magic carpet of emerald and gold, of red and black."
-- The Hindustan Times
If there is one word that best describes Sunny Singh's debut novel Nani's Book of Suicides it is haunting. For its images - surreal, borderline bizarre, even phantasmagoric - remain etched in your memory long after you have turned the last page, rising like eerie spectres from forgotten recesses of the mind when least expected….Using the flashback technique effectively, the author effortlessly switches from adult experience to childhood memory….by its unique content and unusual style, Sunny Singh reveals a rare imagination and potential creativity…
--- Deccan Herald
"These stories…blend together within the pages of Sunny Singh's first novel and tell a haunting tale."
"Sunny Singh has delivered language that is memorable. Her words seem to flow effortlessly…There is a poignancy in her words that reaches out to the reader and draws one into the celestial worlds of the protagonists."
"A good first attempt, Sunny Singh impresses you with her language…The novel has a certain nightmarish quality which makes it a heavy read, but an interesting one that leaves you wanting for more."
-- The Sunday Observer
"Nani's Book of Suicides is perhaps the first novel this reviewer has read which stands Indian myths and folklore on their head, drawing a thread through them, evolving a feminist fable….The ideal thing is to read the book at a stretch…The idea is good and the books reads well for a first novel…After one has finished reading it, one remembers it as a series of images of women flitting around, some sharp, some blurred, some from the past, others very much in the present."
-- Business Standard
"Sunny Singh makes certain you don't lie back and enjoy, but sit at the edge of the chair gnawing your nails to the quick as you hypnotically turn the pages…This angst-ridden book is strangely moving…It cuts too close for comfort. Remember to laugh off Sunny Singh's spell and the eerie feeling that someone has just written a part of your life. It's just a book after all, not magic."
-- Indian Review of Books
"Sunny Singh's first novel is an ambitious undertaking that she delivers with rich details and an engrossing story…Her style of writing is filled with passion and vigour; her words leap out at you, filled to the brim with tangible emotions. Sunny Singh manages to lure you into the story and then take you on this hallucinogenic trip - filled with destinations unknown… For a first-time novelist, this is an enchanting story told eloquently."
---www.mazaamedia.com