Simsim: Longlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature 2023 Hardcover – 6 February 2023

First things first, Geet Chaturvedi’s novel is so much more beautiful in English!This is his first novel in English and it is great! Kudos to Anita Gopalan for her exquisite translation! She has made music. My jaw drops every time I read the fine sensitive portrayals of Mangan’s Ma and I’s mother. No wonder she won a PEN/Heim award.Yes, the book is a serious read. It pulls at your heartstrings. It grows on you. I loved the narrative-voice shift from humans to objects. Look at the old philosophising book cover lines- how insightful! We all can identify with this-That outline had been of a desire, not the desired: a beguiling illusion he was drawn to, which he had drawn himself. It was like imagining a story based on a portrait—the analytical picture game that we play as children—a charming image not enough to be reduced to merely one story but many different ones as his imagination pleased.The poems merging in the prose are outstanding. Look at this-Hot with deceit, foreheadsthat furl on my name,swathe them cool, dear Jhulelal!My book is heavily underlined. Posting a small sample in pictures. The content, the language, the music, everything is outstanding. The cover is very attractive.A story that needs to be read, talked about and celebrated.

“We keep making, we keep breaking, we keep drawing, we keep erasing, that we are own lamps, we keep lighting, we keep annihilating.” If I’d to describe Simsim briefly I’d say these lines quoted from the book describe it to perfection. Simsim by Geet Chaturvedi is a book of pain and reminiscence. It’s characters delve in a reality that differs from what the world currently offers to them. Reliving a melancholic and painful past that leaves no hope but simply memories. A life of waiting. Basar Mal, Mangan’s Ma, the young lad fascinated by the girl waiting at the yellow window or the books in Basar Mal’s library each have lived a life in waiting and longing for lost love and home. The book plays on memory and imagination that create an addiction to this grief. Explicit yet subtly, the reader discovers the trauma of the Sindhi Hindus who were left homeless with no inch of land to claim as their own, to begin life as refugees and migrants. I’ve never come across such spectacular penmanship where pain demands it’s rightful presence so compulsively by adjusting to the mundane and unfortunate reality. This book is so much more than one can think of, a beauty to be savoured slowly. Verdict: Don’t miss this elegant writing!

I found Simsim a deeply stirring book, unique in its own ways, rich, honest and complete in its so-called incompleteness.The author Geet Chaturvedi approaches the realms of writing, language, history, and identity with impassioned fervor, the result is a brilliant, digressive, and yet cohesive narrative, where each sentence brims with subtly beautiful wisdom.The translator Anita Gopalan’s superior translation is seamless, electric and astonishing, and deserves tremendous accolades for the success of the work in English.

"Simsim" is a profound book of memories, a deeply moving exploration of the Sindhi Hindu tragedy, a story I've never encountered in Hindi or English with such raw emotional power. Geet Chaturvedi's artistry is undeniable; his sensitivity and erudition shine through every page.Basar Mal Purushwani's character resonated deeply with me. The scene where books dance hand-in-hand in the library is a testament to Geet ji's extraordinary imagination.This book is a masterpiece, and Geet ji deserves all the praise being given to him. The translation is also exceptionally well-executed, preserving the book's emotional core.

A pleasure to read the translated version of the book. A beautiful sad story told in a unique way. The English is brilliant. From the opening chapter's all rivers fall into the ocean to the breathtaking Partition riot scenes to the Nariman Point scene, the language reaches new heights. I love the insightful translator's note.There are very beautiful sentences throughout-Where together should be, is opposite. Where for you should be, is against you. Where healing should be, is suppurate. ..A literary work that is to be savored slowly again and again and cherished.

I read this breathtaking novel because of its JCB Prize for Fiction Longlist– it rightly deserves all the accolades and more. Basar Mal, I, Book Cover. Mangan’s Ma, all of them entice us, entrenching us deep into the story. And only one thing struck me as I finished reading- What a masterpiece this is!Written by Geet Chaturvedi, it is the most unique, captivating, superb, sublime creation by the author. One of his very best.And the translator Anita Gopalan should get the award for producing one of the finest translations. So impressive is the translation, an absolutely majestic rendition, that it ‘makes’ this book.

Geet Chaturvedi is a wonderful writer. I have enjoyed this book immensely. Emotional.... as well as intellectual.... gritty and provocative...