“The Eye Opener” by Indrajit Garai

Blurb

Three novellas, each about seventy pages, depicting the power of blind spots in transforming our lives. In this collection meet Franck, who has to align his desires with his needs; Nathan, who has to adjust to his constantly changing turf; and, Cedric, who has to open his eyes to reconstruct himself.

My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

Indrajit Garai’s books are indeed eye-openers, in my mind at least, and I really appreciated reading these thought-provoking little contemporaries.

The Alignment 
3.5 stars. I love how he kindly, seriously discusses life issues most of us try to ignore. Not being a businessperson, I didn’t quite get everything that was happening in this book, but I appreciated the talk of morals and ethics in business, on a global AND personal level; and also of contentment + aligning desires & needs… also stress. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, with Franck decision to cheat never being addressed even if he doesn’t follow through on it; but I appreciated how open-ended and hopeful it was.

The Changing Turf 
4 stars. This one was my favourite of the lot. The portrayal of “normal” North American society was striking from the eyes of a foreigner. Debt and homelessness were particularly discussed (and very well handled); but also domestic violence, suicide, and even abortion (love how it was handled from the father’s POV). I didn’t like Nathan’s wife and her actions (she was such a disappointment); but Nathan himself was pretty admirable, especially in his humility and confidence. Again, the ending was bittersweetly open-ended, but hopeful. 

The Eye Opener 
3.5 stars. By far the longest story in the book, this was the one I struggled most with, because its the most raw and saddening. Definitely a story to be told—just very heavy. I really appreciated seeing life from the side of a convict, especially from the POV of society’s perspective on him and the difficulty of having a good, clean life. I struggled with the anti-government, anti-LE, anti-societal rules attitude, even if I totally understand where it comes from and it’s not entirely wrong in some aspects. 

Overall, this book gave me A LOT to think about, both about myself and about the world. And as always, I love the French setting and the reflective writing style. 

Content: TA—divorce threatened or carried out (I forget!); nurse tries to seduce main character and he decides to cheat (nothing happens). TCT: Abortion (non condoned) + mention of MC’s body refusing his wife after she aborted their child; swearing (OM*). TEO: swearing; mention of s*xual matters; mention of police torturing + assaulting a minor; mention that God speaks in the MC’s head; parent-child struggles; drugs (hated by MC). Possibly more? I’ve forgotten. One of the stories mentions calling upon God, following it up with remarks about being ashamed to ask for His help. 

*Quotes to come. I received a complimentary copy of this book for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*

Purchase on Amazon
America | Canada

Add on Goodreads

Tags: 4-of-10-hearts, american-fiction-and-nonfiction, collection-of-stories-poems-etc, college-university-etc-books, coming-of-age-feels-books, contemporary-genre, current-affairs-genre, estranged-mistreating-family-trope, french-fiction-and-nonfiction, friendship-story-books, indie-author-self-published-books, law-enforcement-and-prison-books, new-adult-and-adult-genre, representation-of-vicissitudes, resisting-government, riches-to-rags-trope-books, romance-genre, secretarial-office-jobs-books, secular-books, secular-fiction-with-content, short-stories-or-novelettes, short-story-collections, slice-of-life-books, small-town-feels-books, standalones, summer-books, thought-provoking-books, well-done-characters-books, well-done-message-books.