Eunuch Park : fifteen stories of love and destruction

Palash Krishna Mehrotra writes about prostitutes; cross dressers; murderers; drug addicts; students and stalkers; portraying their perversions and vulnerabilities with equal insight; taking us deep into the dark and seamy soul of India. Set in the murky underbelly of big cities and small towns; slums and dotcoms; college hostels and rented rooms; Eunuch Park: Fifteen Stories of Love and Destruction is a collection like no other. Gritty; grim and depraved; these are candid vignettes of an India most of us are afraid to acknowledge. "A rare, audacious look at India's underbelly." TIME "Among the best stories I have read in a long time." AMIT CHAUDHURI "The most exciting South Asian debut in years."AAMER HUSSEIN "A brilliant first collection of short stories steeped in black humour explores masculinity and the changing face of urban india." NILANJANA ROY, BUSINESSWORLD "A stunning debut from an author in his early thirties." MANJULA PADMANABHAN, OUTLOOK "In an age where soppy teenage romances and household drama clutter bookshelves, Eunuch Park is a startlingly different read.The author has daringly picked subjects that Indian readers are usually wary of. However, the characters are skilfully dealt with, their emotions and passions drawn out,so that the reader is left empathizing with them, which can be a little unnerving. The experience can be disquieting,especially as Palash Mehrotra has not softened any blows." DECCAN HERALD "Reading the fifteen stories is like having a ringside view of a Formula One car race. Anything could happen here and it would be safest to expect the unexpected." OPEN "Lean. Taut. Edgy." MensXP.com "Each story peeps into bedrooms, throws aside a veil but most importantly lays bare our soul." THE HINDU "Mehrotra's characters are the modern descendents of Manto's colourful protagonists." TEHELKA "A rich, rewarding read from a debut writer with a formidable lineage who is only 34.Unusual, engaging, memorable."BUSINESSWORLD "A riveting account of men and manners...Pick it up."MID-DAY "The writing in Eunuch Park has an enviable economy." BIBLIO "These stunning stories entice us into the dark,wild, seedy corners of urban India. This world of drug addicts, cross dressers,prostitutes and other wayward creatures can shock, frighten or touch a raw nerve." BTW Magazine "Palash Mehrotra's heroes usually inhabit seedy,ugly environs, from boys' hostels to train bogeys, to dingy bars.Yet, even as they display an air of abject aimlessness, they appear not to resist any opportunity to experiment, when it comes to their own sexuality. Or drugs. Or violence." THE SUNDAY TRIBUNE EUNUCH PARK WAS SHORTLISTED FOR THE HINDU BEST FICTION AWARD 2010, AND THE SHAKTI BHATT FIRST BOOK PRIZE 2009 Dancing with men Fit of rage Pornography Eunuch Park Nobody wants to eat my mangoes Bloody and the friendship club Rubber band Okhla Basti The teacher's daughter Touch and go The nick of time The farewell The other evening The wrist Freshers' welcome.