Eami Mathew

Costume of the Dead and Other Stories Eami Mathew

Indian scenario exposes a vast unfamiliar lifestyle before non-Indian readers. This is imbibed from a mixed culture, different languages, strange mannerisms and food habits, foreign Gods, local festivals, superstitions and advanced technologies. India has become a land of puzzles to outsiders. Yet, this is something worthwhile to look at, says the author through her stories. Each story in "Costume Of the Dead and Other Stories" is a memoir to a simple person she met with in the distant past or in the recent present. The characters drawn straight from life have outgrown in size and shape as the story proceeds. They establish their place in humanity by sharing the basic human emotions with their fellow beings. Each story stands either as a window opened to the reader to peep in or a door kept ajar to enter inside, if curious. The persistent diversity of stories makes them unique: the simplicity of narration makes them admiring; the emotional bondage between beloved ones makes them all the more lovable.