I Am An Executioner

Subtitled Love Stories, the narratives to be found beyond the front cover are far from the expected, beginning with ‘The Infamous Bengal Ming’. In this first story of forbidden love, the narrator is a lovesick tiger whose attempts at affection have dire consequences. The stories that follow are equally surprising and inventive, including the story of a man who masquerades as a doctor and a friendly executioner. Amongst the most poignant is ‘Demons’ in which a husband lies dead on the living room floor and his wife blames herself.

 

As well as an eclectic array of stories Rajesh Paramesawaran delivers a myriad of writing styles - from the narrative written in the form of an agent report in a story about a spy, to the autobiography of an elephant in which the narrative of the elephant is underscored by the extensive footnotes of its human editor. The stories also transport the reader to different times and places - often with a focus on Indian-American contexts - but in the final story to the Planet Lucina AD 2319 for a story about the culture of the natives and their relationships with humans. 

 

I Am an Executioner is an eclectic and imaginative collection with an amazing cast of characters, stories and settings that challenges the concept of the love story. Paramesawaran proves to be an original and clever storyteller with stories that are sure to surprise and entrance.