"Half Gods" Is Half Baked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     The difference between a book like "The Tiger's Wife," by Tea Obreht, and "Half Gods," by Akil Kumarasamy is like cooking with fresh ingredients versus Bisquick.  One yields satisfying results, and one does not.

                                      I am afraid "Half Gods" is the Bisquick.  Both books are short stories strung together, but "Half Gods" is not strung together well; it is all over the place.  Siblings, India, Sri Lanka, war, parts of New Jersey, including two places known to me--the Raritan River and New Brunswick--should make for a compelling read.  But it does not, because, unfortunately, the author is not skilled enough to tie it all together.   Oh, she can write a sentence, but none of the sentences have any passion or make the reader care about the characters.  I could not wait for this book to end, and, had it been longer, I might not have finished.

                                     This is Akil Kumarasamy's first published work, and she came out of one of the writing programs--Iowa's, I think--so her writing is all about technique and not heart.  Without the latter, no matter how skilled the technique this is a sure way to lose the reader fast.

                                      "Half Gods" should have been a better book.  Someone should really have worked with the author on this one.  On the basis of this effort, I am not sure I want to risk a second work, even if a full length novel.

                                         This was an unsuccessful, disappointing book.

                                          Save yourselves the trouble of reading it, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!