The first novel of the popular and widely loved author Ruskin Bond was gifted to me by a book lover friend in those days when I still used to read books. My tastes in things of beauty have deteriorated over the past several years enough that I have not touched a book worth recommending for a long long time. Goaded by my husband, I decided to finish reading the hard copy books I have lying around in my room which I have not read yet. Starting with an easy read ‘The A B C murders’ by Agatha Christie (my first Agatha Christie read), I jumped to Ruskin Bond. The Room on the Roof was the third book I read, followed by Maharani- again authored by Ruskin Bond.
I had read translated works of Bond as a child in Odia. They drip innocence, purity, and smack of adventure in way sedate pace like the sway of a boat in the ocean. Often his narratives are descriptive and the stories are not gripping. They are supposed to be read on hammocks and not by staying up all night because you can’t put it down.
This book was written when Ruskin Bond was barely an adult. Despite the abruptness in some passages, I acutely connected with Rusty’s loneliness. There were no remarkable quotes that will stay with me for a long time to come nor were there any extraordinary event. But the vision of loneliness was vivid throughout. Even when Rusty had friends he did not belong. He was always drifting from people to people, in search of home and love. I was quite surprised the book ended without Rusty going to England while in reality Ruskin Bond did move to England.
Ahlawat Gunjan’s illustrations were beautiful in this edition of the hard cover book I have. The careless, leisurely yet beautiful but not too detailed illustrations aptly tell the story of the timeless summer days that Rusty spent in the room on the roof, idle and pensive.
While Ruskin Bond is well loved, I have to move on to more engaging books which challenges my thoughts. Sometimes the book and I are not on the same page and mood. In Goodreads I decided to give it 3/5. Others have given it a much better rating i.e. 4.11/5. Maybe once my tastes improve I will also find those hidden emotions which should have moved me but not yet.
