If you like fiction, you'll love these books by Goan authors
Gomantak Times
Apart from a surge in emotions, storytelling is an art that is excellent in building bonds. Tourist destinations have many stories attached to them that linger in the minds of people long after their travels are over. Goa attracts hordes of tourists and there’s an abundance of structures here that attract people. But, the stories don’t end there.
Here are five books written by people who carry forward the art of storytelling through their books.
1. THE ELFIN PYRAMID (2019) by Penny Fernandes
An inspiration that Penny Fernandes had, during her travels to Cairo, culminated with a book of fantasy for young adults. Available on popular e-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart, this work revolves around elves that live in a pyramid in Egypt.
Apart from being the author of The Elfin Pyramid, Penny, who is from Margao, also has a blog called ‘globetrove.com’ in which she highlights her adventures to diverse locations across Europe, Africa and Asia. A multi-faceted personality who completed her MSc in Cardiovascular Thoracic Nursing, Penny had taken a break from nursing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to travel and write about it on her blog.
PRICE: ₹ 350
BUY IT FROM: Amazon, flipkart
2. IN THE REALM OF THE UNKNOWN (2021) by Girish Shirodkar
Venturing into the genre of Gothic fiction, this book comprises short stories, filled with doses of suspense, and twists in each tale.
As a child, Girish Shirodkar, from Pernem, was so fond of listening to stories that morsels of rice would enter his mouth only when his mother told him at least two stories! As a result of this routine, he was well-versed with the world of fables before enrolling for school, and had a preference for the genre of horror, among others.
As a teenager, he was fascinated with the tales of horror and macabre by Edgar Alan Poe, HP Lovecraft, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Suhas Shirvalker (a Marathi language writer).
Incidents such as checking out the ruins of a house, stumbling across a deserted house with an adjoining well set this author into action. Five stories mentioned in the book have ties with the Goa Engineering College, the college from where the author graduated.
PRICE: ₹ 120
BUY IT FROM: Amazon
3. MIGUEL (2021) by Frederika Menezes
A piece of fiction revolving around friendship, love and life is the latest contribution of Panjim-based Frederika Menezes to the world of Literature. Her previous achievements include Stories in Rhyme (a book of verse for children which was launched on May 29, 2014 and is available on goa1556.in); Unforgettable (a novella about the protagonist battling with demons, both, internal as well as external, as he seeks to find his muse; The Pepperns and Wars of the Mind (published in 2003, this book revolves around how humour and a smile can be leveraged to counter the waves of negativity). Apart from these, she released The Portrait in 1998, which is a collection of poems written by her.
She doesn’t let cerebral palsy prevent her from exploring her creativity. Her poem, The Different Normals, features in the textbook of Class XI of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.
PRICE: ₹ 250
BUY IT FROM: goa1556.in
4. FRIED COCKROACHES (2019) by Vikram D’Silva
A blend of humour, plots that excite and rhyme, that remain with the reader are some of the techniques through which Dona Paula-based Vikram D’Silva strives to captivate the minds of his audience.
Having authored a book of short stories and poems when he was just 13, he aims to showcase his passion for snakes through his second book, and generate awareness regarding snakes, telling readers that not all snakes are dangerous, and teaching readers to differentiate between the venomous and non-venomous ones.
The proceeds from the sale of his first book go towards supporting the noble cause of the National Association of the Blind (NAB) in Goa. The book is available on vikramdsilva.in.
Apart from being an author, he also likes to photograph reptiles, amphibians and wildlife.
PRICE: ₹ 500
BUY IT FROM: vikramdsilva.in
5. KELPWOOD: TOWN OF AN INNOCENT KILLER (2021) by Neha Kolambhkar
A murder mystery, that has touches of romance, will suffice to create a rush of emotions! This was probably running through the mind of Neha Kolambhkar, from St Cruz, whose pen name is ‘Neha Kol’. This book was born as a source of solace from the hectic schedules of a student who had chosen to pursue science during her higher secondary studies. As she was working on a project with her friend during college, she began getting inspiration for the title of her book; she derived ‘Kelps’ from a form of seaweed and added ‘wood’ to it.
From the two words, she crafted a fiction town near California, despite never having been to the United States. Due to this, she had to conduct extensive research on the culture and climatic conditions of California. Though it is a fictional town, it is a blend of two worlds, the one imagined by the author, and influential people in her life. This book is available on portals like Amazon, Flipkart and notionpress.
PRICE: ₹ 258
BUY IT FROM: Amazon, Flipkart & notionpress.com