The Five Dollar Smile: And Other Stories - Shashi Tharoor

 Written around 1978-1981, this book is a collection of his 14 short stories and a two act play. Most of them are written in his late teens and early twenties and are sparkling social satire and observations of life in India. Touching and funny, they project many social issues and display his high level of maturity and understanding. The foreword given at the beginning of each story is very insightful and  interesting.  Most of the stories end with a twisted tail. The best is the first one- 'The Five Dollar Smile'. The two act play is a hilarious metaphor on Indira Gandhi's Emergency. These works show a prolific writer in the making.


You are a great 'interlocutor', Mr.Tharoor...