Khali Jagah

Geetanjali Shrees novel, Khali Jagah, creates a unique play of language with sensitivity and insight. In this novel, the author allows fragments of narrative to explode, repeatedly piercing claims of truth. The core element of Khali Jagah is the violence that permeates our everyday lives. The bomb is its central metaphor, shattering lives. A bomb explodes in a supposedly safe caf at an unnamed university in an unnamed cityand the story of Khali Jagah begins with the identification of nineteen people. The nineteenth person is identified by a motherher eighteen-year-old son reduced to ashes. This same mother brings, along with the remains of her son, a three-year-old child who, somehow, has survived unscathed in a tiny empty space... The balance that Geetanjali Shree creates between objective and subjective reality defies clear, logical order. She doesnt interfere with an authorial statement. The characters emotions, thoughts, and actions unfold chaotically, stifled, sometimes solid, sometimes entangled in a mixture of strong hope and bewilderment. Asking, Is this life, is this its color and form, is this the way its meant to be? Khali Jagah is a testament to Geetanjali Shrees writing prowess. She captures a life built on the inseparability of imagination and reality, and Khali Jagah leaves a lasting impact on readers.