Book Review: Small is Big- by Rafaa Dalvi

Small is Big- by Rafaa Dalvi

Brevity is the soul of wit, said Shakespeare; it is the sister of talent, said Chekhov.

Writing flash fiction is challenging as well as deeply satisfying. I have loved all varieties of micro-fiction- as a reader as well as a writer.

Micro-tales compel you to stay focused on your story and to find creative ways of telling it without redundant words. They are also for those who have a powerful command over their vocabulary. Just as a skilled juggler can make the balls dance to his tunes effortlessly, so also can a skilled writer of micro-tales lightly toss words in air and have them create the exact nuance he wanted to put together.

Rafaa Dalvi has made me fall deeper in love with flash fiction. His skill at turning a phrase coincides so perfectly with a twist in the tale that you gasp in delight. For a reader, there is nothing more delicious than to have the writer toss you in the air with an expert and light hand, so that you feel the wind in your hair as you come floating down from the height to which he pitched you.

It wouldn’t be easy for me to choose from this superb collection of micro-tales. Each story is a delight to savor. Each perfectly chiselled story reflects the author’s sombre hued spaces where these stories are born. The stories often hit you over the head with unsavory home truths concealed cleverly in the fold of their words.

If I could suggest an improvement to the author, it would only be to include a large percentage of humor in his next collection. But of course, that is a personal preference. I do feel, however, that the author possesses a fine sense of the ridiculous which has not had enough expression in the present volume.

My rating for the book is 4.5/5.0.

Read the some of my other Book Reviews.

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Disclaimer: Thanks to the author for a review copy of the book in lieu of an honest review. I was not paid or otherwise compensated in any way for this review.

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SMALL IS BIG:

A Collection of 100 Micro Tales

Rafaa Dalvi

Blurb

Have you always wanted to read more, but you could never finish that one book?

You kept putting it off, hoping you would find some free time, only to find out that months or even years went by and you saw little progress.

That’s about to change!

With Small is Big, Rafaa Dalvi has created a potpourri of 100 diverse micro tales (140 characters or less) that will provide you a rich experience in easy-to-digest fragments and urge you to read one page after another before you finally finish the book.

And the best part is that there’s a story for everyone, including YOU!

If you’re a romantic at heart, this micro tale is for you-

She kissed his cheek as he smiled back. Nothing had changed much since two decades.

Her husband called her.

She hid the photo in the closet.

If you love happy endings, this micro tale is for you-

You rested on my lap, opened yourself before me and shared your fantasies with me.

Then the stories ended and you turned back into a book.

If you are a big fan of word play, this micro tale is for you-

They’re lying in bed.

“You’re the one,” he says; he’s lying.

“I never doubted it,” she says; she’s lying.

They’re lying in bed.

And if you like thrillers, this micro tale is for you-

There were two of us and one vacant position.

He would die for this job and I would kill for it.

No wonder it worked out just fine for me.

In fact, there are 100 such small tales that will have a big impact on you.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk

About the author

Rafaa Dalvi, 26, is a vibrant mess of innumerable thoughts, quotes and movie dialogues who tries to escape from the mundane with words. He dreams about changing the world, one smile at a time. When he’s not busy befriending the voices in his head, he can be found in cosy corners, sipping green tea from a wine glass. As for everything else in between, there is food.

An alumnus of NMIMS Mumbai, he wants to be a versatile writer following in the footsteps of his role models Michael Crichton, Charles Dickens and Roald Dahl.

Already published numerous times, his stories can be read in the anthologies – Curtain Call (editor), Terribly Tiny Tales Volume 1, Kaleidoscope, Myriad Tales and Her Story. His first solo book ‘Small is Big’ is a collection of 100 micro tales. He’s the recipient of Indian Bloggers League Booker Prize 2013, the winner of Melonade 5 and a Select Writer at Terribly Tiny Tales.