So, here comes a book that is something of a departure from others of its genre. This is a straight-up travelogue, one that falls back on tried and trusted tropes of travel writing: have a great place to go to; tell of that visit in an interesting manner; leave the reader with all sorts of good feelings.
However, in an age where travel stories are invariably chronicles of much derring-do or trips with a twist, Handle with Care reads like a collection of tales where the focus is more on the fit between the traveller and the place, rather than the adventurous or disastrous stuff. The simple trajectory of the book takes a little getting used to but is worth staying the course for.
It is also a child-friendly book. Sen-Handley and husband travel with their kids, and she talks about what keeps their young travellers engaged or bored out of their minds. The opening chapters on Pujo-trawling in Kolkata and doing a Dino Snores sleepover at the Natural History Museum, London, and the one detailing a trip to Disneyland, Paris, tread a bland line with fairly routine descriptions of the places visited, things experienced, with a lot of airtime given over to musings on travelling with children. And after the family acquires a dog, the trips turn pet-friendly, too.
Some chapters in though, it’s like the author starts to express herself in quite another voice. If the kids (and dog) are mentioned, they don’t take over the tale––poignant sentences that reveal something of her past and quite a bit of her current state of mind appear, all dovetailing with the beauties of the places she visits. Some passages seem to be cathartic in nature.
Sen-Handley’s arc is a wide one, encompassing a lot: places like Whitby, Nainital, NYC, Amsterdam; the constant “unserenity” of things and people; communing with critters in museums and out on the streets; tongue-in-cheek tips on how to choose a correct trip fella; bridge- spotting in London town, and more. The author is chasing a sunshine trap most of the time, and most of the time, she finds one too.
In his blurb for the book, Ruskin Bond mentions the author’s attention to detail. This reviewer seconds the sentiment. Then again, some chapters are banal, and the references to first and second spouses are a wee bit tiresome. For my money, the chapter titled ‘England and Wales: The Game is Afoot’, was the best read.
This is old- fashioned travel writing before travel writing turned quirky. Hardnosed hedonist or even reckless adventurer Sen-Handley is not, an engaging travel writer she certainly is.
Handle with Care Travels With My Family (To Say Nothing of the Dog)
By: Shreya Sen-Handley
Publisher: HarperCollins Books
Pages: 259
Price: `399