Novel Karma

[Trine Gritz]

Karmais a 2014 novel written by Karanam Pavan Prasad. Karma is a contemporary novel dealing with inner conflicts such as identity, faith with respect to the ritual orthodoxy and customs of the society. The novel thoroughly narrated the difference between Faith and Belief in such a way that each and every character, including the protagonist of the novel get penetrated by that derivation. Details documented about the Hindu death rituals within the story-line are absolute novel writing technique adopted by the writer. The Novel got an immense response from the literature world. Within the year of its release Novel went on with third edition and reached worldwide Kannada readers.[1][2]

Threads that spiral throughout the trilogy, such as weak versus strong, good versus evil, how power can turn heroes into villains and how heroes may not need superpowers build to a breath-taking crescendo. (The Renegades trilogy in the Weekend Australian, 2019)

Romance, friendship, humour, music, marine life and mystery are consummately structured to create a highly satisfying read. You will leave this book with, not only a contented sigh, but an understanding of how to better appreciate and care for our world.

Instant Karma is a light-hearted read about a teen girl, Prudence, who magically develops the ability to exact instant karma on those around her. However, her power always backfires when she tries to use it against her lab partner and mortal enemy, Quint Erickson. Over the course of a summer, Pru and Quint both find themselves volunteering at a sea animal rescue center, where sparks fly, adorable sea lions are saved, and Prudence is forced to confront some tough realities about herself and those around her.

Haha, she is so bossy and uptight! But much as I hate to admit, Prudence has a lot of me in her, especially Teen Me, and watching her grow and change over the course of the story really mirrored a lot of realizations that I recall having years ago. As humans, we are all constantly learning and reacting to the world around us, and hopefully we become wiser and kinder over time. Prudence, despite all her faults, is ultimately able to change for the better, and I loved being able to write a protagonist with such an encouraging character arc.

My intention was never for the book to read as an environmentalist manifesto, but I do believe there are some relatively simple measures we can all be taking to make a huge difference in the way we treat this planet, so I hope that some readers might be inspired in that way.

There are a number of scenes that work together to slowly change how Prudence feels about the local beaches and wildlife, but I think the biggest one is when she and Quint go snorkeling and she sees up close the reality of this beautiful ecosystem, full of fish and sea turtles and kelp forests and seals. Seeing something firsthand has a tendency to leave a much bigger impression than any amount of textbook reading could ever do.

A quote from Prudence is an inspiring way to leave our conversation. Her words are an insightful reminder to protect and conserve our natural world. They also show some of the positive emotional benefit that comes from thoughtful environmental action:

One of the first things I learned in my Buddism/Hinduism studies this year is that Westerners have a twisted perception of karma. Karma is more like spiritual thermodynamics: Every action, intent and deed a person does has an effect on their future. That future might happen now, or a lifetime from now, so it's really just better all around to stay on the side of good. Karma is not, as many have come to know it, a punishment or reward by an external force.

Prudence, a graduating sophomore at Fortuna Beach High, finds herself with the powers to exact such justice after performing a rousing karaoke version of John Lennon's "Instant Karma" and promptly getting knocked right on the head. She starts small, using her powers to give offenders their just deserts with a punishment comparable to the severity of the crime. What she would really love to do is get back at Quint Erickson, the boy in her class who tanked their last team assignment in marine biology. Pru is a stickler for both time and project management, and she can't bear to think that this less-than-perfect grade will mar her record. So she investigates this sea animal rescue center he seems to be obsessed with. Turns out, the center wasn't just made up on paper; Quint works there with his mom, Rosa, the owner.

In the meantime, the sea animal rescue center is in desperate need of a social media makeover and a boost in local visibility. As this was Pru's strength on their lackluster presentation, she takes the reins. She reinvigorates the rescue center's brand with a massive beach clean-up party that culminates with a rehabilitated wildlife release.

While Pru learns about otters and sea lions, her supernatural powers hammer home the lesson that with great power comes great responsibility. Sure, she can deal out punishment and rewards as she sees fit, but how can she decide what's fair in a complex situation when she can see right on all sides? Is all this justice ultimately coincidence or fate? How much free will do we really have? And why on earth isn't any of this working on Quint the way it should be?

According to Buddhist theology, the world is suffering through a final corrupt era called mapp. As mapp continues, chaos will increase until the center can no longer hold. Then the world will end. In Japan, many believe that Miroku, Buddha of the Future, will appear and bring about a new age of enlightenment.

In this novel, one Buddhist priest struggles with the dictates of his inherited orthodoxy, while another rebels. An American graduate student begins to suspect the mysterious purpose of the hidden buddhas, just as he falls in love with a beautiful Japanese artist who is haunted by an aborted child. The weaving of karma that brings these two together results in a tech-savvy half-Western, half-Japanese child who text-messages her way through the profane world to enlightenment.

Tracing the lives of its characters through the late twentieth century to the present, from Paris to Kyoto to California, Hidden Buddhas turns a cosmopolitan eye on discipline and decadence in religion, fashion, politics, and modern life.

Almost two years ago to the day I posted my review of Howard Shapiro's The Hockey Saint, the second installment of a three part series. November 1st will mark the release of the third and final installment, Hockey Karma. Let's talk about it, and rest assured, as was the case last time, this post is not a paid sponsorship or advertisement.

I should point out that what I perceive as the target audience for this novel is quite a bit younger than who typically visits this site. It definitely has a "Young Adult" fiction vibe. That's not particularly uncommon with many graphic novels however (nor is it a bad thing), and Shapiro's work was enjoyable and worth the read (but don't expect the type of crass, adult humor you find on Battle of California).

The Hockey Saint did well as a stand-alone comic without necessitating the backstory one would pickup from reading the first installment in the series, but I'd say one would benefit from having read Saint before Hockey Karma. The relationships in Karma are better experienced from the history put forth in Saint. As pointed out above, we've jumped 10 years ahead from the previous installment, and we're looking at a new set of relationship, professional, and personal problems.

Some are a bit familiar, as hockey star Jake Jacobson trades in the alcoholism from the previous book for a painkiller addiction in the new installment, but we also experience new twists and turns as Tom Leonard, all grown up now, battles with his connections to his past and the struggle to move forward (a struggle mirrored by Jacobson as he comes to terms with a playing career that's winding down).

Chronic overachiever Prudence Barnett is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy. Soon, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed . . . love and hate.

Instant Karma was different. I think my problem was that I went into this contemporary with the same high expectations that I had from her collection of sci-fi and fantasy novels. Contemporaries are written differently, and that was apparent here. Her writing was definitely stripped down for this book, which at first threw me off. But, once I got past that and recognized that this story was just supposed to be a fun romance and stripped away those expectations from her previous books, I had a great time! To me, this story felt like a combination of The Last Song (without the sad, cancer storyline) and Again, but Better, both of which are favorites of mine.

I knew that earring/fundraiser drama would somehow come back to Pru, but it still stung to see that blow up in her face. Watching Quint and his mother turn against her and fire her from the aquarium, right after they realized their feelings for each other, was devastating, and it was written so well.

KARMA TWO by Colleen Hollis is a powerful introspective about the interconnectedness of the human experience. Check out what Melissa Suggitt has to say in her book review of this indie literary novel.

The reader follows AJ as he harnesses the power to connect with his highest self and harness his power of healing while balancing the karmic energy from past lifetimes in his family tree. It is incredibly difficult to bear witness to the pain and violation that he endured as a child and into his early adolescence. Hollis does not hold back in this descriptive narrative, and it is highly encouraged to heed the content warnings.

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