I Am Me by Ram Sundaram - and another giveaway!

Marcel Proust once said "the voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes," and with I Am Me, the two-way literary debut from Calgary, Alberta's Ram Sundaram, this sentiment has rarely rung more true. An emotionally-charged examination of motivation, ego, desire, ambition, prejudice, spirituality, death and the afterlife, I Am Me’s multifarious protagonists – which range from soul-capturing taxidermists to a pantheistic young man – serve to expose the fine line between fact and fiction, right and wrong, reality and delusion. A two-way book, the narrative of I Am Me is right side-up and upside down in more than just the figurative sense. Nothing is what it seems, and, like in life, everything stands to be countered should one choose to step on to the other side of the looking glass. Engrossing and arresting, I Am Me “looks to prove that, whether a dreamer or a realist, we all live in the same world of delusion,” says Sundaram.

 I Am Me is not your average collection of short stories. It is decidedly

your above average collection of short stories. Just as the top half of the cover is a reflexion of the bottom half, the front half of the book is a reflection of the back half. Each story in the book has a 'reflection'. This is so hard to explain and so cool to read. Starting with the Author's Note and Acknowledgements and moving through the book, each story is retold in the other half of the book. The stories have the same title and format but each explores the topic in a different way. 

Ram's writing style is engaging and thought provoking. Each of the stories captured my interest and I loved reading through the book story by story. I read title by title, turning the book at each story so that I could compare what the author had to say and I enjoyed reading the differences in the narrative. It makes for an almost philosophical experience of comparison.

A Taste done differently: here is the first paragraph from the story Immortal in Death page 87:

A bell tinkled as I stepped anxiously into the shop. A large, tawny owl, magnificent and regal, peered down at me with lamp-like eyes; his gaze seemed at once inquisitive and accusatory. I fumbled through my mind for an explanation, for an answer that would appease his curiosity before I noticed he was perched atop a wooden coat rack. He wasn't real.

And 109:

I clutched the knife in desperation, but it was too late. I felt hot blood gush into my hands as I fell to the floor, crippled with the fatal wound in my chest. My eyes spun around the room one last time before they closed forever. The animals looked down upon me, their expressions cold and hostile - it was fitting perhaps that I should die where I had restored them

Author Ram Sundaram Signing Copies of Literary Debut I Am Me
Sunday March 11 at the Shawnessy Chapters, Calgary

Author Ram Sundaram invites his friends, fans and the media to join him at the Shawnessy Chapters on Sunday March 11 for his "I Am Me" book signing.

Sunday, March 11

Chapters Shawnessy

16061 Macleod Trail S.E.

Calgary, Alberta T2Y 3S5

1 – 4pm

Calgary is a mere four hours south of where I live and I wish I could make it to the book signing. Sadly that isn't possible for me. If it's not possible for you either but you'd like an ARC ... the publicist was kind enough to send me two so that I could offer one to you.

The giveaway is international. To enter: fill out the rafflecopter. The winner will be announced on March 15.

a Rafflecopter giveaway