Book Reviews by Sudip Bose

I'm not sure exactly why, but I find myself immersed in fewer and fewer conversations these days. I don’t mean the routine sorts of chats one has with workers, colleagues, or spouses, but rather the indulgent exchanges with perfect strangers that I once relished so much, filled with ideas, opinion, and argument, the sort of social encounter that can last ten minutes or an hour and a half, depending on the elegance of the give-and-take and how well the participants wish to know each other. You know, a conversation. Once, I had the most delightful and illuminating conversations--on airplanes and trains, in bars, at dinner parties. It’s possible that I just travel less, go out less, and get invited to fewer dinners.