Vandana Kumari Jena’s ‘Swansong’ : Tales of reconciliation with imperfection

“Swansong’ (2025) is not meant to be the last work (in a literal meaning) of Vandana Kumari Jena, but certainly her latest collection of fiction from Rupa Publications India Pvt (Ltd), in which the eminent fiction writer cum Retd.IAS officer (1979 Batch) continues her literary journey, offering readers a meditation on endings, identity, and the quiet power of resilience.

- RATAN BHATTACHARJEE

In this collection, Mrs. Vandana combines the discipline of her bureaucratic background with the emotional depth of a seasoned storyteller. The result is a narrative that feels both precise and profoundly humane— a tapestry woven with the threads of memory, regret, and grace.

‘Swansong’includes 24 stories which throw light on human ambition and despair, ephemeral moments of joy and ecstasy and a recurring thread of melancholy running through all of them. ‘Swansong’ is not the book of events but of emotions; not a collection of plot-driven tales but a character-driven meditation. The power of the stories lies in suggestion rather than revelation. The occasional restraint that gives the prose elegance can also make it feel distant to those seeking overt drama or confrontation. Its quietness is not emptiness; it is the silence of meaning.

‘The Amish Quilt’ takes us to the quaint Amish country in the US, which Jay visits along with his friend Rita, to buy an Amish quilt for his sister Renee for her birthday. When he enters an Amish store, he is shocked to find that the girl at the counter, Lucy, is his sister’s doppelganger. Their subsequent conversation leads to some startling revelations, and the truth about Renee is revealed.

‘Redemption’ is the tale of a guilt-ridden son who takes a flight from the US to India to see his mother, who is hospitalised, only to find that she has passed away the day before, waiting till the last moment for a glimpse of him. He is overcome with grief as well as guilt. After completing his mother’s last rites in Haridwar, he is shocked to see another woman who looks like his mother. They start talking, and he learns of the hardships she faces in order to survive. He discovers that she is working for a mere pittance in the dharamshala where he is staying. He decides he has found the ideal way to earn redemption for his neglect of his mother.