"Not wanting to arouse Vishnu in case he hadn't died yet, Mrs. Asrani tiptoed down to the third step above the landing on which he lived, teakettle in hand. " And so starts Manil Suri's "The Death of Vishnu".

'The Death of Vishnu'

This is the novel that has everyone is talking about. Written by mathematics professor, Manil Suri, "The Death of Vishnu" has debuted to hosannas in the literary world.

The novel is a penetrating and evocative look at life in Mumbai. When it opens, Vishnu is lying dying at his abode, which is the staircase landing of an apartment building. Swirling around his slow descent into death are the lives of the apartment dwellers. Suri captures with rich detail these deeply human characters and their preoccupations. There is Kavita Asrani who dreams of being a Hindi movie heroine and who, as dramatically as in any movie, elopes. There is Vinod Taneja who dreams of the wife he has lost. There is Mr. Jalal who dreams of higher planes of existence.

'The Death of Vishnu' is a novel rich with metaphor and underlying meaning. Vishnu, the destitute drunk might be the Lord Vishnu, part of the Holy Trinity of Hindu Gods. The apartment block is in many ways, a metaphor for the Universe and also at the same time a mirror of modern India with its various social and religious stratification. The existence of the apartment block dwellers dependent on the benevolent guardianship of Vishnu..

This is an astonishingly assured debut. It's a riveting read and heralds perhaps the latest entrant to the hallowed club of celebrity Indo-Anglian writers. It's a deeply satisfying book; funny, poignant, clever and always moving. And worth every last whispered syllable in the cosmic buzz that has surrounded it since its publication.

Rating:Wonderful. Certainly lives up to all the fulsome praise and then some more!

Post Comment

Name : Email : Password : Comments :