The story of a Kathakali dancer, a practical husband and a idealistic wife and a travel writer set in the backdrop of Shornur, a small railway town in Kerala. The author breathes life into these characters by narrating the story through all these characters simultaneously. Shyam, a businessman, lives with his wife Radha, and her Uncle Koman. Chris, a writer, who wants to do a piece on Koman stays in Shyam’s Resort. Part adultery and part memoir. Kathakali is depicted in a vivid and realistic way, justice done to the colourful yet, at the same time, powerful art. The story is divided into chapters based on a kathakali theme. The life and culture of an idyllic township in Kerala is beautifully captured by the author. The book also deals with various themes like social and cultural differences of the East and the West and what happens when they meet, the creative world of art and artists, the business mindedness of many entrepreneurial men in India (I may be guilty of stereotyping here, but I’ve sure come across a few people like that), Individuality and Collectivism etc.
A well written book, dealing with a variety of topics, yet held together at the same time by a couple of unifying themes. An entertaining, educating and emotional read. Only the ending, in my opinion, fell short of my expectations. Highly recommended as the diversity of the characters will enable most of us to relate to the book on some level or the other.
Rating: 4/5
Have you read this book? What do you think of it? Feel free to share your thoughts.
ambiguousandenigmatic 