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The Death of Vishnu - Manil SuriAmazon.com ReviewThe title of Manil Suri's first novel gets right to the point. His protagonist, having purchased the right to sleep on the ground-floor landing of a Bombay apartment house, slips slowly from a coma into death. As this aging alcoholic takes leave of the earth, his neighbors surround him, arguing over who gave Vishnu a few dried chapatis, who called the doctor for him, and who will pay for the ambulance to cart him away. Meanwhile, the hero of The Death of Vishnu is lost in memories. Drifting through increasingly vivid scenes from his past, he recalls his relatively rare snatches of love and joy--and especially his romance with Padmini, a self-involved prostitute. On one particular day, it seems, he stole one of his employer's cars and drove his love interest to the honeymoon town of Lonavala, where he showered her with gifts and finally lifted her veil to kiss her like a bride: Then the absurdity of the situation strikes him. The preposterousness of his images, the foolishness of his feelings, the comicality of chasing currents that skim across Padmini's face. He thinks how absurd this whole trip has been, how absurd is the presence of the two of them in Lonavala, how absurd is the scenery itself that stretches before them. He thinks of poor, ridiculous Mr. Jalal, waiting back in Bombay for his Fiat, and of how Padmini will react when he asks her to buy them petrol so they can get back.Vishnu also recalls his secret passion for Kavita Asrani, the beautiful teenage daughter of one of the families for whom he works. Given the protagonist's focus on his hapless love life, the scope of Suri's dazzling debut may appear narrow. However, the apartment house upon whose floor Vishnu spends his final hours functions as a microcosm of Indian society. It helps to know even a smattering about Hindu mythology or India's religious conflicts. But even if you don't, there is plenty to relish in The Death of Vishnu, with its comical, richly drawn characters, loving attention to the details of everyday life, and provocative exploration of destiny and free will. --Regina Marler Salman Rushdie Children of Midnight, Moor's Last Sigh, Shalimar the Clown, Ground Beneath her FeetHouse of Blue Mangoes -- David Davidar
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| Cracking India - Babsi Sidwa - Young girl's experience of the partition of India and Pakistan after independence. |
| Life of Pi | Bend in River - V S Naipaul -- An Indian emigrant tries to find a life as a merchant in a small town in a deteriorating African town, in the mid-60's. Echoes of Idi Amin. |
| A Fine Balance | Arundhati Roy - God of Small Things |
| Salmon Rushdie |
Vikram Seth --A Suitable boy |
About India |
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Kim - Rudyard Kipling -- This venerable novel is still worth reading. It presents an excellent picture of life at the height o the British Raj, during the play of the Great Game. |
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The Jewel in the Crown [4 vol] |
A Passage to India EM Forster Siege of Krishnapur - Farrell |
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Mythology Roger Zelazny - Lord of Light Hindu pantheon in SciFi setting |
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