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Complicated undercurrents run through this tale, building to an ending with uncertain and disturbing implications. As one of the long listed titles for the 2018 Best Translated Book Award (BTBA), even more readers will now have a good excuse to meet this established Indian author through this novel, his first work to be translated into English.Īt first blush, Ghachar Ghochar seems an unassuming short novel-the story of a family whose financial circumstances take a turn for what should be the better, and the impact of their newfound fortune on their household dynamics. Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag, which has garnered much attention over the past year, has been, for many English readers, their first introduction to a book originally written in the South Indian language, Kannada. Yet when Western readers think of contemporary Indian literature, the work that most readily comes to mind is typically written in English, whether by India-based or diasporic writers. India is a linguistically diverse country, with twenty-two scheduled languages, thirteen different scripts, and over 720 dialects. It’s a wonderful book to read, reflect on and read again.The well-being of any household rests on selective acts of blindness and deafness. The prose is beautiful, evoking scenes quickly in my mind and showing just what we need to know of the characters, no more. So much feeling is conveyed in simple, short sentences here that I can’t help but be amazed at Vivek Shanbhag’s prowess as a writer (and that of Srinath Perur as the translator). The narrator himself feels superfluous to the business, to his wife, to everything. Everything and everyone in the family has become more distant. Women crying out the front for his uncle, a wife who he must confess to that he doesn’t have – or need – a job.
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Reflecting on the family’s new wealth seems to only bring unwanted drama. Times were tough, but the family were together. The narrator reflects on what seems to him simpler problems of his youth – insects in the house, sharing a room with others – with almost wistfulness. It’s the story of growing up poor, then striking it rich as the family’s spice business becomes successful. The narrator is lost, but how did he get to that point? The story then unfolds in neat, clever prose that tells so much in few words. The narrator goes here multiple times a day, to sit and observe and occasionally engage in mundane conversation with the waiter, Vincent. He sits at a place called Coffee House, which does serve coffee, but it’s also a bar and restaurant. From the opening pages, we start to understand that everything is not quite right in the narrator’s world. Fortunately, this slim volume arrived in my letterbox just before a convoluted public transport journey – the perfect time to read!īut what is ‘ghachar ghochar’? It’s a made up word, meaning everything is higgledy piggledy, not quite right. I enjoy books set in India, although I’m guilty of not seeking them out often enough. Several months ago now, I read about Ghachar Ghochar and thought it sounded like an interesting, quirky tale. Translator: Srinath Perur (from the Kannada) Why I chose it: Sounded different, thanks to Allen & Unwin for the ARC. The good: It’s compulsive reading, you never know which way the story will turn next.
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In brief: The unnamed narrator takes us through the changes in his life from growing up poor in India to striking it rich in the family spice business.