Thursday, 13 September 2012

The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph


This book is about a father’s (Ousep’s) search for answers as to why his son, Unni, a keen cartoonist, committed suicide seemingly out of the blue. He questions Unni’s friends finding out bits and pieces but still he can’t decipher it. He continues and more is revealed as key characters reveal the gaps.

At the same time the book is also a story about finding the meaning of life as Unni convinced those around him that there was more to life than met the eye. So it is a very thinking novel. It paints a picture of a life in a busy Indian city in 1990 well, or at least I can imagine this is how Madras (now Chennai) was then. There is a bit halfway through where it seems to drag a little as Ousep’s search for answers doesn’t really go anywhere but then a catalyst comes along and everything comes together nicely at the end.

As for the meaning of life? This is just a work of fiction so don’t expect the answers, but do expect some interesting, and maybe unique, ideas.

(I got this book through Amazon Vine. It is listed here.)

No comments:

Post a Comment