The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri

295 pages (Fiction)

This book was an enjoyable surprise. I continued my exploration into Indian writing and was offered this book. Manil Suri’s first literary attempt grabbed me and didn’t let go. Typically, reading about another culture and its people is of great interest to me. This book is set in contemporary Bombay. Going in I expected the book to be about the Hindu God Vishnu. I was quickly relived of that expectation when I realized the main character, Vishnu, is actually a homeless man that lives on the landing of an apartment.

The old man lies dying. His experiences and those of all the people around him flow from chapter to chapter. The reader melds with Vishnu. All that surrounds him is revealed in the pages. The book begins realistically. You meet each person and learn about their lives as they play out. Mrs. Asrani, brings tea to him and her inner dialogue betrays her disgust for him. “It would be foolish to stop now (giving him tea), when at most a few more cups could possibly be required.” Mrs. Pathak worries about the dying man ruining her “Kitty party” that afternoon than the man himself. In the evenings Salim and Kavita, two young people in love, plan to elope. Vinod sits at his record player listening to a song that fills him with memories of his long dead wife. The description of average people living in an apartment together could easily be happening in many places around the world. In fact the author notes where he grew up a man named Vishnu lived and died on the landing of his apartment building. The sense of realism is prevalent.

As you delve deeper into the book Vishnu starts to go in and out of consciousness. The reader joins him as a young boy. His mother sits and tells him stories of the yogi-spirit, Jeev, who lived nine hundred and ninety thousand lives. You join him as the love of his life, Padmini, agrees to go on their first date. Soon he starts to question who he is. Mr. Jalal has a dream that Vishnu is really a god. Can it be true? Is Vishnu man or is he god? The story weaves between reality, past and fiction.

The book is simply written, but has an impact of importance. The conflict and pleasure of many people in an apartment building is laid out in detail. You enjoy life of one man and its triumphs and failures. Each day a persons decisions lead them onto a different path than what could have been. The simplicity of The Death of Vishnu makes it ring true. The book reads easily and has short chapters broken into small sections. Each time I would finish one I needed to read the next one. Suri fills the book with beautiful imagery that is lucid and straightforward.

3 Emotional: When you are dropped into the conflicts of the characters lives it is easy to care about them and encourage them to make the right decisions.

3 Intellectual: The questions of life and religion allow the reader to experience others way of life. It is also a look into a non-american way of life.

3 Long Term: There is nothing that would keep this from being an enjoyable book in future. I could lose some impact in that it feels current and would not have that as time passes.

A total of 9 out of 13. Not a bad score. I did enjoy it and tore through it in less than a week. I wouldn’t say it affected me deeply, but it would be enjoyable to a wide variety of readers.

Keep Turning Pages.