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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book. It examines family roles and norms and how adding a new member to a family can disrupt unspoken rules. A quick read 118 pages.
Ghachar Gochar is the tale of the journey of a middle-class Indian family to prosperity. This line cannot be considered as a complete description of the tale, but I am going with that because the story itself starts by misguiding the readers.
We see the narrator in a cafe-cum- bar- cum- restaurant in the first chapter, sitting there thinking about his past relationship. The waiter of the cafe, Vincent, is said to have a clear idea about the narrator's life. The first chapters create an idea about the tale in the minds of the readers but that will soon be undermined.
Sitting in the coffee house, the narrator tells us about his life. He was born to a middle-class Indian family where his father as the only earning member and led an ordinary life with fundamental values. The family's life changed when his uncle's business made them rich overnight. The story takes a turn from there and discusses how their life changed and how their relations around them with everything become casual. The author conveys a strong message " it's not we who control money, its money who controls us".
Many parts of the book are wholly relatable to my own life, as I belong to a middle-class family.
"Even when its run out it seems you can turn the cylinder upside down and get a little more."- This extract is about using a gas cylinder to its full capacity. There are many such hilarious indications in the book that gives an insight into the lives of middle-class Indians.
The first thing that I had found attractive about the book is the title itself. "Ghachar Gochar" is a phrase developed by the narrator's wife and it simply denotes something tangled beyond repair. The narrator's life itself is Ghachar Gochar.
This novel or may I call it, the novella is under 200 pages and is 200 % worth the time one spends reading it. This tale reflects how money changes one's life. Oh! Yes the best part is the end.
My rating
We see the narrator in a cafe-cum- bar- cum- restaurant in the first chapter, sitting there thinking about his past relationship. The waiter of the cafe, Vincent, is said to have a clear idea about the narrator's life. The first chapters create an idea about the tale in the minds of the readers but that will soon be undermined.
Sitting in the coffee house, the narrator tells us about his life. He was born to a middle-class Indian family where his father as the only earning member and led an ordinary life with fundamental values. The family's life changed when his uncle's business made them rich overnight. The story takes a turn from there and discusses how their life changed and how their relations around them with everything become casual. The author conveys a strong message " it's not we who control money, its money who controls us".
Many parts of the book are wholly relatable to my own life, as I belong to a middle-class family.
"Even when its run out it seems you can turn the cylinder upside down and get a little more."- This extract is about using a gas cylinder to its full capacity. There are many such hilarious indications in the book that gives an insight into the lives of middle-class Indians.
The first thing that I had found attractive about the book is the title itself. "Ghachar Gochar" is a phrase developed by the narrator's wife and it simply denotes something tangled beyond repair. The narrator's life itself is Ghachar Gochar.
This novel or may I call it, the novella is under 200 pages and is 200 % worth the time one spends reading it. This tale reflects how money changes one's life. Oh! Yes the best part is the end.
My rating
This is the first time I've read a translated Indian story and it was such a delight. I could see the moments in the tale playing out with people I know in real life. Shanbhag creates a unbalanced family dynamic that keeps you interested and tense throughout.
It's almost more like a long short story than a novel, but it's also perfect in its tiny, crystalline structure, where nothing changes but it all just gets more "ghachar ghochar." I would very, very much like to see Shanbhag get after a bigger canvas, though I wonder if he would be able to arrange every tiny detail (ant houses! hot dal!) as precisely as he does here.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a little packet of punch! What started out humdrum really ended up being a deep and cutting narrative. There are so many hidden aspects to this small tale.
The plot is quite simple and revolves about a family and their rise from rags to riches. How becoming nouveau-rich changes their life. Whilst this may seem as a really ordinary plot, it’s anything but. Vivek Shanbhag does an excellent job at weaving into the story the aspects of classism, modernism, and feminism in India.
The characters of this story are its stars. They’re very well developed and come to life as we read on. The narrators namelessness sort of implies that he’s every male in india—I really hope not! There are females who bring females down and females who support females. There are women looking for male validation and women who’re not. The inter familial relationships are also very well portrayed: family members supporting one another unconditionally, to the extent that it frustrates a reader like me. Etc etc.
Written the way it is, even with an ordinary plot, we end up wanting to know what happens next. The ending leaves us and our imagination to fill in the blanks.
Definitely recommended short quick fun read.
The plot is quite simple and revolves about a family and their rise from rags to riches. How becoming nouveau-rich changes their life. Whilst this may seem as a really ordinary plot, it’s anything but. Vivek Shanbhag does an excellent job at weaving into the story the aspects of classism, modernism, and feminism in India.
The characters of this story are its stars. They’re very well developed and come to life as we read on. The narrators namelessness sort of implies that he’s every male in india—I really hope not! There are females who bring females down and females who support females. There are women looking for male validation and women who’re not. The inter familial relationships are also very well portrayed: family members supporting one another unconditionally, to the extent that it frustrates a reader like me. Etc etc.
Written the way it is, even with an ordinary plot, we end up wanting to know what happens next. The ending leaves us and our imagination to fill in the blanks.
Definitely recommended short quick fun read.