A review by eleanorfranzen
The English Teacher by R.K. Narayan

This suffered slightly for being read directly after Haruki Murakami’s most recent novel. The protagonist’s wife, who dies halfway through, returns to him as a ghost—not visibly, but “dictating” to a neighbour—and although Narayan’s good enough to make me believe it within the world of the novel, my external reading self felt wearied by more magical realism. (Though Narayan’s Susila is a much more funny, spiky, and irreverent woman than Murakami’s dreamy, unattainable girls.) Not sure about the overall shape of the piece, though. Where is it all tending? What’s Narayan’s focus? Unclear. But really sweet on parental and spousal love. I enjoyed it, though I wouldn’t rush to read more. Source: local public library #LoveYourLibrary