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A review by e_curran
English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee
3.0
This was a book club book; I actually finished it 3+ weeks after the meeting. I was never strongly drawn into the book -- it was definitely put-downable -- but it was a fascinating (and provocative) look into the life of a 20-something privileged Indian boy (he was definitely a boy, not a man, let's be honest.).
There were a larger number of similarities to Agastya than many "Westerners" or "Anglos" would most likely suspect. Dissatisfied, disillusioned young graduate struggles to connect with a new job in a town that's nearer to another planet than to his own country -- very similar to many later-age bildungsromans, of the "adult child" variety. And this book is 27 years old! plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
There were, however, many times when I knew I was missing a nuance of the joke or story due to lack of knowledge. The glossary was very helpful, but incomplete (what is a Naxalite?) and I got tired of going to Wikipedia 4 times on a page. A dramatis personae also would've been helpful. Agastya himself goes by several names throughout the book, as do a number of the characters.
Glad I read it; never would've come across it otherwise; kind of frustrating to get through, but ultimately I liked the story.
There were a larger number of similarities to Agastya than many "Westerners" or "Anglos" would most likely suspect. Dissatisfied, disillusioned young graduate struggles to connect with a new job in a town that's nearer to another planet than to his own country -- very similar to many later-age bildungsromans, of the "adult child" variety. And this book is 27 years old! plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
There were, however, many times when I knew I was missing a nuance of the joke or story due to lack of knowledge. The glossary was very helpful, but incomplete (what is a Naxalite?) and I got tired of going to Wikipedia 4 times on a page. A dramatis personae also would've been helpful. Agastya himself goes by several names throughout the book, as do a number of the characters.
Glad I read it; never would've come across it otherwise; kind of frustrating to get through, but ultimately I liked the story.