colleen_parks 's review for:

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

3.0

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This is a story of a Indian family living in Bangalore that, on the brink of losing what little they have, suddenly becomes wealthy. The new money comes with new problems, in particular, significant changes in the family dynamics that create tensions, resentments, and uncomfortable dependencies. The family has to navigate their new social status, the meaning of work, and the role of money in their lives. The main character is in a fairly constant state of distress about how to handle the relationships among his family members, but is passive to the point of apathetic about it. This is a short book, which means that the author's vivid painting of the characters is all the more impressive. I really enjoyed the prose and the moments of humor (including a long battle against ants and a breakfast that is a call to arms), but the plot is subtle and there were points when I wondered where things were going, if anywhere at all. But then the strangest thing happens: it ends very abruptly and doesn't match the style of the rest of the book at all. It invites us to reinterpret things; or not, it's left to the reader to decide. This book didn't blow me away, but I enjoyed it. It's also the first novel written in Kannada (an Indian language) to be published in America.