Manu Joseph

A friend loaned me this book after she read it and commented on it. I'm afraid I didn't get as much out of it as she did; perhaps the fact that she was born in India gave her an ability to see further into the book than I, a Canadian WASP, could.

Essentially this is a story of an Indian family living in genteel poverty. The father, Ousep, works as a journalist and drinks too much, the mother, Mariamma, is devout but disturbed, the elder son, Unni, fell or jumped from the balcony 3 years previously and the younger son, Thoma, is affected by all those around him. Ousep tried 3 years ago to determine why Unni committed suicide by talking to all his friends and anyone who knew him but came to closer to understanding his death. Just recently Ousep received a cartoon that Unni had completed on the last day of his life and sent in the mail where it got lost. This has led him to reopen his investigations but he does not show Mariamma or Thoma the cartoon. Mariamma might have been able to shed light on it because one page depicts her in the traumatic event that destabilized her mentally. Thoma might also have been able to understand as he knows about Unni's reaction to learning of the traumatic event. Eventually, through twists and turns Ousep grows to understand the background to Unni taking his life. I am still unclear if that makes him or anyone else in the family happier. Some day I will have to talk to my friend more about this book to understand its deeper meaning.… (more)