“Is there a book that instantly pulled you in, only to end so abruptly it left you unsettled?”

Name of Book: Ghachar Ghochar
Author: Vivek Shanbhag
Publisher: HarperPerennial
Publication Date: 10 Dec 2015
No. of Pages: 98
Format: Digital

It's true what they say - it's not we who control money, it's the money that controls us. When there's only a little, it behaves meekly; when it grows, it becomes brash and has its way with us.' From a cramped, ant-infested house to a spacious bungalow, a family finds itself making a transition in many ways. The narrator, a sensitive young man, is numbed by the swirl around him. All he can do is flee every day to an old-world cafe, where he seeks solace from an oracular waiter. As members of the family realign their equations and desires, new strands are knotted, others come apart, and conflict brews dangerously in the background. Masterfully translated from the Kannada by Srinath Perur, Ghachar Ghochar is a suspenseful, playful and ultimately menacing story about the shifting consequences of success.

My Opinion

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag is a compelling rags-to-riches story centered on a family, steeped in a distinct South Indian atmosphere. Each character carries their own narrative weight, gradually drawing the reader into an unsettling and intriguing world. The quiet tension builds steadily, making the journey engrossing and psychologically layered. However, the climax feels abrupt and unresolved. The ending arrives so suddenly that it leaves a sense of betrayal, rendering the emotional buildup largely unfulfilled and leaving the reader questioning the purpose of such careful narrative construction.

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