My rating: 5 of 5 stars
"The Lives of Others" written by Neel Mukherjee was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2014. That piqued my interest in picking up this book. And I've not been disappointed. It's an extremely well-written novel.
The Ghoshes are an upper middle-class family living on Basanta Bose Road, with their fleet of servants. The book traces the intersecting lives of the members of the Ghosh family, along with the lives of those who play prominent roles in their lives. The characters are well-portrayed and we get a glimpse into their inner worlds. The author has done a commendable job in dissecting the lives of the characters almost with surgical precision. The only drawback is that the vocabulary is a bit difficult. While reading the book, I had to pause at many places and search for the meanings of the words.
The novel is set primarily in the Calcutta of late 1960s. The naxal movement and the lives of naxalites are portrayed so vividly that I almost teared up reading the book. Then there's the recluse mathematician who fought against all odds to secure his place in the world. The forbidden love that blossomed between a young naxalite and his widowed aunt. The venomous women indulging in dirty domestic politics. All the quirks and eccentricities of the characters have been etched in vivid detail.
It's the kind of novel that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
Strongly recommended for readers of literary-fiction.
