Saturday, March 5, 2011

"N" is for Narayan


I should have finished this book quite some time ago, it was a pleasant, easy read. "Man eater of Malgudi" is written in a simple concise style. One of my favorite things about any good book is getting connected with the characters - if Im not invested in them a book is much less interesting to me. This book got you interested in the characters (I wouldn't go so far as invested), you wanted to know what happens, particularly to the antagonist, Vasu. Vasu was SO OBNOXIOUS. I had to read ahead to make sure he got his comeuppance, thats how annoying this man was. But that shows Narayan is a good writer, he made me want to know.

This book takes place in Southern India, which also added to its interest. It was set in post Ghandi India and makes many references to the changing and growing economy of Indian in that era, and with the traditional culture and Hindu belief system, so I found that fun and interesting. A edition with illustrations, even minor, would have made this a really fun book for me.

Isn't this cover beautiful? Mine was plain, alas.