Sacred Games: A Novel (P.S.) by Vikram Chandra
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Book Reviews of Sacred Games: A Novel (P.S.)
Book Review: Facts and Fictions of Modern Mumbai
Summary: 5 Stars
Much has already been written on Vikram Chandra's "Sacred Games", so my review will not deal with the plot but only underline some aspects of the book and why it is so enjoyable and appealing. V.Chandra, who descends from a family that is part of Mumbai's intellectual Gotha (mother screen writer for Bollywood films, sister journalist of Bollywood film world, brother in law Bollywood director) wrote this book in English with abundant untranslated Hindi words and references, with the intention of communicating to the western readers the nature of his country, its stories and its modern day reality through the description of two important systems, the Indian police force and the Indian criminal underworld. Through over 900 pages almost every modern aspect and character of the most modern and international city of India, Mumbai, comes to life and extends its arms towards us. A detailed sociological analysis consents the interpretation of this upcoming and outgoing country. Fortunately, V.Chandra even in the attempt to communicate Indian reality stays inside its boundaries, differently from what recently has happened with Danny Boyle' "Slumdog millionaire", that with its Oscar winning story has given a fairytale and unrealistic reading of modern Indian society. Remember also the success of "Shantaram" that is in great part based on an outsider's reading of the Mumbai reality.
If you have the time and the curiosity, look up the movies and the songs mentioned in the book, from Ram Gopal Varma's "Satya" and "Company" to filmi lyrics from old Hindi movies, as to really get the feel of popular Indian culture today and surrender to the shear beauty with which Hindustani read their complex reality.
And also, if you want to better understand the impact and importance of the Indian criminal underworld read the companion book to this novel, Sukethu Metha's non fiction "Maximun City".
Now a brief immersion into the joy and entertainment this novel can give, which is similar to Vikram Seth's "A Suitable Boy". Stories are built on stories, every character has a world of his or her own, that comes from the past and goes into the future. Not one is abandoned along the way. When the book is finished you feel as though you lost some friends and going home you don't have anything to look forward to.
Another brief digression into the psychology of the characters. Each one has the same fear, of not being able to understand the surrounding reality and the people he deals with. The archi-criminal Gainesh wants a leader because he can't resign himself to his brutal existence and gives up when his leader dumps him, the honest/dishonest policeman Sartaj Singh is terrorized of not understanding what is going on until he finds his reason of being in a simple and loving woman and in his own moral solidity even if it implies his chief's treason.
A beautiful realistic contemporary fiction. Read and enjoy.
Book Review: A classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Those of us who have never been to India usually get a rather fragmented view of it as we peruse the daily paper: a story about border problems, another about the latest terrorist attack, or yet another about food inflation. A good novel often attempts to put all the elements of a society together and thus give us a feel for a time and place; Sacred Games is a very appealing effort to give us a comprehensive view of a complex country as seen from Mumbai. One has to admire the audacity of publishing a nearly 1,000-page book in an era of soundbites and Twitter, but its length is an essential part of the portrait of this multi-faceted, dense, and enormous society. You can find just about everything in it: the India-Pakistan conflict, the 1947 Partition, gurus, Sikhs, Bollywood, the criminal underclass, street urchins, prostitutes, Indian food, the war with China, Nehru, elections, the caste system, and so much more. We almost expect a chapter on the Taj Mahal Hotel attack except that it happened after the book was published. It even touches on nuclear terrorism, the topic that President Obama considers of paramount importance these days.
The main characters stand out: the chapters involving Ganesh Gaitonde, the mafia don or bhai, have him telling his story in the first person; although powerful enough to be able to rig elections, he is unable, for instance, to have a protegée marry beneath her caste since it would make it impossible for her sisters to ever find a husband. Interspersed throughout the novel are the chapters about the hero, Sartaj Singh, a moderatly corrupt policeman; his story, told in the third person, begins at the time Gaitonde dies. Although this is a gripping detective novel, it's not as much a whodunit as a why-did-he-do-it. Three chapters at the end tie up some loose ends quite succesfully.
Book Review: An all-time favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
I've just finished the book, but I would already place it on my all-time favorites list. It's one of the few contemporary novels that deserves the adjective "Dickensian"--for its epic sweep, for its huge cast of characters, for its deep social concerns, and most of all for the undisguised affection the author has for his characters.
I had read WHITE TIGER recently and enjoyed it, but this gave me even more insight into life in Bombay/Mumbai, and the interplay of cultures, religions, and castes that makes modern India so complex. The novel is huge, but never bogs down in explanations. Instead you go right into the deep end with words in a handful of different Indian languages stirred into the English prose--slang, names of foods, epithets, geographical locations, on and on. When I came out the other end, I felt I'd experienced Mumbai and not just read about it.
And speaking of English prose, I found the writing evocative, often lyrical, and always powerfully moving.
The book cast a spell over me, and I don't expect to ever be entirely free of it.
Book Review: Visiting India
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely loved every moment of this book. Its complicated and messy at times, but I think that's why I felt like I was experiencing the real India. The writing is extremely evocative and I often thought that I could smell the place. There were times when just the smallest turn of a phrase made me stop so that I could just be with the words. I thought the characterizations were amazing and I love that even the smallest characters are fully created. Knowing each one's history so well really gave the reader insight into their behavior and motivation. Collectively, this gave me a great sense of the culture. I also thought that the novel had an interesting spiritual element about it and gave me insight into the different religions that have shaped the culture over time. I found it fascinating from the very first page and thought it was well worth the investment of time and energy.Book Review: Sacred City
Summary: 5 Stars
I am just a little over 100 pages into the book and am impressed with what I have read so far. The characters are very well developed and it is evident that Chandra has done his research well. To really appreciate this book it is helpful if one has lived in Mumbai or is exposed to Bollywood films about the city's underworld. Readers who are not familiar with the Mumbai underworld should watch three Bollywood films before they begin this book: (1) "Satya" (An excellent film on the Mumbai underworld - a must see)
(2) "Sarkar" (An Indian take on the GodFather)
(3) "Black Friday" (A dramatization of the events that led to the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai)
These three films (or Satya alone) should give you enough audio-visual grounding to really appreciate this book.