The Death of Vishnu: A Novel (P.S.)

The Death of Vishnu: A Novel (P.S.)
by Manil Suri

The Death of Vishnu: A Novel (P.S.)
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $1.72
You Save: $13.23 (88%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Manil Suri
Edition: Paperback
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2008-01-01
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Harper Perennial

Summary of The Death of Vishnu: A Novel (P.S.)

Vishnu, the odd-job man in a Bombay apartment block, lies dying on the staircase landing. Around him the lives of the apartment dwellers unfold: the warring housewives on the first floor, lovesick teenagers on the second, and the quietly grieving widower on the top floor of the building. In a fevered state Vishnu looks back on his love affair with the seductive Padmini and wonders if he might actually be the god Vishnu, guardian of the entire universe.

Blending incisive comedy with Hindu mythology and a dash of Bollywood sparkle, The Death of Vishnu is an intimate and compelling view of an unforgettable world.


The title of Manil Suri's first novel gets right to the point. His protagonist, having purchased the right to sleep on the ground-floor landing of a Bombay apartment house, slips slowly from a coma into death. As this aging alcoholic takes leave of the earth, his neighbors surround him, arguing over who gave Vishnu a few dried chapatis, who called the doctor for him, and who will pay for the ambulance to cart him away. Meanwhile, the hero of The Death of Vishnu is lost in memories. Drifting through increasingly vivid scenes from his past, he recalls his relatively rare snatches of love and joy--and especially his romance with Padmini, a self-involved prostitute. On one particular day, it seems, he stole one of his employer's cars and drove his love interest to the honeymoon town of Lonavala, where he showered her with gifts and finally lifted her veil to kiss her like a bride:
Then the absurdity of the situation strikes him. The preposterousness of his images, the foolishness of his feelings, the comicality of chasing currents that skim across Padmini's face. He thinks how absurd this whole trip has been, how absurd is the presence of the two of them in Lonavala, how absurd is the scenery itself that stretches before them. He thinks of poor, ridiculous Mr. Jalal, waiting back in Bombay for his Fiat, and of how Padmini will react when he asks her to buy them petrol so they can get back.
Vishnu also recalls his secret passion for Kavita Asrani, the beautiful teenage daughter of one of the families for whom he works. Given the protagonist's focus on his hapless love life, the scope of Suri's dazzling debut may appear narrow. However, the apartment house upon whose floor Vishnu spends his final hours functions as a microcosm of Indian society. It helps to know even a smattering about Hindu mythology or India's religious conflicts. But even if you don't, there is plenty to relish in The Death of Vishnu, with its comical, richly drawn characters, loving attention to the details of everyday life, and provocative exploration of destiny and free will. --Regina Marler

Literary Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Literary Books
Island (Perennial Classics) ImageIsland (Perennial Classics)
by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $14.99
Angels ImageAngels
by Marian Keyes
William Morrow; Published: 2002-05-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.20
Price in other shops: $24.95
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn ImageA Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith
Harper; Published: 2001-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.86
Price in other shops: $23.99
The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation ImageThe Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation
by Paulo Coelho
Harper; Published: 2006-07-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops: $24.95
Boonville: A Novel ImageBoonville: A Novel
by Robert Mailer Anderson
Harper Perennial; Published: 2003-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $12.99
Caramelo ImageCaramelo
by Sandra Cisneros
HarperAudio; Published: 2002-10-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops: $39.95
Headhunter ImageHeadhunter
by Timothy Findley
PERENNIAL PUBLICATIONS; Paperback; Book
The Crimson Petal And The White ImageThe Crimson Petal And The White
by Michel Faber
Harcourt, Inc./Harvest; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.50
Great Expectations ImageGreat Expectations
by Charles Dickens
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $12.10
This Side of Paradise ImageThis Side of Paradise
by Fitzgerald
Scribner Paper Fiction; Published: 1988-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops: $6.95
Similar Books and other products
Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India ImageDarsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India
by Diana L. Eck
Columbia University Press; Published: 1998-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.98
Price in other shops: $23.00
Sea of Poppies ImageSea of Poppies
by Amitav Ghosh
Picador; Published: 2009-09-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.89
Price in other shops: $16.00
Clear Light of Day ImageClear Light of Day
by Anita Desai
Mariner Books; Published: 2000-09-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.29
Price in other shops: $13.95
The God of Small Things: A Novel ImageThe God of Small Things: A Novel
by Arundhati Roy
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2008-12-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.88
Price in other shops: $16.00
The Age of Shiva: A Novel ImageThe Age of Shiva: A Novel
by Manil Suri
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2008-02-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops: $24.95
Global Studies: India and South Asia ImageGlobal Studies: India and South Asia
by Ramesh Dhussa
McGraw-Hill/Dushkin; Published: 2011-08-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $31.82
Studying Hinduism in Practice (Studying Religions in Practice) ImageStudying Hinduism in Practice (Studying Religions in Practice)
Routledge; Published: 2011-07-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops: $29.95
The Age of Shiva: A Novel ImageThe Age of Shiva: A Novel
by Manil Suri
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2009-01-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.33
Price in other shops: $14.95
A Suitable Boy: A Novel (Modern Classics) ImageA Suitable Boy: A Novel (Modern Classics)
by Vikram Seth
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2005-10-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.25
Price in other shops: $21.99
A Fine Balance (Oprah's Book Club) ImageA Fine Balance (Oprah's Book Club)
by Rohinton Mistry
Vintage; Published: 2001-11-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.93
Price in other shops: $17.00
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories