The mystery of Mistry: why does one of the most acclaimed literary novelists of the Anglophone world seem to have stopped writing? His last novel, Family Matters, was published in 2002 and since that time he seems only to have published a novella, The Scream, in 2008. Mistry was never hyper-prolific: there was a four-year gap between Such a Long Journey and A Fine Balance, and a seven-year gap between A Fine Balance and Family Matters. Twelve years seem a long hiatus, though, even for him.Such a Long Journey, Mistry’s first, published in 1991, was the only one of his novels that I hadn’t read, and I enjoyed reimmersing myself in his quite distinctive world. The novel is set in Mumbai in the early 1970s, at the time of the Indo-Pakistani war that resulted in the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation. Political corruption, at a municipal and a national level, is a major theme of the novel, graphically figured in the filth, dead rats, and teeming mosquitoes that the protagonist Gustad Noble, a bank clerk, does battle with on a daily basis as he struggles to keep his family’s precarious fortunes afloat. As ever, though, in Mistry, the real focus of the narrative is on the emotional lives of his characters, who are far more than vehicles for a political polemic or indictment. Mistry’s virtues as a novelist are old-fashioned virtues, to the extent that he sometimes calls to mind nineteenth-century fiction; he has quite often been compared to Dickens, and I can see the resemblance. Character is central to his novels, and he portrays his protagonists with great warmth and human sympathy; yet, to my mind, at least, he remains just short of sentimentality (so the comparison with Dickens is not exact.) That is very true here. Gustad himself, the main focalizer of the narrative, is an engaging and complex creation. In many ways, he is as noble as his name suggests, yet he is not excessively idealized—he squabbles endlessly with his wife; needlessly alienates his brilliant, troubled son; makes accommodations with the corrupt society in which he finds himself, rather than attempting to resist or reform it. Several of the characters who flank Gustad are equally engaging: his wife Dilnavaz; his young daughter Rostan; his work colleague, Dinshawji; his differently-abled neighbor Tehmul—even relatively minor figures like the breezily philosophical pavement artist Gustad engages to paint religious imagery on the compound wall of the building where he lives, in an attempt to dissuade passers-by from using it as a convenient outside toilet facility. The story of the wall’s emergence from sordid, mosquito-breeding swamp to improvised ecumenical shrine was one of my favorite things in the novel, in fact. This being a Mistry novel, it’s clear that such a radiant allegory of hope will eventually prove illusory, but, while it lasts, it functions magnificently as an ironic and tragicomic symbol of the redeeming power of art. This is not at all a perfect novel. The elements are present that will be brought into a finer balance in A Fine Balance, but here they are somewhat out of kilter. The political background is rather clumsily spatchcocked together with the personal narrative; and there is something wrong with the rhythms of the novel; there’s a long middle segment that is superb, but the novel is slow to get off the ground, and it drops off towards the end. Mistry short of his best is still impressive, though, and I was glad I caught up with this novel. It was a poignant reminder of what we have been missing in the long wait since 2002.
I wonder why we never get to hear much about good books like Mistry’s penning quite contrary to the books that stand tall in bookshops but have nothing to appease a reader’s appetite. Anyway! Here goes the review.What you wouldn’t want to know about a book is that it is endlessly tiring, way too lengthy running over 450 pages with sentences as long as a paragraph, too many characters to keep up with, so many incidents that you forget what happened the last page, and to make matters worse, events so tragic that you sleep the nights with them in your head for days after you’ve finished the book.Yes, that precisely is what ‘Such a Long Journey’ is like. It doesn’t defy its title at all. It stands true for all the things listed above and yet, you know what? You ll be surprised that you loved reading each word, soaking in what each page offers, grieving and cherishing moments along with the author wondering what exactly the author felt when he wrote the book.Gustad Noble is a clerk at a bank. He is devoted to his family and work. He worships his traditions and values and a man who would risk anything for family and friends. His world starts to tumble when his teenage son refuses to join IIT quite averse to his delight and leaves the family, his best friend Major Bilimoria unexpectedly leaves the city to join the government, his colleague Dinshawji’s long carried illness leading to his death, a major ill- suspected affair of money that he’s forced into, constant bickering and banters with Khodadad’s residents.Much against his will to lead a calm life, his way is strewn with bummers that cause him much distress, plaguing his heart with suspicions, hatred, anger, scorn. His balanced life is suddenly running off the track while he tries to manage things single-handedly. At the other hand, his wife, Dilnavaz appears to be a woman of calm demeanor who constantly motivates her husband, grieves for her son Sohrab who’s left the house, fighting for his comeback, trying all sorts of practices from faith to dark magic with the help of a Miss Kutpitia who is ever-willing to help. It also shows us snippets about the Indo-Bangladesh war in 1971, just briefly.Written from Gustad’s perspective, SALJ rejoices in the aftermath of events that occur quite reverse to the protagonist’s anticipation and expectations. It is pretty much like how our lives are designed, how we fall off-balance with unprecedented turn of events, yet fight and stay strong and the author has managed an impeccable job capturing every moment laced with the individual’s emotions and mind’s struggles. There are few things I feel could have bettered the book in places it falls short such as vapid dialogues, script running over characters, and an ending that could have been well shortened. There are times you will find yourself just skimming pages for the depth of the details but not once will you put the book down. Because although slow, Mistry sure knows how to keep his reader indulged. And this as a debut novel is an artistic work and so many shades better than most other novels that are nothing but mere trash.
What do You think about Such A Long Journey (2006)?
"Go?But where?Have you made any plan?""Where does not matter,sir." The tumbling Trimurti had restored all his philosophical buoyancy."In a world where roadside latrines becomes temples and shrines,and temples and shrines become dust and ruin,does it matter where?"Gustad Noble,the hard working bank clerk and a devoted family man unravels to us Mistry's power of diction.Elegant yet contrite,the novel is a wonderful read.Though the twists and turns were not larger-than-life, there were some significant knotting and un-knotting that claimed to be quite gripping.The story revolves around the protagonist's struggle for normalcy( read boring). There is no outcry of foray. Even the ostensive occasional ripples in the family life are handled in a demure way.On the other hand, the foray of the political font looms large in the book.( I was intimidated by the blasphemous mention of Indira Gandhi, " her son who wants to open a Maruti Company", and "Shiv Sena and his band of dacoits")Rohinton Mistry blends politics with morality in such a shyly sly way that the bulwark often goes unnoticed.The ending,on the other hand, I must say,was sudden,abrupt, and hardly a climax.The story, in all fairness,was paving its way into a grand conclusion,claiming to move its readers fervently(There were episodes where I cried too!)but then there was this disturbing lull. The story should have rounded up fifty pages before it actually did.A handful of political jargons after the catharsis hardly claims praise,but nevertheless,the book shows promise. MY OPINION:Readable? Definitely!
—Sampriti Roy
Once in a while, you come across a book which will stay with you for a long long time after you are finished reading it. Mistry writes in a fluid prose,never faltering the pace and gently unravels the life of Gustad Noble. Set in the Bombay of the early 70's and in a time when India was on the brink of war, this book is by turns mesmerizing, heartbreaking and nostalgic. The neighbourhood of Khodadad Building, Gustad's workplace at Flora Fountain, the weekly visits to Crawford Market and ocassional ones to Mount Mary remind you of a glorious era gone by, when life was simpler and needs fewer. Brilliantly written, and a truly enriching experience, this book needs to be on everyone's to-read list.
—Rucha
I had previously read Mistrey's Oprah book, "A Fine Balance" and his collection of short stories, "Swimming Lessons" and this is not as good as either of them. However, this IS his first novel, so I should cut him some slack. It is very good, just not as good as the other two books of his I have read. Before I read "A Fine Balance" my familiarity with Indian fiction and my knowledge of India at all was miniscule. I remember being SO SHOCKED about what happens in "A Fine Balance" that at one point I just had to close the book and decompress for ten or more minutes. Then when I Googled Indian history, I realized that most of what shocked me so much was very, very true. This is a "smaller" novel in both senses of the word. It is limited to one family; they have less earth-shattering problems, and it is a shorter, quicker read than "A Fine Balance". But still it is entertaining, somewhat disturbing, and an excellent look at a world I never knew existed. The politics of the India-Pakistan War, Bangladesh, and comments about Indira Gandhi and her son are all new to me. How truthful they are I am not sure; indeed protagonist and father Gustad tells his son to be skeptical of what he reads in the paper. But this is a book well worth reading, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Indian fiction, or who wants to learn more about India.
—Fran
