Promotional Information

A breathtaking novel that rises out of the squalor of Bombay apartment block, to embrace all people, all times, in an unforgettable story of life, love, politics and death.

About the Author

Manil Suri was born in Bombay and is a professor of Mathematics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. THE DEATH OF VISHNU is his first novel.

Reviews

'Beautifully captures with great tenderness and depth the eternal war between duty and desire. This is a love letter to Bombay and its people, a non-romantic love tinged with real insight and unsentimental observation ... Suri's characters smell of cardamom and clove and have bodies that ripen like plucked mangoes' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'A magnificent debut, rich with humour, compassion and insight into what it is like to inhabit the melting pot that is contemporary Bombay, rich in celebration of humanity' SCOTSMAN

'Beautifully captures with great tenderness and depth the eternal war between duty and desire. This is a love letter to Bombay and its people, a non-romantic love tinged with real insight and unsentimental observation ... Suri's characters smell of cardamom and clove and have bodies that ripen like plucked mangoes' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'A magnificent debut, rich with humour, compassion and insight into what it is like to inhabit the melting pot that is contemporary Bombay, rich in celebration of humanity' SCOTSMAN

Vishnu, a dying alcoholic dwelling on a stairway landing of an apartment building in Bombay, comes to suspect that he is, in fact, the god Vishnu. He may also be hallucinating; his slow death ties together the stories of various inhabitants of the building: the comic feud of Mrs. Pathak and Mrs. Asrani; the elopement of a Muslim boy with an immature, movie-obsessed Hindu girl; the rational Mr. Jalal's crisis of faith; and Vishnu's own memories of love with the shallow prostitute Padmini. In an interview at story's end, Suri defines himself as an Indian writer and discusses the implications for his audience. While a layperson's familiarity with Hindu mythology and India's movie industry should suffice to follow the tale, a fuller understanding may elude many U.S. readers. A glossary, for instance, would be helpful, were such a thing possible on cassette. Narrated by John Lee, this audiobook is recommended with reservations. John Hiett, Iowa City P.L. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.