GHACHAR GHOCHAR BY VIVEK SHANBHAG
RATING – 4/5
This short yet gripping novel follows a family journey from being too poor to rich in a very less span of time. Once poor, surviving in only four rooms that connected front to back, a mother, father, sister and brother as well as their uncle all live together. All this changes when the father loses his job and the uncle has a plan to commence his own business. His uncle’s business starts making profits. Suddenly their lives change, more money, better place to live, but while much is gained, much is lost.
This is why I love short novels, in less than 120 pages, Shanbhag manages to craft a narrative that is poignant and filled with humor and warmth.
GHACHAR GHOCHAR is a nonsense term used by the narrator’s wife, which means entangled. And the title perfectly describes the book. How everything in their life gets messed up once they become rich. “It’s true what they say — it’s not we who control money, it’s the money that controls us,”
Things left unsaid is what makes this book more magnificent.
FINAL VERDICT –
HIGHLEY RECOMMENDED. This novel has been called as The Great Indian novel by New York Times. So, do not miss reading this masterpiece.
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