#Review GODPLAYER by Robin Cook

This novel was a medical thriller classic. It was interesting & engaging…..two qualities that make a medical thriller work. The gripping ending was well written & the characters captivate the reader. The idea of SSD (Sudden Surgical Death) is well laid out in this book along with many other soul searching questions associated with the medical field. However, the main question put forward in this book is one which is still asked till this day………..who can judge who really requires expensive medical aid of a hospital……..everyone ? even when there are shortage of beds ? even those who we know won’t survive for long ?......who is going to bell the cat…..who is going to play God ?

The story is well presented with a lot of heated dialogues about what is morally right & what isn't when one is concerned about treatment. The easy way a person can kill another in a hospital is also very well described in this book. To give internists a chance to work on patients, the risks involved & all the information about a surgery that is kept a secret from unquestioning patients is well illustrated in this novel. The delicacy of cardiac surgery is also one of great importance that is presented in this novel & how many people each day die of heart related symptoms.

Another idea that presents itself in this book is about the egoism & narcissistic tendencies of excellent surgeons. The pressure on good surgeons is tackled very well by Robin Cook including the way such surgeons often take recourse to drugs to overcome the sort of ‘emptiness’ they feel within after too much of adulation. However, as the book describes, such surgeons often are unable to be in control of their thoughts & emotions & therefore, have a terrible end.

Two characters that stand out in this novel are the famous cardiac surgeon Thomas Kingsley & his wife Cassandra (Cassi) Cassidy who is a first year psychiatrist who was earlier into pathology. Both are very different characters. Though Cassi is the protagonist in the story, more emphasis is given to her spouse Thomas who is a very volatile character always on tenterhooks & ready to burst at all times. Their failing marriage along with Thomas’ drug abuse is the focal point of this novel. Both characters have tendencies to be dependent on an external factor to feel ‘fine’. While Cassi finds her solace in her husband, Thomas’ finds his in drugs & extra-marital affairs. The author ultimately relates how intelligence does not necessarily mean one can be successful in life……only when one is happy with ones state of life & takes each day as it comes, only them is one in total control of ones faculties.

The bureaucratic interference in surgery as well as the drastic decisions they take to make a mark in the market is also put forward very well & delicately in the novel. How business has changed the face of medicine especially surgery is narrated in most of the chapters in a very interesting way as well as the loopholes that such groups want to keep a secret or shield from the public eye. In the novel it is shown that truth always does not garner importance if it interferes in the working of the bureaucracy. The story shows the reader clearly how the fine line separating medicine & business is slowly disappearing.

Thrilling & a challenge to read, Godplayer is a real looking glass into the workings of the human mind &………….how at times it is simply too easy to kill.

#Review 'Saint Francis-God's Pauper' by Nikos Kazantzakis

A flawless masterpiece about the devotion of a true devotee.....that is the story of God's Pauper written by Nikos Kazantzakis. The epic story of the life of one of the greatest Saints in the world is narrated in a lucid & yet heart wrenching fashion that makes the reader one with the pain & passion of the man behind the Saint. 

Being a passionate believer & student of the Franciscan way of life, I find this book quite in keeping with not only history but also with the current ideas religious personalities have about the pain behind the total annihilation of the ego (flesh in the case of Saint Francs of Assisi). Kazantzakis in a simple way reveals to the reader not only the life of Saint Francis. The writer does us a favour for which I shall be ever grateful to him as a reader.....he makes the life of this pauper very REAL ! We generally find the lives of most of the Christian saints highly above our normal dealings & therefore most of the time ignore their life histories as well as their writings which seem rather dogmatic....not in keeping with our practical mind-set. Kazantzakis is aware of this failing & therefore, brings out the true side of Saint Francis of Assisi.....the struggling man to become one with his creator. It is not the lofty saint that we encounter in this classic work but, the lowly man trapped by his love for God & the desires of his flesh which he wishes to overcome. The person that we witness in this narrative is the human being that signifies ALL of us with all our faults, yet wishing to love God in perfection sans faults & sinful ways.

This is not merely a religious document, but a mirror into the heart & mind of one of the greatest mystics of the Medieval Age in Europe. In fact, I would not be wrong if I stated that this novel is the life story of a revolutionary. Saint Francis of Assisi indeed was a revolutionary not only where his thinking was concerned but also his ideals on the way his society was progressing. Kazantzakis brings to us that revolutionary.

The story is narrated by St. Francis’ close comrade & fellow friar Brother Leo who although not all that divinely in tune with God (unlike his friend St. Francis) yet loves St. Francis to such an extent that he goes through the worst of situations to prove his loyalty & devotion. Brother Leo in this novel undergoes the hardships of whipping, self-torture, weather changes, sickness, hunger, thirst, mental turmoil etc., all because of his loyalty toward the person he considers to be quite sure about everything heavenly. More than just the narrator however, Brother Leo in this novel signifies…all our doubts…the scepticism that we are born with & in more than one way does he bring out his doubts. Through him, it is we who are questioning the authenticity of God & the divine call of St. Francis. Just like Brother Leo, we do not question because we think we are more than human….we question because WE ARE HUMAN & can a mere human become a saint? Can a human give up the longings of the flesh? Can a mere human overcome the impossible? These are questions posed to us & by us throughout the book.

The characters in this story may have been moulded in a different way by the author so as not to break the rhythm of the narrative….but they all did exist, this is history, and this is fact. Not only was there the ever loyal but doubtful Brother Leo but there was also the loving Saint Clara who followed in St. Francis’ footsteps ; not only was there a devoted Lady Pica the mother of St. Francis but also the crafty Brother Elias who twists the rule of St. Francis to his own liking & for his own self glory. These were REAL people like you & me who lived during troubled times & yet were asking the same questions about God & humanity that we are asking today. 

The author himself has stated in the novel that he has added many stories from his own imagination at times so as to link together certain intricate parts of the legend of this peculiar medieval saint. He does so to merge the myth with the truth to bring out the essence of St. Francis’ teachings. 

The extraordinary part of the book is that, the wild passion of the human soul is dramatised to perfection that even if an atheist were to read this book, he would be pulled in with this tide of emotional outbursts. The maniacal side of the Saint is seen by us & also accepted by us maybe because we realize that he is one of us. His passion was for God whereas currently our passion may be for many other concerns like Democracy, elimination of corruption, feminism, Global warming , communalism……it could be anything, but we all have our own goals & our own personal barometers to assess whether we have achieved our goal. The fanatic following of the revolutionary ideals of perfect poverty, perfect chastity & perfect obedience by St. Francis reminds us of our own fanaticism to our own ideals. His extraordinary way of living…..his stigmata….his fasts……..his bleeding body……..his hunger…..his yearning for Saint Clara…….his semi blindness all shows a level of extreme that was revolutionary for its time & age. It was not accepted readily of course & he resented it much, but did not complain. His job was to show the passion of his devotion to the world, which he did……which we daydream about too…….to show our ‘different’ ideas to the world which wants us to conform with its own set rules. St. Francis in the novel & in real life never followed the bandwagon but was always standing apart & therefore went the distance.

The novel finally is a revelation into our own hearts & minds……..what is our real mission in life? To conform to something that is not right or to change the rules….even if it takes us to the brink of insanity…..or sainthood! 

#Review The Talkative Man by R.K.Narayan

This book of the ‘Grand Old Man Of Malgudi’ although written in 1983  still shows the simple Indian town of Malgudi in its unique rustic setting which makes the book a very pleasant read. The author, in this book focuses on characters rather than incidents, which helps us to put ourselves in the places of the characters portrayed by R.K.Narayan. The novel is comparatively a short one. The author in the postscript himself states that he needed to finish the story with its suspense on page 116 & thoroughly justifies his action which appeals to the contemporary Indian reader. He also states that he wanted to focus on his characters in the story especially on the character of the fraud & Casanova Dr. Rann which the author does well enough for the reader to love & hate the character at the same time.

What intrigues me about this novel was the way the author has analysed his characters. There is an equal amount of action in this novel as well as drama in a very humorous form (very much like R.K.Narayan) to keep a reader wanting to know what will come next. There are the usual Malgudi characters in this story who as usual not only bring out the rich flavor of the book but also adds to its intricacy. I highly appreciated this work for the way it described the charisma of a born flirt & his Home Guard (equipped with pistol) wife Sasara. 

The first mention that I want to make in regard to the literary value of this piece of art is, the role of protagonist i.e.the Talkative Man himself ! This personage has been appearing in most (if not all) of Narayan’s literary attempts. He is never referred to by his real name at all except the pet name bestowed  on him which is that of a very ‘Talkative Man’. He is also called TM for short…..but never by his personal name (except once where an old school friend refers to him as Madhu in this very book itself for the first time) the reason behind the non-usage of the name is plain & simple…Narayan wishes this intellectual character to remain sans emotion & sans opinion & what best way to create an impersonal character than by just not giving the character a name or any overruling emotion. I can state this for, it is a truth that TM does not really have an emotional side to him at all. He is a rich person in his own right, who lives on the famous Kabir Street of Malgudi but does not like to be idle. He therefore spends his time as a freelance journalist, roaming about the streets of Malgudi for stories which he can post to his publishers (somewhat like R.K.Narayan himself during his days as a journalist)TM has no family & is not married which again adds to his anonymity. He speaks a lot & carries tales of the residents to others, similar to the celestial sage Narada in Hinduism whom Narayan is most obsessed with. Yet, he is trusted by his friends & is genuinely a very helpful individual.

The second thing that was very remarkable in this Narayan edition was the person of the infamous Dr. Rann. Now, Dr. Rann has been described  in detail in this manuscript but he does not speak much throughout the novel. His ‘women’ or the women in his life whom he had duped really tell us more about the character of Dr. Rann than Dr. Rann himself. He is the crux of the whole story & the reader will note that Dr. Rann’s character is not only a novelty to Malgudi, but also to us himself. We cannot stop our curiosity about the man & his vague ‘research’ about futurology which seems as peculiar as the person professing it in question. Dr. Rann has some charm about him that endears him not only to TM but also to women…..be they his seniors or his juniors. He seems to know this trait about himself. He tries to avoid its complexes, yet can’t do without it. This brings out a very human side of the character we involuntarily admire & laugh at.

The activities of the characters are brisk just like TM himself & rather mysterious (like Dr. Rann & the librarian’s grand daughter who meet at a Protestant Cemetery to court each other). But the resemblance of these characters to our own selves is evident. Humour is at its peak in this novel, although it's short lived as the novel ends quite quickly. All in all however, a perfect read for a reader who enjoys his characters. 

http://fizapathan.blogspot.in/2013/02/review-my-days-by-rknarayan.html

http://fizapathan.blogspot.in/2013/03/review-world-of-nagaraj-by-rknarayan.html

http://fizapathan.blogspot.in/2013/02/review-malgudi-schooldaysimmortal-swami.html

#Review 'The World of Nagaraj' by R.K.Narayan

Simplicity enables a person to understand the depths of human nature as well as the universe. R.K.Narayan’s novel ‘The World Of Nagaraj’ just like his other books, takes the reader on a journey into the simplicity of a man’s heart who is unable to comprehend the undertones of normal activities of people. At the same time, the description of an Indian town, Malgudi where all of Narayan’s stories are based again soothes the intellectual critic within us & challenges our inner self, especially the Indian within us all to judge the book.

The story is simple yet profound in its unique way. The character of Nagaraj is put forward to the reader as a person whose only aim in life is to pen down a novel on the life of the holy celestial Hindu sage, ‘Narada’. Nagaraj is a domesticated personality who is simple minded (he cannot even mix his coffee properly) & who is unlike his elder brother Gopu, who is materialistic & very ambitious, ready to make a profit at whatever cost. Nagaraj is dominated & humiliated by his brother which as is seen clearly in the novel, he tries to ignore passing it of as a sort of ‘brotherly joke’. The point is however that, no one takes poor Nagaraj seriously…neither his brother, nor his wife Sita, not the card playing pandit who he goes to learn about the life of the afore mentioned celestial sage, nor his nephew Tim who is adored by Nagaraj….not anybody, except one person……that person is Nagaraj’s obsession NARADA.

The reason I state that the sage from mythology is the only one who takes Nagaraj seriously is because, the meaning of Narada’s existence itself is to cause misunderstandings between people (as we know from studying Hindu Mythology) & to pass on gossip from one party to another. This is what constantly happens in R.K. Narayan’s novel ; the mother-in-law misunderstands Sita & questions her actions, Tim misunderstands his doting father & runs of to his uncle’s home, Saroja (Tim’s wife) misunderstands Nagaraj & leaves her abode along with her shady character of a husband…this continues to take place leaving pitiable Nagaraj gasping for a breath of freedom from everyone including his wife & Narada the sage himself.

The novel also brings together a number of unforgettable ‘Malgudi’ characters who not only entertain but who also play pivotal roles in the whole narrative.,example; my favorite the Talkative Man who leads Nagaraj to the card playing pundit. The novel keeps one engrossed till the very end & yet develops a person’s understanding of how not being forthright in ones dealings can create a lot of unwanted issues.,example; Nagaraj was not forthright enough unlike his wife (who seems to act as hi Lady Macbeth) to question the mysterious drunken Tim about his whereabouts during college hours. The hypocrisy of the clergy is evident in the novel as well as the rather amusing side of a stationary shop owner who seems to know more about the Hindu sages & gods than the ordinary pundit. In all, the book was a breath of fresh air for me through the humorous characters & their never ending problems (just like mine….a good read if there was ever one. The ‘Grand old man of Malgudi’ strikes again!

http://fizapathan.blogspot.in/2013/02/review-my-days-by-rknarayan.html