Amazon has done many things for us and simplifying buying books is just one of them. We can now stock our bookshelves with the precise stuff we like to read. Moreover, reading samples online has also been made possible. This is a sound safeguard against coming across nasty surprises after purchasing. Books by Salil Desai never fail to delight.
A few of the authors from India need no introduction. This just shows that Chetan Bhagat is not the whole and sole of the present of Indian literature. Salil Desai is an author who has been ruling the minds of Indian readers for over a decade.
Crime thrillers are Desai’s specialization. These are detective novels – just that police inspectors are the detectives involved herein. So, these guys act within the bounds of the law. Most importantly, Desai’s genre is very unique while being very relevant. This is unlike anything we may have come across earlier. In this article, we discuss Desai’s latest book ‘The Grudges of Gajanan Godbole’. You won’t fail to notice, the title incites humor.
The Grudges Of Gajanan Godbole by Salil Desai
So, The Grudges of Gajanan Godbole is different from Desai’s earlier titles. No detective work by top cops is involved. Instead, the protagonist, if I may have the liberty, is a cynic and a dangerous man. It’s just that while the story unfolds in the later stages of the novel, you don’t come to realize the degree of annoyance that the protagonist has against the world.
Is this an unexplored concept? I really don’t know as I have not come across it in any sort of literature, or even art, like cinema, telefilms, or theatre.
I hate to give away the plot, but after COVID-19 takes away the protagonist’s wife, he rediscovers a new self that was always hidden earlier. He shortlists the people who have wronged him at any stages in his life and plots the ultimate revenge – murder.
What is the crime thriller all about?
Salil Desai explains the actions of the protagonist by giving a detailed idea of all that unfolded in his life that led to such harsh feelings.
This genre of literature is interesting because one writes from the criminal’s viewpoint. The criminal does not explain his actions. The incidents are narrated, following which the narration returns to the main story. After decades of being wronged, the protagonist plots revenge and implements it as well. One wonders that after so many years of gap, peace hasn’t prevailed in the protagonist’s mind.
What a reader makes of the novel is up to him. He may want to see humor in all aspects. He may want to use the story as a medium to get an insight into the human mind, which is indeed capable of many things.
A reader may set out to justify the protagonist’s actions or blatantly oppose them. One may see the entire story with a dash of humor and consider that this is what happens when the better half expires. The perception of the story could be as versatile as the story itself. One may even consider that all this doesn’t make sense. This is even while all scenarios are very real-world.
It takes a genius to come up with such a plot!
There are even cases when the conversations in the story become animated. However, a reader is hooked on the book because he is eager to know what happens next. It is only the genius of Salil Desai, the author that makes a reader want to read on.
In the ending chapter, the protagonist is in hospital due to a road accident when he gets calls from the police about his presence close to the sites of four recent murders. This tells us that the police are close on the heels of the criminal, even though he is yet to be identified.
An interesting section of the novel involves a telephonic conversation between the protagonist and his son-in-law. Here, the protagonist is trying to act amused when he is actually not. The conversation is the stuff of mockery.
I cannot deny that I enjoyed reading The Grudges of Gajanan Godbole. It is a light-hearted read despite there being four murders involved. So, is this not the James Bond story where killing was made out to be an artistic expression and an act of panache, and not something horrendous or heinous?
