CY Gopinath, author of The Book Of Answers

The Book of Answers is a fine tribute to George Orwell’s 1984. Set in the not so distant future, it’s a story about an ordinary Mumbaikar Patros Patronobis - half Bengali, half Keralite - who receives a mysterious, metal bound book which supposedly has answers to all the world’s problems. Except, that to open this book, one needs a key and Patros has no clue where to find it. Disappointed and unwilling to take on the responsibility to “be a man and make the world a better place using the book”, Patros sells it to a junk shop.

Patros thinks that he’s absolved himself of all responsibility, until when he finds that the Book, is now in the possession of forces that are far more influential than him - government, godmen, cops converge into his life who claim ownership to the book and also pretending to have its key. What motivates Patros… to seek possession of the book once again and does he eventually manage to do it, is what forms the rest of the story.

Most of the book is a stinging satire on Indian democracy and our redundant laws and Gopinath masterfully creates a theatre of the absurd, as the story progresses.

The pace of the proceedings flags mid-way, as one doesn’t sense the same sense of alarm and adventure that the jacket copy promises. What prevents the reader from glossing over though, is some consistently witty prose on every page.

Certain chapters especially the ones devoted to the meeting between teachers at a school to re-assess the examination system; a chapter that unfolds at a neighborhood “consumer court” where “anybody can be the judge”, froth with tongue-in-cheek humour. Gopinath masterfully ruminates about a draconian society. What makes his writing memorable is our understanding that the life and times of Patros won’t catch us by surprise, if they unfold for real in the not-too-distant future.

Like, a Happiness Tax for sex. Like, an India divided into two halves - the rich and the poor. Like, an examination system where you’re free to cheat and the intelligence of students is measured not by well they answer their examination papers, but by how well they search on Google, the search engine with all the answers. I loved Gopinath’s nomenclature for characters in the book. Tarachannd Sagar’s junk shop is called Starmoon Ocean, a literal English translation of his name. There’s also a women’s shelter titled Women Without Want, whose website URL is www.www.org.

My favourite parts of the book are however not exactly related to the plot. They are about Patros and his family. Patros lives with Rose, who is not his wife and Tippy (short for Tipperary), who is not his son. How they enter Patros’ life and how they’re related to his best friend Arindam, are sub-plots I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

There’s been want of some really good topical satire in Indian fiction. The Book of Answers satisfies that want. Even more topical if you look at the Anna drama unfolding on TV screens these days.

(The Book Of Answers, published by Harper Collins India, is available on uRead.com for Rs 374, at 25% discount. Free shipping in India, low cost shipping worldwide. Click here to buy/gift the book.)