The
Illicit Happiness Of Other People is Manu Joseph’s
second novel, but I read him for the first time.
I picked up
the book mainly for its wonderful title. Besides, I wanted to find out what and
how Manu Joseph (who I know as a journalist, but recently got awarded for his
fiction) actually writes.
It is about Unni Chacko, the weird cartoonist, who
killed himself at the age of seventeen. But why did he do this? The novel
revolves around this mystery as Ousep,
Unni’s father, a journalist, conducts his long, crazy and relentless search and
taps all possible sources to find out the cause of his son’s suicide.
Towards the end of the novel everything falls in
places, and the reader knows about the cause, which is not very uncommon, but
convincing.
Manu Joseph is a wonderful writer, and I must admit
he fascinates me with his prose, intelligence and sensibilities. He never bores. Like any of
today’s writers, he has his research part in this novel, but he incorporates it
aptly with an effort though.
In an otherwise well- constructed narrative, the
only thing that jars is the abysmal poverty of Chakao family. How come the
family would be living in so poor condition while its man is a chief reporter
with UNI, his drinking habit notwithstanding?
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