Comments on: Which One Is Different? http://amitavakumar.blogsome.com/2006/08/29/311/ Reading Writing Teaching Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:42:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Peter http://amitavakumar.blogsome.com/2006/08/29/311/#comment-563 Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:34:57 +0000 http://amitavakumar.blogsome.com/2006/08/29/311/#comment-563 The intensity of the discussion surrounding <i>Sacred Games</i> might eclipse the novel itself. I suspect it will become one of those books about which people have an opinion whether or not they have read it. I have some sympathy with the suggestion of a "literary" novelist slumming it by writing crime, but I also note with interest Jeet Thayil’s comments. Almost every commentator has singled out Chandra's use of Bombay argot. As I have written on my blog, I look forward to it. And now, to drop out of the discussion for a while and start reading the novel! ======================== Detectives Beyond Borders "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home" http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/ The intensity of the discussion surrounding Sacred Games might eclipse the novel itself. I suspect it will become one of those books about which people have an opinion whether or not they have read it.

I have some sympathy with the suggestion of a “literary” novelist slumming it by writing crime, but I also note with interest Jeet Thayil’s comments. Almost every commentator has singled out Chandra’s use of Bombay argot. As I have written on my blog, I look forward to it.

And now, to drop out of the discussion for a while and start reading the novel!
========================

Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

]]> by: Zafar http://amitavakumar.blogsome.com/2006/08/29/311/#comment-383 Tue, 29 Aug 2006 23:36:08 +0100 http://amitavakumar.blogsome.com/2006/08/29/311/#comment-383 Thanks for the link to Thomson's review. Though it is simplistic to bunch all the big books of IWE together, the way he does in the intro, Thomson's is the first review that is not all going ra ra for the Sacred Games. Apart from the appreciation, Thomson has also noted a few things in the review that are interesting (and could be debatable): "Chandra spent a lot of time researching his book. He hung out with police officers as well as members of the criminal fraternity. But has all the hard work paid off? Not entirely. The novel excites and exasperates in equal measure. The problem for Chandra is that he wants to have his cake and eat it. He wants to write a crime caper and still be 'literary'. Hence all the flowery language and endless digressions which do nothing but slow down what is otherwise a very engrossing story. The pace of the book is further hampered by an infuriating tendency to give potted histories to even the most minor characters. And then there's the problem of the two protagonists. In the end, they just don't ring true. Sartaj Singh must be the most self-aware policeman that ever drew breath, while Ganesh Gaitonde, a career criminal with no formal education, gives much too eloquent an account of his rise to power." And read this one: "All in all, this is a very patchy read. At the heart of the book is a very clever detective yarn which any crime writer would be proud of, but Chandra surrounds it with so much verbiage you could scream. Oh for a bit of judicious editing. At 900 pages, the book is too long. Chandra may have departed from the typical Indian novel in terms of subject matter, but when it comes to length, he reveals himself to be every bit the traditionalist. Sacred Games, alas, is the poorer because of this." Thanks for the link to Thomson’s review. Though it is simplistic to bunch all the big books of IWE together, the way he does in the intro, Thomson’s is the first review that is not all going ra ra for the Sacred Games.

Apart from the appreciation, Thomson has also noted a few things in the review that are interesting (and could be debatable):

“Chandra spent a lot of time researching his book. He hung out with police officers as well as members of the criminal fraternity. But has all the hard work paid off? Not entirely. The novel excites and exasperates in equal measure. The problem for Chandra is that he wants to have his cake and eat it. He wants to write a crime caper and still be ‘literary’. Hence all the flowery language and endless digressions which do nothing but slow down what is otherwise a very engrossing story. The pace of the book is further hampered by an infuriating tendency to give potted histories to even the most minor characters. And then there’s the problem of the two protagonists. In the end, they just don’t ring true. Sartaj Singh must be the most self-aware policeman that ever drew breath, while Ganesh Gaitonde, a career criminal with no formal education, gives much too eloquent an account of his rise to power.”

And read this one: “All in all, this is a very patchy read. At the heart of the book is a very clever detective yarn which any crime writer would be proud of, but Chandra surrounds it with so much verbiage you could scream. Oh for a bit of judicious editing. At 900 pages, the book is too long. Chandra may have departed from the typical Indian novel in terms of subject matter, but when it comes to length, he reveals himself to be every bit the traditionalist. Sacred Games, alas, is the poorer because of this.”

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