Grab it with both hands. Review on Vertigo - Ashok Banker

Ashok Banker is one of the lesser-known Indian novelists writing in English. And that probably has to do with the fact that he is not yet published in the West, although there are rumors that he has hooked (I apologize for this term) a publisher in the US (of A fame) for his latest novel, ‘The New Ramayana’. For the uninitiated, Ashok Banker was also the scriptwriter of the first (and perhaps only) Indo-English serial telecast on Indian television, ‘A Mouthful of Sky’.

‘Vertigo’ is Banker’s most accomplished work, leagues ahead of even the poignant ‘Byculla Boy’. The narrative begins with a staccato narration of life on a Mumbai Monday morning. The protagonist, Jayesh Mehta (Jay for short) is on his way to office amidst the cacophony of a new week, upset with the anticipation of being fired by his boss for not completing an assignment over the weekend. En route he meets Meera, a very close friend who has joined his organization as his superior.

What follows is a highly disturbing tale of youthful aspirations gone astray. Numerous hurdles face Jay, a client-servicing executive working in a Market Research organization, in his personal life. His mother is an alcoholic and he has to fend for her addiction despite his meager salary; his father has left him in the lurch; his girlfriend, Tuli, is a selfish woman, who despite all assurances leaves him for another man. Essentially a tragedy, the novel ends with Tuli’s betrayal and the death of Jay’s mother.

In this extremely dark narrative, the reader comes across a marvelously etched character of Meera. Strong-willed, ambitious, and compassionate, all at the same time, she is the only one who provides emotional succor to Jay. Their relationship is revealed in a series of brilliantly crafted scenes.

‘Vertigo’, unlike the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name is not a thriller, yet one cannot but help trying to finish it in one sitting. Where the writer does seem to go wrong is in the climax, which fails to match the expectations built by the preceding chapters.

All in all, ‘Vertigo’ is a novel that should not be missed. Its copy should be grabbed with both hands, much like a once-in-a-life-time-opportunity.