The Death of Vishnu
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| Author | Manil Suri |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Philosophical novel |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Released | 2001 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 295 pp (USA hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-393-05042-4 (USA hardcover edition) |
The Death of Vishnu is a novel by Manil Suri about the spiritual journey of a dying man named Vishnu living on a landing of a Bombay apartment building, as well as the lives of the residents living in the building. The novel is a carefully mastered post-modern collaboration of the lives of a group of everyday Indian families, living in a society depicting apartment complex. The novel features a set of typical Indian households, a widower, a muslim family; but primarily spotlights the life of the "odd-jobbed" Vishnu, dying in the staircase, as the protagonist. The novel, in general, recaps Vishnu's past relationships, and incorporates a detailed personal expedition, on Vishnu's behalf, in which as he makes his way through the several floors of the building and observes the lives and diverse dilemmas haunting the complex. The novel has been noted by the author as a 'blending incisive comedy' that is dilligently able to incorporate and further develop the origins and intentions of the vast Hindu mythology. According to the author, the vast majority of the background information and inspiration for the novel are derived from the spiritual Hindu text of the Gita; and originally intended the novel to be the first of a trilogy. No further published releases from Manil Suri have surfaced so far. One of the most successfull aspect of the novel, as a reader, would have to involve the credibility of the narrarator. For the most past, the entire novel is based upon a sense of uncertainty and illusions; and depicts all characters surrounded by a grey opaque wall of fog and mirages. In fact, the climax of the novel too engages this feature in order to introduce conflict and plot. Throughout the plot, readers are forced by the presentation style of the context and the down-right outrages claims to rexamine and re-evaluate the credentions and credibility of the nararrator. A lot of the themes and meanings are left to the reader's imagination and translation of the text and the various events. For the most part, as far as the characters in the novel are concerned, most the fabrications are unintentionally produced and enforced by themselves; and pave the path for the focal conflict and theme in the novel of faith versus intellect. The novel is perfect for anyone unsatisfied with the information they have so far been provided regarding controversial issues such as god, religion and faith; and challanges all its readers to reconsider the intented definitions and perhaps the fabricated meanings society associates with the terms. The book raises themes and issues profound enough to challange both the believers and athiests in all its readers. A-tax
