''The Better Man'' is a 2000
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by
Anita Nair
Anita Nair (born 26 January 1966) is an Indian novelist who writes her books in English. She is best known for her novels '' A Better Man'', ''Mistress'', and '' Lessons in Forgetting''. She has also written poetry, essays, short stories, crime ...
.
It is set in the northern part of
Kerala,
India, a region known as
Malabar
Malabar may refer to the following:
People
* Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India
* Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion
Places
* Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...
under the
British Raj.
Plot
Mukundan, retired from government service, returns to the village of Kaikurussi where he was born. He is upset, viewing his life as a failure. He meets "One-screw-loose-Bhasi", a local eccentric, a housepainter and an inventor of an odd system of alternative medicine. He helps Mukundan transform himself.
Then Power House Ramakrishnan, a locally important man, decides to build a Community hall, and selects Bhasi's land. He threatens to destroy Bhasi's business if he refuses to sell the land. Mukundan intends to save Bhasi's land but is flattered into accepting membership on the project committee.
Then Mukundan's father dies, and he undergoes a deeper transformation.
Critical reaction
Dhanyasree M, writing in ''OneIndia'', says "A tone of wistful melancholy and incidents with a touch of keenly observed comedy makes the characterization in this novel more special. Her vivid knowledge on the pulse of Kerala can be well observed in this novel. This novel is a must read for anyone who wants to know the true pulse of Indian life."
Kit Reed, writing in ''
The New York Times'', says "A genial, meandering tale filled with false alarms and diversions, ''The Better Man'' is slowed by loops in the story, by abandoned threads of plot. Charming as it is, the novel gathers momentum only at the end, when Bhasi and Mukundan find themselves at odds just in time for the drama of conflict and resolution."
''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' writes, "Nair's prose can tend to the purple; her strength lies in gentle, keenly observed comedy rather than tearful melodrama," and describes the work as "Overall, a warmly affecting novel whose depiction of small-town life strikes a universal chord."
The Literary Review column of ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' said "''The Better Man'' had all the right ingredients according to the critics. Today, with her second book ''Ladies Coupe'', one would imagine ANITA NAIR would have achieved the same results. Critics have opined otherwise..."
Another review in ''The Hindu'' said "Anita Nair's first book, The Better Man, was a finely structured novel set in a small Kerala village. Mukundan, her hero, returns to the village, hoping to exorcise bitter memories. Anita Nair not only has a wonderful knowledge of life in the village, but shows an almost Dostoevskian feeling for the undercurrents of consciousness, as Mukundan seeks and finds redemption."
Notes
External links
author's page on the bookreview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Better Man
Arts of Kerala
2000 Indian novels
Indian English-language novels