Sunday, April 18, 2010
Some funny stoner stuff
My initial thoughts of this novel are exactly what Snehal told us, "stoner novel." But surprisingly I am enjoying the novel so far. I usually think that these novels are full of cheesy jokes that would only appeal to a stoned reader, but it is not the case. There is a joke here and there, well placed, that make this novel enjoyable. Much like Sherman Alexie, the jokes are often simple and childish, but can be appreciated by an older crowd. The one part that sticks out as very funny was when August was in a Muslim-Hindi get-together and he was telling somebody a series of lies to avoid the disease infested food. He lies about his mom dying and that he was fasting to pay pennants because he killed her. Obviously this is quite inappropriate but the fact that the person couldnt hear him say that made me truly laugh. The kind of laugh that I like to call LQTM (Laugh Quietly to Myself), because honestly who actually laughs out loud to a novel?
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Don't worry about the inappropriate point of laughter that you posted...I found myself in heavy laughter after reading that section. Reading your post was a bit odd for me because it is EXTREMELY similar to the way in which I was going to start my post. Snehal told us exactly what to expect: a stoner novel. However, there is much more at play than the marijuana and its effects on Agastya. His compulsive lying creates many moments of humor (mainly because the reader also knows the truth about the matter) and his quasi-morose dissatisfaction with others makes his meetings all the more hilarious. To comment on your final statement, there are parts in this book where I have truthfully caught myself laughing aloud. Don't get me wrong, it was nothing out of control, but I do laugh quite often when the tone of a book captures you in a mundane and trivial mindset. Chtterjee has achieved this mood perfectly, allowing me an opportunity to enjoy a book that reminds me so much Catcher in the Rye (which I did not enjoy).
ReplyDeleteAugust's listlessness, his search for pot and his music all speak to his character and are very much stoner-characteristics. The pace of the novel is bracingly casual with respect to the previous texts. It is in some ways unrecognizable in terms of what we've come to expect from Indian fiction. Because it breaks so heavily from the mold that we're used to, it has caught me off guard with its rhythms. August's removal from the lower classes, his governmental position that he is more or less indifferent to, lead me to wonder what there is to develop in this book. The pacing and his character lead me to believe that not much will. It's got me curious and that's what keeps me reading.
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