I wasn't sure where this book was going at first and I certainly wasn't certain that I could take it, what with the man killing his most loved pet from the very beginning. The story follows said character through a sort of mid-life crisis, where he finds himself going from being not really anybody to being nobody who also has nothing to do, as his livelihood is taken from him with the death of his snake. He has done this to himself, however, and you spend the rest of the book wondering what he will do and how his sanity will survive. The characters are very well worked out, each has their own place and purpose and are very strongly written, making the story seem all the more real.

It wasn't until I finished this book that I realized just how emotional the story was. This emotion goes beyond the simple plot being an emotional one and into a journey through the writing itself. Through the actual printed words, in a very meaningful and striking way, the author has managed to capture the feelings of an instant or the mental experiences behind an event with such ease that if you blink, you miss it. The subtlety behind this writing style was amazing to me and because of it I found myself even more in touch with the characters long after I had finished the book and moved into other literary realms. ( )

The book is about how Sonalal deals with the death of his snake. At first he basks in the media attention, then he plunges into a deep depression as he becomes consumed by guilt. He also lives in fear that his snakes mate will come after him and lethally bite him.

I really enjoyed this story – it is very simple and very profound, and I could not put it down. There are many issues looked at by the author. How guilt exhibits itself – in Sonalal’s case it was sexual impotence, and the inability to play his music. He consults various acquaintances for advice, including a fellow snake charmer, a street magician, a GP and a comical sex therapist. There is also his friend the prostitute who helps him in her way. Sonalal’s lack of education and inhability to express himself makes his inquiries quite humourous, as he twists words and meanings to come up with his version of the various suggestions.
I guess this could be described as an Indian version of a man’s middle-life crisis. He is just one obscure struggling man, who has a moment of fame, destroys it, and sinks back into obscurity. The journey between obscurities, is the basis of this recommended book

An absolute great novel.
One of those few books that stays with for a very long time..
Very strong characters... ( )

Blurb from Amazon:

"A snake charmer wakes up one morning in Delhi, little knowing that by evening his whole world will have been turned upside down, his life irrevocably changed. Married to an embittered wife, the father of two indifferent sons, Sonalal's closest relationship is with his elderly snake, Raju--a defanged cobra with whom he has worked for 15 years. On this day, Sonalal and Raju set up shop in front of a popular tourist destination and for nine straight hours the charmer plays while the snake dances. At the end of the evening, just as he is about to stop for the day, Sonalal is tempted to perform one last time by the arrival of a busload of foreign journalists. At first, Raju refuses to cooperate and Sonalal is embarrassed. Then he begins to play "variations on Raju's favorite tune, such beautiful variations that, had they been recorded, might have guaranteed Sonalal's immortality. It was as if the finest music of his ancestors--seven generations of charmers--had condensed into the enchanting combination of notes now coming from his new been." Raju dances, the journalists shower the charmer with money and in his excitement, Sonalal begins to play wrong notes. Raju becomes enraged and bites; Sonalal, in a moment of madness bites back, severing the snake in two."

The book is about how Sonalal deals with the death of his snake. At first he basks in the media attention, then he plunges into a deep depression as he becomes consumed by guilt. He also lives in fear that his snakes mate will come after him and lethally bite him.

I really enjoyed this story - it is very simple and very profound, and I could not put it down. There are many issues looked at by the author. How guilt exhibits itself - in Sonalal's case it was sexual impotence, and the inability to play his music. He consults various acquaintances for advice, including a fellow snake charmer, a street magician, a GP and a comical sex therapist. There is also his friend the prostitute who helps him in her way. Sonalal's lack of education and inhability to express himself makes his inquiries quite humourous, as he twists words and meanings to come up with his version of the various suggestions.

I guess this could be described as an Indian version of a man's middle-life crisis. He is just one obscure struggling man, who has a moment of fame, destroys it, and sinks back into obscurity. The journey between obscurities, is the basis of this recommended book. ( )