Emotional and surprising, quite a page-turner this

Manil Suri’s The City of Devi is the final installment in a trilogy which began with The Death of Vishnu in 2001. The second book in the series was The Age of Shiva, which although not as acclaimed as the first novel, received good reviews all around. Suri cleverly links the three novels not through narrative but through the theme of the holy trinity in Hinduism. The surprise being that the final novel deals with Devi and not Bramha as being a part of the holy triumvirate. This also seems to be an intelligent contemporary twist given to an old ideology. In marrying the topics of mythology with modern day power scenario in an increasingly insecure world threatened by terrorism and warfare, Suri has come up a complex layered novel that also manages to present an interesting human tale of emotions centered on love for an individual. The story begins in Mumbai that has been nearly annihilated through nuclear bombs in the battle ensuing between rival gangs of Hindu and Muslim fundamentalist factions, fueled by a CIA supported Pakistan army. As the city lies bleeding, the denizens are trying to carry on with some modicum of normalcy. Central to the story is Sarita, a devoted and yet modern Hindu wife in search of her missing husband. Her undying hope and relentless quest leads her through markets in search of the last elusive pomegranate which she believes will rescue her marriage, hospitals, even discos using various means of transport. Her husband Karun, a physicist has gone missing and although his whereabouts are unknown, Sarita believes that her willpower, courage and a helping hand from the mother of the universe, Devi would help her succeed in finding him, a mission shared by the second main character in the novel, Ijaz. Jazter, as Ijaz likes to call himself in the third person, is a Muslim with only one religion as he claims himself- having sex with other men. Right at the very beginning, it becomes clear that there’s more to it than Ijaz’s seemingly helpful nature when he offers to assist Sarita in her quest to find Karun. Ijaz, as it turns out, has been in a relationship with Karun for several years before things turned sour between them, a fact that pushes Karun towards marrying Sarita. The first half of the novel is rather slow and builds up the story of the relationship between the three protagonists through elaborate descriptions of love-making, both queer and straight, exposing the fundamental reason for Karun’s reluctance to submit himself completely to Sarita. The underlying complexity of Karun’s psyche is not explored fully but the story ambles along to a fairly thrilling second half dominated by the narrative of rival factions playing out their hostilities through destruction of the city of their livelihood. Passions are roused through evoking devotion towards the city’s patron Goddess, Mumba Devi resulting in the city being ravaged by the Hindu chief, Bhim’s men as well as the rival muslim gangs. As the story reaches a final crescendo, emotions are laid bare and many surprises come to the fore. The three characters in keeping with the theme of the holy trinity resolve their complex story of loving and losing through a Bollywood style climax after a crazy odyssey that takes them through the length and breadth of the island sometimes on foot, in trains that are being bombed, and even on elephants. Suri reveals his background of being an expert Mathematician by balancing out the equations of violence and love in a city that equally supports traditional beliefs of faith in the Goddess, just as it presents itself as a modern, heartless haven where people often sell their souls to realise their dreams. In summary, despite being graphic, dramatic and very violent, The City of Devi is a story told rather well in an uniquely satiric and dramatic style, living up to Suri’s reputation of being one of the most iconoclastic storytellers of our time. Despite the background of a modern day world terrorised by violence with no respite, the novel succeeds in conveying the triumph of love, hope and faith, against all odds.