Mistress – Anita Nair

I have had several mails on why I have stopped posting here. No particular reason, just that I wanted to find the right book to write about. So here goes, this is one my favourite writers of all time. The High Priestess of contemporary Indian Writing in English, Anita Nair is one of the greatest writers of our times. I am an avid fan of Ms. Nair and I own most of her books.  I was hooked by ‘Ladies Coupe’ and since then I have kept track of her and her literary works. She is very authentic and has complete control over her art. I know that there have been several reviews and criticisms about ‘Mistress’, but I bought the book as soon as it was launched on a hunch.

The book is set on the banks of the river Nila, there could not have been a better setting. Just like the river the plot is a journey to self realisation. The four main characters evolve over the course of the story and as usual her strength is the intricate characterisation. Koman, the kathakali doyen, is the central character on whom all the others hinge and from whom everything flows. Ms. Nair has bettered herself with this character, an absolutely complete character in all respects. Take away all the other characters and you still have a very strong plot with only Koman. Radha, the heroine is almost a doppelganger of her uncle Koman. She is a strong willed character and lives by her own rules. She looks upto Koman for guidance and one almost feels that her relationship with Chris is her way of proving her independence to herself and to Koman. Shyam, the husband, is easy to despise. Ms. Nair almost seems to set up his character in order to justify Radha’s actions. Chris the weakest character in the book, is predictable and tedious. He is the typical foreigner completely taken in by India and all things Indian even if some of them are forbidden.

In terms of ranking, I would rank ‘Ladies Coupe’ and ‘The Better Man’ much higher than this book. The only grouse I have against the book is the central theme of kathakali. At times it seems contrived and seems like Ms. Nair’s way of ensuring that the book does well in the west.

Miss it at your own risk.