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HT reviewer Percy Bharucha picks his best reads of 2020
Two novels, one of them a graphic mystery, deal with the true nature of reality
Two books have made a vivid impression on me this year. Both deal with the nature of reality and the core human struggle of maintaining one’s sanity. Both have eerie similarities including unnamed protagonists, a heavy dose of neurosis, literary references, a small cast, and an extremely nuanced depiction of individual struggle.
The Red Pill by Hari Kunzru and The Real Mr Barkotoki by Shishir Basumatari. The latter began as a film project, pivoted to a biography, and finally took form as a noir mystery graphic novel. Part Biographical and part surreal Basumatari’s work is unique and genre breaking in tone and format. The graphic novel begins with an unnamed protagonist haunted by a recurring dream featuring a mysterious figure. What follows is the quest to retrace the life of Munin Barkotoki, one of Assam’s brightest literary stars and man of letters. Basumatari’s work is visually stunning infusing the graphic novel format with cinematic techniques - subsequent panels that use different points of view and angles to show the same event. Like the quest for Munin Barkotoki, the narration of the book follows complexity. There is a challenge thrown down to the reader to follow its whimsical threads and for once the ends justify their means.
In Red Pill, author Hari Kunzru uses architecture to create a stunning environment of suffocation and unease. An unnamed freelance writer takes up an unconventional residency to work on his new book. Where he becomes obsessed with a fictional television show that he is convinced promotes violence, subjugation, and a fascist world view. A chance meeting with the creator of the show and Kunzru’s protagonist slowly begins to unravel. His descent into paranoia and madness is further fuelled by his fear of being unable to affect change or protect his wife and child. His faith in his convictions is shaken by their impotency and the seductive narrative of the show’s creator.
The threat to the protagonist is heightened by the suffocating spaces Kunzru subjects him to. A tiny apartment in New York, a personal room at the Deuter Center in Wannsee, a small kebab shop packed with people, cigarette smoke, and sweat. Repeatedly, as Kunzru pummels his protagonist with fate, each expression of his free will is either denied or backfires. At its peak, the protagonist ruminates about kneeling before an executioner. Death is the “orgasmic headshot” that would be the ultimate solution to all his problems. The ending is spectacular with Kunzru pulling back his protagonist from the edge only to bring him to a pivotal moment where his past struggle seems all too real.
Percy Bharucha is a freelance writer and illustrator with two biweekly comics, The Adult Manual and Cats Over Coffee. Instagram: @percybharucha
