Madame Bovary in Manchester. Emma Bovary becomes PK Malik, an Indian businessman in Manchester, whose business is struggling. Seeking an escape from his disappointing family life, seduced by glamour, he begins an affair with the wife of his most successful rival. Inevitably he finds himself living far beyond his means. All of his dreams are disappointed.
This story of ordinary people is firmly rooted in reality, underscored by the matter-of-fact chapter titles, eg "A Football Match", "Tough Times", "A Pair of Red Shoes". This everyday style reminded me of the 'kitchen sink' novels of the late 1950s and early 1960s such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe and The Lowlife by Alexander Baron. So many novels nowadays seem to harness escapism that it is refreshing to discover that authors can still find drama in the ordinary.
It is narrated in the present tense (although there are a couple of moments when it seems that PK is looking back on the story) by PK the protagonist. Many of the chapters end with letters written by Geeta, PK's wife.
The ring of truth about this novel is substantiated by the relentlessness of the trap that is tightening around the hero. The reader hopes that this remorseless author will find a happy ending but fears that PK's story can only end in tragedy.
The Set up of the Plot
Prakash Kant 'PK' Malik left India and settled in Manchester where he became successful in the rag trade. A wannabe fashion designer, he was one of the pioneers of cheap fashion: taking haute couture, changing it slightly, and marketing it to the masses. But when the novel opens, his business in struggling. The competition is personified by Cedric Solomon. At the same time, his wife Geeta is growing fat and their only son Amar, born after a number of miscarriages, has special needs and is entering adolescence. Spending mushrooms in the absence of love, putting intolerable pressure on PK's finances. He seeks escape and begins an affair with Cedric's wife, Esther. I particularly enjoyed the irony when the clothes designer first seeks happiness by getting naked with his lover.
Selected quotes:- “Anybody can be happy - there is no skill in that. what is important is to become a someone.” (Ch 17)
- “All love stories are accidents ... A crazy lurch in the dark, and if we're lucky someone steps out to catch us, to break our fall.” (Ch 18)
