This vivid, detailed novel takes place in a bustling apartment building in modern Bombay. It features a diverse cast of characters, each surprisingly human in their prejudices and personality oversights.
The titular character, Vishnu, alone lacks this sense of humanity ; as he lays on his deathbed, the apartment stairwell, he contemplates his own morality and decides that he must be the Hindu god, Vishnu.
Throughout The Death of Vishnu, the lives of the apartment dwellers are depicted whilst Vishnu remains stationary in his state of delirium. And though the bounds of this story are limited to this handful of characters, Suri's rich use of religion informs the reader of the complexities of Indian culture.
Levels of Religious Devotion
On one floor of the apartment building lives the ever-feuding Pathak and Asrani families. Despite their incredible ability to disagree on the most insignificant issues, when it comes to religion they are very similar. Both families take Hinduism at face value, tapping only into its social aspects, and not the religious ones. Mr. Asrani takes this sort of religious apathy even further; in a desperate attempt to mitigate his bad luck he makes his rounds, visiting the local church and mosque, as well as his temple.
On the top floor, Mrs. Jalal is a devout Muslim. Throughout The Death of Vishnu she participates in a myriad of rituals; she refuses to sway her religious beliefs and holds them close to her heart.
Her husband, Mr. Jalal, could not be any more different. He is introduced to readers as being antagonistic and a great skeptic of religion. As the novel progresses, Mr. Jalal becomes erratic in his search for a deeper meaning in life. He tries starving himself and giving up worldly comforts.
Suri depicts the many levels of religious devotion to get the point across of how very diverse India is. Not just in its religious beliefs, but also socially, economically, and politically. Instead of showing the vast range of India's people across the board, he chooses to intensify this point by focusing only on differences in religious devotion.
Use of Hindu Allusions
Why does Suri choose to include excerpts from Hindu texts, references to the Caste System, and the stories of Jeev, a yogi-spirit born nine hundred and ninety thousand times? Certainly to educate his readers and to make them more knowledgeable about Hinduism. But his rich use of allusions have a deeper meaning.
With each Hindu reference, Suri indicates the centrality of religion in Indian society. It's prevalent in entertainment, in the newspapers and in the stories passed down orally from generation to generation. Hinduism and its pinnacles crop up in dietary decisions and decisions on apparel. In the novel, religious themes also reign over dreams and daydreams.
Hindu-Islamic Conflict
The importance of religion is displayed more tangibly in The Death of Vishnu as well; one's personal religious convictions affect who they associate with.
In the apartment building, the relationship between the Islamic Jalals and their Hindu neighbors is a small-scale representation of India as a whole. In The Death of Vishnu, the strife between the two religious factions is over small matters like the refusal to accept charity from the other.
There are, however, greater and more dangerous results from the Hindu-Islamic Conflict. Led by the cigarette seller, the apartment dwellers attack the Jalals because they are Muslims. Mr. and Mrs. Jalal both end up in the hospital because of their neighbors' aggression.
According to a 1995 Library of Congress study, the tension between Hindus and Muslims are not a result of fundamental religious differences, but social and economic ones. Suri supports this assertion in his novel.
The Death of Vishnu may be a work of fiction, but the heart of the story lies in Manil Suri's own experiences in Bombay, India. Learn more about this fascinating author by visiting his website.
Harper Collins Publishers
January 2008
ISBN: 9780641968860
