Half the Night is Gone by Amitabha Bagchi: a review

There are millions of book present in the market and then there is this one book that catches your attention at first glance. Half the Night is Gone by Amitabha Bagchi was one such novel for me. Judge me all that you can but it was the cover of the book that attracted me to it in the first place. Done in shades of blue with a palatial bunglow on the cover, this hardcover book gave me feels right as I held it. The blurb of the book, sealed it's fate- I had to read it.

About the book- The celebrated Hindi novelist Vishwanath is heartbroken by the recent loss of his son in an accidental. The tragedy Spurs him to write a novel set in the household of Lala Motichand. It follows the lives of the wealthy Lala and his three sons: self confident Dinanath, the true heir to Motichand’s mercantile temperament; lonely Diwanchand, uninterested in business and steeped in poetry; and illegitimate Makhan Lal, a Marx loving school teacher kept to the periphery of his father's life. In an illuminating act of self reflection, Vishwanath, the son of a cook for a rich Sethji, also tell the story of the Lala's personal servant, Mange Ram, and his son, Parsadi. Fatherhood, brotherhood and childhood, love, loyalty and poetry, all come to the for as sons and servants await the Lala’s death. By writing about mortality and family, Vishwanath confronts the wreckage of his own life while seeking to make sense of the new India that came into being after Independence. Spellbinding and penetrating, Half the Night is Gone raises questions of religion, literature and society that speaks to our fractured times.

Tragic. Yes! That's the word to describe this labyrinth of human emotions called a book. It is said that books are a way of life and it is rightfully said so, all thanks to this one. I've read a lot of books till date across varied genres but not many that records a family like this. Equally balanced and a wonderful way of storytelling, the author traces the journey of Diwanchand and his story (within the story) to perfection. Starting off with Mange Ram and his association with Lala Motichand, the story takes a wonderful turn throughout the book.

Truths are always bitter and the faster we recognize the fact, the more successful and satisfied we remain. The characters of the story are no special people with special thoughts or powers, they are who you find in real life and that makes the story all the more worth it. I loved the way the narration made this book what it is. It shuttles between Diwanchand's remorseful letters to his loved ones after he received the blow that unsettled him to the core and the story he writes of Lala Motichand and Mange Ram and their families.

The book takes time to grip in and at times the truth of life mentioned in the book might make you feel like closing it but then after a while all these characters make you feel at home and you feel like knowing what is to happen next. I loved the fact that the book is for everyone. Every character has been given their dues and have played their parts to perfection. The questions raised in the story are answered and loose ends tied.

The end brings upon an all knowing smile on your face which is sad as well as sarcastic at the same time. What didn't work for me is the fact that I felt there were to be a few places where the author could've made it better. Whenever one reads a prose of excellence, they expect more and that applauds the writer in many ways than one. For this book, I felt that a few characters could've made better of the space that had been given to them. The way that Vishwanath reflects upon his life through the story he writes is commendable. Kudos to the author for attempting such a bold book. For me, this was 4.75 out of 5. And yes, goes without saying, I'll be waiting for more from the author. Did I mention? I love the cover.