If there has to be one word to describe this piece of literature it is 'Captivating'. I cannot thank Blogadda enough to present me this opportunity to review this book. The genre is a refreshing change from all the rom-coms the new age Indian authors are coming up with. The way the details are presented in such an articulate fashion would make even the best in the business proud!
The story of a farmer, who succumbs to the pressures of life, crushed by successive
crop failures and the burden of debt, and finds death to be the easier way out. As fate would have it, the
powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide
and refuses compensation to his widow.
Gangiri, the farmer's brother, who fights for justice to his
brother’s widow is the main protagonist of the story, while Keyur Kashinath, The antagonist of the Democratic Party.
The tone of the book is highly empathetic and it seems to
have a heart of its own. The
brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant
politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two
worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality
from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about
‘inherited’ democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one
winner. Passionate and startlingly insightful, Shoes of the Dead is a
chilling parable of modern-day India.
One of the lines which struck me was "Where booked enjoyed better air conditioning than half of country's population" "Where family of dead farmer owned land, compensation was denied, so
that family is forced to sell off land, where they had no land,
compensation was granted so that debt could be repaid in cash".
The cover of the book and the sepia adds to the grave tone which is very well complemented with the narration. This sort of humane rendition to the characters and the
storyline makes the narration effective and easy to understand. The dilemmas
associated with pride and poverty are very well-sketched. The dilemmas faced by
committees and the discomfort faced by people are also nicely done. This is a piece that will make you amble through the corridors of power and politics of India along with a perfect
portrayal of how its consequences creep into the lives of the farmers
forcing them to commit suicide.
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Signing Off,
Nirvaan
