From the powerhouse of Saurav Dutt, the Man from Nowhere is the latest offering. Like his previous novels (Tiger, Dear Mr Bachchan, The Butterfly Room), this one is also highly engrossing and great on social message. Well, in this novel the author explores the identity crises, racial abuse and discrimination, mental suffering, unending unbridled greed and desires of a man.
The novel is set in North America, a famous ground for racial discrimination. The story features a man who is a recluse; he lives in the Hollywood Hills, a famous residential colony in Los Angles. The man originally hails from a rusty Muslim locality but he is a fine architect and he often placed himself as a Westerner. He becomes American, he earned money, built a great home, marries an Asian woman named China. But all goes in vain. His mental suffering is inexpressible. The posh gleam of Los Angles and Western manners probably did not accept him. He is so much traumatic that he decides his death finally. In fact, he puts a bullet in his temple but doesn’t die instantly. There is something that troubles him. If you read the novel, you may converge to the pain points that made him a recluse. The author presented the story of five days before he shoots himself but those were not simple days.
Some bombing goes in the downtown, he being an Asian and non-white becomes the point of suspect by his neighbors. That part is brilliantly etched, yet equally sarcastic and witty. The novel sheds light on many aspects that are silhouetted against the dazzle of societies where a man has to struggle all his life for identity and trust. The protagonist is extremely intriguing but other auxiliary characters are way funny and clumsy with their inherent idiosyncrasies. Saurav Dutt’s lyrical and prose-like narration is at par. It is simply superb.
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About the Author:
Saurav Dutt is an author, political analyst and human rights campaigner. His fiction works have dealt with socio-political themes such as domestic abuse, gender equality, homophobia, and his books have cut across genres such as historical fiction and novelizations of major motion pictures. His acclaimed debut novel ‘The Butterfly Room’ was shortlisted by the Los Angeles Times Book Review as a notable book of the year.
His work for human rights and charity marketing campaign work has taken Dutt to talking engagements on the WEF, IKWRO, IWN, Homes of Parliament and TEDx. His work has been featured on BBC TV and radio, Sky Information and TIME journal. He resides in the UK and Kolkata.