WHAT IT'S ABOUT -
The author, Sriram Iyer, touches upon a sensitive issue - that of suicidal tendency among young adults - in his novel "
The Story of a Suicide", apart from addressing some of the other major issues facing the youngsters like emotional imbalance, casual sexual encounters, substance abuse (drugs and alcohol) and cyber-bullying and their psychological consequences. He shows how the youngsters sometimes react impulsively and impetuously to their fears and anxieties, their indecision and dilemmas. For instance, one of the protagonists in the story is shown taking to her social media profile to vent her anger and frustration instead of having a face-to-face conversation with her ex-boyfriend and clearing the air, while in reaction, her ex resorts to cyber-bullying to harass and exact revenge on her! But primarily, through his novel, the author has attempted to offer reflections upon almost every aspect of the emotional turmoils that the youngsters go through, that drive them to commit suicide. And I would say that he has largely succeeded in doing that.
THE PLOT -
The story revolves around four youngsters - Hari, Mani, Charu and Sam brought together by fate when they choose the same college in Chennai for pursuing their higher studies. They were like other youngsters their age - keen and energetic, bright and talented, optimistic and ambitious - but each one of them was carrying pain and emotional scars from their past.
Although Hari and Mani came from different backgrounds but they both had a troubled childhood. Hari came from a well-to-do family but had been a victim of sexual abuse by his own uncle on several occasions and worse still, he couldn't tell anyone ever about the ordeal he was going through. When he did manage to muster up courage to confide his misery to his mother, she did not take him seriously and ignored his hints because the perpetrator was her own younger brother! He silently endured the abuses and suffered the agony all alone but that had a severe psychological impact on him and left long-lasting scars on his spirit. Even as he grew up, he continued to be haunted by the flashbacks and dark memories from the past. It's only when he becomes close friends with Mani does he spill his guts to him because he had begun to trust him with life. Mani, on the other hand, came from a very poor family and had been through a lot of struggles and suffering himself while growing up. His father was an alcoholic and although he had abandoned Mani and his mother when he was still a small child, but would still come back every now and then and hit his mother asking for her earnings. His mother raised Mani on her own, slogging hard day and night in a brick kiln to get by and to provide him with education. The two youngsters, Hari and Mani, thus feel an instant connection to each other and become very good friends. Gradually they realise that they were homosexuals and had fallen in love with each other.
Sam, who happened to be Hari's roommate in the hostel, was nursing his broken heart after splitting with his longtime girlfriend Priya and thus he was also in a disturbed state of mind when he joined the college. The fourth protagonist, Charu, is shown as a free-spirited and confident young girl who was independent in her thoughts and actions, who could stand up for what she believed in, even if it meant standing alone. She was not afraid to openly voice her opinions or to call a spade a spade nor was bothered by how others judged her. Even when it came to men, she did not shy away from making the first move! However there were times when she would suffer from bouts of delusions and hallucinations. Thus she too was battling with stress and her inner demons.
And then all four lives get entangled in a maze of friendship, love, betrayal and revenge. Sam had taken a liking to Charu immediately, right from the moment they met each other for the first time and Charu too reciprocated his feelings initially. However misunderstandings occur due to Sam's insecurity and they break up, which drives him over the edge. Charu's sharply worded outburst on her social media profile comes as the final nail in the coffin, he feels humiliated and decides to avenge himself on her. To get back at her, he plants a trojan virus in Charu's phone by which he could access it remotely and could make its camera record video. On the other hand, the blossoming relationship between Hari and Mani takes an unexpected turn when one day Mani, overcome by a sudden lustful desire, forces himself on Hari, ignoring his screams and defying his attempts to break free. The act leaves Hari devastated, he feels violated and betrayed. His closest confidant had broken his trust and made him feel powerless, someone whom he had trusted with life. But that doesn't end there. As fate would have it, due to Sam's trojan in Charu's phone, Mani's felony gets recorded and instantly uploaded live on the Internet. Within no time, the video goes viral online and as a result, Hari becomes an object of ridicule and contempt everywhere. He is further anguished when his family rejects him upon knowing about his sexual orientation. That proves to be the final straw, he could take it no more and decides to end his life.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE NOVEL -
(1). The first thing that caught my fancy was this unique and unconventional way of presenting a story - by mixing text with art (evocative illustrations by Ghana) and following that up with a thought-provoking video and music.
(2). The story has got an engaging plot with multi-layered characters and has been so wonderfully crafted that it feels very real and draws one in instantly, right from the start.
(3). It's written beautifully, the narrative is honest. Told from the perspectives of four college-goers, the story succeeds in lending deep insights into the various psychological issues faced by youngsters that drive them to depression and eventually to commit suicide.
(4). Since it is told in a simple, conversational tone, therefore the novel succeeds in getting the message across and getting it to stick.
(5). The story unfolds spontaneously, it doesn't feel formulaic. It flows at a nice pace, one never feels like being rushed through. Nor does it feel sluggish at any point.
(6). I loved the idea of keeping a "How do I" section that provides several helpful advices in form of Dos and Don'ts for the youngsters to fight with depression.
(7). Undoubtedly a big plus factor for the novel is the art accompanying the story - the evocative illustrations by Ghana - that so beautifully reflect the theme of each chapter.
THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER -
Although I loved most things about the novel but I felt that the character of Charu could have been sketched a little better. Not much was told about her past and therefore I could not find any convincing reason for her experiencing those hallucinations.
FINAL REMARKS -
Overall I found the novel an engrossing read, it was surely a page-turner. The story is fluid, perfectly paced and can be easily finished in one sitting. It has a heartfelt story that provides a sensitive and insightful look at the several complex emotional problems and stress that the youngsters experience these days. Although the novel is intended for the young readers but I am sure that it will appeal to the adults too.
