Customer Reviews

The Loudest Firecracker

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Children seem to have very keen senses, whether of smell, the sensation of rain, or even of fairness and justice, and The Loudest Firecracker demonstrates this beautifully. What better way to become acquainted with some of the timeless essence of India than through the eyes of a child? As a young boy, Siddharth takes us through the everyday challenges of his school life, peer pressure, and his love of cricket and tennis. But he also takes us along as he ventures into the more confusing pressures and sometimes very painful realities of the adult world as he navigates family tragedy and a political climate that seems all too wrong and unjust. This book is a must read for adults and young readers alike. It will transport you to another time and place and will remind you just how bittersweet childhood is.

If you lived in Bombay in the seventies and eighties or if you grew in a typical Indian home this book will take you back to a familiar place. And you will relive many a classic moment from those years. If not, don't despair, pick up this book anyway and live vicariously.

This story is about a kid growing up - beautifully written in a distinctive style it happens to be set in India. I can't wait for the next book from Arun.

Amazing thought provoking book, deals with a lot of subjects including the growth of parochial and communal forces and the private battles of a young boy the protagonist of the story. Will make you think after you have finished reading the book

Arun Krishnan whacks the coming of age story out of the park in this novel about a young man struggling to come to terms with life, death, politics, adulthood and most importantly, national sporting events. If Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera and Ernest Hemingway got together to co-write a modern mythology set in 1980's India, The Loudest Firecracker would be a product of this collaboration. With imagery recalling the allegories of the Bhagavad-Gita, and a writing style that is smooth, yet deep, Krishnan pens a beautiful tale with seeming ease and humor that examined more closely has all the intricacies of a finely woven tapestry.

The Loudest Firecracker follows the saga of Siddarth, a ten year old boy forced to move from Bombay to Poona - from the big city lights to the small dirt roads of a less economically prolific town. In Siddarth's story, we see India in the 1980's - shortly after the assassination of Indira Ghandi - during a time of political and social unrest. The ethos of a people preoccupied with terrorism, political slant and race hits very close to the home of the 21st century reader.

We also see Poona through the eyes of Arun Krishnan, who moved to the United States in the mid-1990s. He brings to life the sounds and smells of a city and people most of us will never see first hand. Krishnan brings us two Indias: the gold-paved streets and superficiality of Bollywood, and the mud and sewage soaked alleyways of the Maharashtran ghettos. He shows us the dichotomies of modern society by bringing us a divided country - Muslims on one side, Hindus on the other - a place where politicians use hope as a tool to manipulate the disenchanted masses. He brings us the rivalries between India's and Pakistan's cricket teams. He illustrates the struggle of a boy who desperately wants to use his left hand, but is forced to use his right.

And through it all, the young hero, Siddarth is pushed and pulled in every direction, teetering on the edge of something he doesn't understand. However, we can all relate to Siddarth's struggle. His innocence is like the wisdom of someone with many past lives.

Siddarth, like most ten year old Indian boys, loves cricket - especially if it involves watching an Indian national team game. On the day of India's shocking last minute loss to Pakistan, the social tension comes to a hilt and a wave of violence sweeps across India. Was this violence and bloodshed caused by young Siddarth, who lit a loud firecracker in a crowded place, or was it much more deeply rooted in the souls of the populace? Was the death of his mother caused by this small act of childish recklessness? Was he the cause of the uprising of an extremist politician's agenda? These are some of the questions Siddarth must explore in his journey.

In this novel, we see the huge ripple effect that a small firework can cause. We see a boy whose love for his mother gives him the strength to stand up in the face of adversity. We follow him as he struggles for his father's affection; he struggles to fit in with the wrong crowd; he struggles to attract the attention of the neighbor's beautiful daughter, and when he discovers his passion for tennis, he struggles to beat his best friend in the match of his life. Despite all this struggling, Siddarth, and Krishnan, always stay upbeat, making sure to view the more positive aspects of life.

Krishnan gives us all in his debut novel. After turning the last page, the reader will feel as if he just spent some time with close friends, with a sense of satisfaction held only on momentous occasions. Rich in allegory, and tersely witty, Arun Krishnan delivers a reading sensation that takes the reader home, no matter where that home may be.

It was difficult to put The Loudest Firecracker down until I finished reading it through. The author does a fantastic job of introducing us to Siddharth and the events he encounters, wielding his pen so that each word and phrase guides us through the sometimes confusing journey of life that lay before this young boy.

I hope that his debut book will be the first of many to come.

I am from the former Yugoslavia and remember only too well the turmoils that engulfed the country not very long ago. As many of us discovered back them, the heaviest burden a person can bear is that of her/his communal or sectarian identity, and this might explain I really identified this novel dealing with a similar issue in far off India. Siddharth is a compelling protagonist - and you are quickly on his side as he tries to make sense of the great puzzles the world throws at him. Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone wanting to know about modern India, and its sweeping, emotional and yes, often humorous ways.