Customer Reviews

The last burden

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I liked "The Last burden" better than English August and I liked English August very much. I discussed the book with one of my friends who had read it and remarked to him "This book should get a booker." He said "It will be a million years before they give bookers to books like these". He was absolutely right. It's not the material that bookers are made up of. It transcends that. For one its shockingly vulgar. Even more than The Liar(Stephen Fry) and English August. However I think Chatterjee loves to show off. Every other page there was a word that I had seen for the first time. I can't recommend this book to you or otherwise because I don't know what sort of books you like. I can only speak for myself and I liked the book very much.

If we are to believe mainstream cinema, family life is all gung-ho where everybody loves everybody. Anyone with half-a-brain knows that this glosses over the real complexities of blood-relationships all of us experience.

'The Last Burden' gives sharp insight into middle-class Indian family life (albeit in an acerbic manner) and partly explains why the majority of populace abandoned the traditional joint family structure in favor of a nuclear one. All the intricacies that inhabit this world be it financial pressure, lost love, unwanted but unavoidable obligations are all given a free rein.

IMO, this book is an unsung classic of Indian literature in English and I highly recommend it if you are in the mood for a serious and real-life subject.

When it comes to imagination and relativity,Upamanyu Chatterjee takes the cake along with the bakery.The grip that he maintains over the readers is really fascinating and I have to admit,at times,disturbing.The characters written by him are so real,that you could easily bump into them on your way to work or to the shop around the corner.They start living inside you as you turn the pages. English,August was excellent,this one tops that. His characters really make me think and look around myself as like me,most of the Indians grow up in similar family environments.It really becomes hard to understand,where you draw the line.The book makes you think,it makes you reconsider the way in which most of us take life for granted,and it does that with wit and satire,Chatterjee's most powerful weapons which he is aware of and knows perfectly where and how to use them. India is a country where family is given top priority,not that it is a bad thing,but most of the people do not get the right meaning of the word family and the responsibilities that come with it.If you look closely enough,you will find one 'Burfi'in almost every house,making similar choices and decisions,with a 'Jamun'by his side.Chatterjee makes it a point that his readers should be at ease with characters and also tries to makes them sympathise with the situations he puts them in.Which works just fine.It is really hard for me to say which is my favourite character in the whole book as all of them manage to touch you deep down,in some way or the other.This book is the stuff Bookers are made for.But it would be eons before any Indian author gets something he really deserves.Upamanyu Chatterjee displays genius beyond the recognition of an award or a prize.His characters are the best award any author could dream of. The Last Burden,definitely worth reading,is a classic novel by a great author of our time.Upamanyu Chatterjee has got my expectations raised to the peak towards his third novel,but with talent like his,rest assured.

'The Last Burden' is about the bonds of love & hate that bind a family together. It is a morbid, but realistic account of a 2 brothers &their ageing parents. The atmosphere is bitter, full of strife, & yet they need each other. It is v.well written.The characters of all the characters are sharply etched.

'The Last Burden' is Upamanyu Chatterjee's second book after 'English August'. This is a more introspective book, about relations in a family, of the love-hate ties that bind a family. It speaks of the protagonists's ageing mother passing away, the constant friction between father & son and between brothers. Darkly humourous, it is brilliant in parts. But some passages could have been left out entirely. There is a chapter where the protagonist is having sex with his maid & then with the maid's son! That was highly unnecessary. It had nothing to do with the theme of the novel. The writing is original. I eagerly await Upamanyu's 3rd book, which I hope will be in a lighter vein.