A Suitable Boy was a book that was not on my radar at all. I mean I wasn’t about to invest my time to read approximately 1450 pages by an author I have never read before. That was just not happening.
Then, The Luminaries happened – I ended up enjoying this chunkster of a book and show, and once the adverts for A Suitable Boy started appearing on Netflix, I decided I would watch/read this epic too side by side.
What’s A Suitable Boy about?
On the surface, this is an Austen-esque story set in 1950s newly independent India about finding a husband for the protagonist Lata. Her thoughtful, slightly dispassionate approach to marriage is sharply contrasted with Maan – an impetuous young man who falls in love with a courtesan. We follow along both these stories hopefully to their individual happy endings. At the same time, there is a greater story in the background about India struggling through a time of great economic, social, and cultural change.
It’s a fabulous book/show to get to know an India of the past.
The Show
As a show, A Suitable Boy is admirably crisp and well-scripted and edited. It has captured the essence of a slightly baggy book and distilled it to its purest form. It also captures the time and the atmosphere pretty well.
Where it lacked a little was in some of the acting, and the chemistry between some of the actors. In the book, Lata and her suitors all leap off the page with their energy. Her sections of the book are the best portions and I actually bookmarked whole chapters about Lata to read again later.
Unfortunately, the show does not capture that same feeling. For one, Lata’s mother in the book is a character (think Mrs.Bennet in Pride and Prejudice), and I think the show missed an opportunity to really build that character. Second, the chemistry between Lata and her suitors sucked pretty bad. The acting was also fairly pedestrian.
The character of Maan though, wow, just wow, Ishaan Khatter was so compelling in the role, and Tabu as his courtesan lover Saeeda Bai was equally hypnotizing.
I ended up enjoying their portions of the show better than the insipid Lata. Their charisma, chemistry, and excellent acting just took over the show.
Some reviewers of the show have commented that the show being in English spoiled the tone of the series. I didn’t find that to be the case. I remember my grandparents (who were of a similar social strata as the people in the show) speaking excellent English and taking pride in doing so.
Overall, the show is pretty good. The book is better but if you don’t have the time to invest in such a massive tome, the show does an excellent job summarising the book.
The book
This is a long, meandering, but ultimately delightful book. I spent a good two months among these wonderful characters that Vikram Seth has created, and I loved every moment of it.
If I had to describe this book in one word, I would say it is wholesome. Some people might say it is too treacly sweet, but to me, the sweetness was like a breath of fresh air (especially in these cynical, troubled times). Every time, I read a tweet from Trump, or any disturbing piece of news, I would open this book and sink into a happy stupor.
But what is amazing is that Seth is able to maintain that innocence and charm while still talking about unpleasant concepts – the caste system, the Zamindari system, religious turmoil, and poverty. In no way, do the characters exist in a vacuum.
There were a couple of details that seemed too detailed – I really didn’t want to know all about the political manoeuvrings involved in passing the bill abolishing the Zamindari system, or the complications in the elections.
However, the writing style is simple (maybe a bit too simple in places), and the book was easy to read in spite of its length. I never felt for a moment that this book was too much for me.
Overall, this is a book I absolutely love. I borrowed a copy from the library but I plan to purchase one to keep forever.
Not something I do often!
So book or show?
I would go ahead and say read the book. It’s not difficult in any way, and very, very enjoyable – kind of like an Indian Austen or Dickens. But the show is not bad either, and if you don’t want to invest so much time in one book, then you might prefer to watch the show.
I was always curious about this book, but I was always been intimidated by its sheer doorstop size! Maybe your recommendation will finally give me some courage 🙂
It’s a door stopper, but it’s very easy to read – like a sweet, old fashioned soap opera.