Today I’m happy to be taking part in another Blog Tour for lovely Renard Press. This time it’s for a book I wouldn’t necessarily have picked up as I don’t, as a rule, read a lot of modern fiction. However, the book, “Still Lives” by Reshma Ruia, is a fascinating and very moving read which perhaps took me a little outside of my usual comfort zone – always a good thing! 😀
“Still Lives” is mostly narrated by PK Malik, a businessman born in Bombay who headed off to make a new life in America when he was young. However, bumping into an old friend en route, in Manchester, he was persuaded to stop off; and the journey never continued, with PK settling in Manchester and starting up a successful company. Now 55, with a wife Geeta and teenage son Aman, his luck is on the turn with business rivals out-doing him, a stale marriage and a son with little prospects. The book follows his mid-life crisis, his struggle to know what to do to make the best of his life, and the effects on his fragile family life.
Inevitably, PK meets another woman; in his case, Esther, the wife of one of his business rivals; and a fairly sordid affair takes place. This obviously can’t last, and as the truth comes out, affecting both partners’ families, events spiral into tragedy and a heartbreaking conclusion.
The plot might initially sound a little familiar, but “Still Lives” digs much deeper than just the bones of the plot I’ve laid out. Ruia is obviously intent on exploring her characters’ sense of identity and belonging, and the cultural issues they face are there from the very start. PK thinks he has assimilated, moving to a more affluent area and attending business events, but there’s always the feeling that under the surface he doesn’t really fit in and he’s often met with racism. For Geeta things are starker; she’s obviously desperately homesick and the move to the new house tore her away from the community and friends she’d made in Manchester. All of her attention is focused on her much-loved son, the only child she’s managed to bear to term, and her affection for him is smothering and cloying. As I read on through the story, it became clear that from the hints of Aman being ‘special’ there was more to his needs than at first met the eye.
It has to be said that PK is often a character with whom it’s very hard to sympathise; his narrative is so self-centred, his attitude towards his wife judgemental and ofter cruel, and his betrayal unforgiveable, especially when you see the effect it has on his family. Yet there are times when you understand his frustration about the way his life has turned out and the loss of his early dreams, although none of that justifies his behaviour. Esther, with whom he has his fling, has her own issues but is as needy and self-obsessed as PK and tellingly can’t even get Geeta’s name right. There is a clash of cultures between the two and, it has to be said, of class in the moneyed sense; her husband is on the ascendant whereas PK is on his way down, and so their affair really seems to have no future at all.
As for Geeta, she’s no fool, and the narrative is punctuated by her letters home to her sister where she often reveals her awareness of the situation. These work as a welcome counterpoint to PK’s self-obsession, her voice calling into question his actions and his beliefs. His insensitivity is infuriating; his harsh judgement of his wife whilst failing to understand her loneliness, her longing for her homeland and the reason why she clings to certain cultural areas of the city is blinkered. Both husband and wife, however, are equally blind when it comes to the reality of their beloved son, Aman; by using that word ‘special’ and refusing to really engage, they block the kind of support which would help him. His story, for me, was the biggest tragedy of all, and the climax of the book absolutely destroyed me.
So “Still Lives” turned out to be an absorbing, moving and unexpectedly powerful read; Ruia explores all manner of issues surrounding culture, belonging, alienation and the lies we tell ourselves to be able to carry on with our daily lives. The Malik family and their story really came alive for me in this book, and Aman in particular will haunt my thoughts for quite some time. Another winner from Renard Press, then, and a book I’m very glad I was pushed out of my comfort zone to read! 😀
Jun 27, 2022 @ 07:41:03
Wonderful review Karen! Seems like the author wrote a very rich and complex narrative inter weaving a host of issues.
Jun 27, 2022 @ 10:36:05
Thank you! The book does indeed explore all sorts of elements, and it’s a really powerful and moving read.
Jun 27, 2022 @ 10:47:05
This seems like a very good book and your review is excellent but it’s not one that I can read in my present frame of mind.
Jun 27, 2022 @ 11:24:39
I get that – it’s very good, but hard-hitting in places!
Jun 27, 2022 @ 12:12:56
What an interesting cross-cultural perspective this seems to have! And it sounds as though both the story and the characters are more layered and complex than it seems on the surface. Definitely sounds like a fascinating look at those mid-life changes and what they can mean.
Jun 27, 2022 @ 15:53:25
It does indeed, Margot, and the book addresses those issues of cultural exile and belonging very well. All of the characters have their baggage, and that’s complicated by their different desires and needs. A very interesting book indeed.
Jun 27, 2022 @ 12:26:08
Very interesting.
Jun 28, 2022 @ 13:49:20
It’s a fascinating and very moving book.
Jun 27, 2022 @ 12:36:05
I can see that the setup might seem a bit of a cliche but it certainly sounds as if it’s handled deftly and with sensitivity. Always a pleasure to be rewarded when stepping out of one’s comfort zone!
Jun 27, 2022 @ 15:52:26
It’s certainly handled well, and because of the family set-up and the special nature of little Aman, there’s a poignancy in the narrative which might not be there in a more straightforward tale of marital straying!
Jun 27, 2022 @ 12:45:18
This does sound a really powerful and affecting read. I like the cover too, very striking!
Jun 27, 2022 @ 15:51:26
It is – I certainly won’t forget those characters in a long time. And yes – the Renard covers are always so striking!
Jun 27, 2022 @ 15:36:32
This one looks interesting for sure but “to me” it sounds a bit depressing. That’s always my fear with contemporary literature, it’s too close to the issues that we wrestle with, but when I engage with some of the books if they are good, they also afford me a great experience.
Jun 27, 2022 @ 15:50:05
It’s a fascinating read, and touches on so many issues as well as telling a very moving story. I limit my engagement with contemporary fiction to a certain extent, but this took my outside my comfort zone and *was* very rewarding, if sad.
Jun 27, 2022 @ 20:48:08
Great review. It’s good to step outside our comfort zones sometimes, we can be pleasantly surprised. PK doesn’t sound like a sympathetic character but I often find them more interesting. I do like these cross cultural stories.
Jun 28, 2022 @ 13:38:58
Thanks Ali, and it’s definitely good to stretch yourself. PK is not always sympathetic, although you can see where his behaviour is coming from. The cross cultural element is so important, and I think informs much of the parents’ attitude to their child…
Jun 28, 2022 @ 08:45:37
More a “me and Ali” kind of book than yours, I’ve been flirting around the edges of it and I expect I will read it one day, but it does sound so upsetting (though necessary to explore all these issues of course).
Jun 28, 2022 @ 13:37:57
Yes, I think it is! It’s very moving and I think you need to be fairly robust at the end… Happy to pass it yours and Ali’s way if you’d like to read it too!
Jun 29, 2022 @ 11:32:33
The cultural dissonances and clashes do sound very intriguing to explore. Not an author I’d come across before, but I’ll look out for the book. Thanks for highlighting it 🙂
Jun 29, 2022 @ 15:36:40
It’s such an interesting read, and although PK was annoying, I did end up feeling for the characters and their problems. Definitely worth checking out!
Jun 30, 2022 @ 09:16:43
Am popping it on to my list 🙂
Jun 30, 2022 @ 15:44:05
Yay! 😀
Jun 29, 2022 @ 17:30:26
Isn’t it great when you try something different to your usual type of book and it turns out to be a hit? It’s good to read outside of your comfort zone now and again, especially something from a trusted publisher. You’ve clearly clicked with some of their other titles, so I’m glad this proved a good bet. It sounds like a powerful, affecting read, giving voice to characters whose stories need to be told.
Jun 29, 2022 @ 20:33:15
It definitely is and I don’t do this often enough. Oddly, the other Renard blog tour I did was a book I wouldn’t necessarily have picked up and that was good too – as you say, a trusted publisher! This was a particularly moving story, and very thought provoking too.