“Just as animals in the wild tend to size each other up, human beings too are inclined to profile each other,” begins Udayan Mukherjee’s latest novel, No Way In. Set in Kolkata before the 2014 election, this book explores how the illogical hate that people often hold for others can rear its head in throwaway comments, angry outbursts, physical abuse, or even riots, and sometimes irrevocably destroy relationships.
Rana, an abusive right-wing businessman, lives with his wife Ila, a book reviewer, who is “progressive” and empathetic. The glue that holds this chalk-and-cheese couple together is Shubho, their effeminate son. The house-help Sabita, an Assamese victim of violence, stays with her son Dinu in a room on the terrace of the old mansion. She is bent on holding on to her job, whatever be the costs. While relationships in the household sour, two men from Assam come to Kolkata in search of jobs. One of them, Ejaz, is capable of upsetting the world of lies that Sabita has constructed in order to protect, and provide for, her son.
Author Udayan Mukherjee
With his easy style and vivid descriptions, Mukherjee shines an uncomfortably bright light on inequalities, and the hypocrisies and injustices of the privileged. Even the otherwise well-meaning Ila is an example of this when she expresses concern that “there’s no end” to Sabita’s cooking, but within minutes says to her, “Samik is coming over for dinner... they will need fries with the drinks.”
No Way In is an apt title that captures how difficult upward mobility can be in India. But the book has some shortcomings. The despicable Rana is used to show repeatedly how the strong bully and abuse the weak; Ila is always well meaning and sometimes naive; and Shubho is constantly in need of protection. Only Sabita and Dinu have nuanced personalities, which make them the most interesting characters. In parts, the conversations seem like they are written for the stage. It is hard, for instance, to imagine Rana say: “Leave me in a steady steam of contented family life, any day.”
No Way In
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Despite this, the former business journalist and news anchor’s portrayal of a microcosm of India is a pacy, immersive read. It shows us how religious polarisation can cause irreparable rifts. It makes the privileged squirm. Importantly, it goes where news stories seldom tread — the personal aftermath of tragic events.
