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The fireworks,
after numerous damp squibs really begin as the coach reaches
Amsterdam. "At this city, however, a walk through the red
light areas gives Balu new and startling ideas, and he is left
to struggle between his newly discovered sexual tastes and his
old cherished convictions, Janaki meanwhile is introduced to
alcohol by other members of the party and goes to bed drunk.
This begins a series of recriminations and guilt trips as
husband and wife try to gauge each other’s feelings through
their actions and fail altogether."
With such a
difficult-to-handle theme, it is interesting to observe how the
book makes an attempt to balance irony and travelogue, "yet
never quite seeming to even suggest the, serious unravelling
that the marriage undergoes, bit by whirlwind bit"
South Indian
nuances of life and social mores do, at times, elevate the
narrative to R.K.Narayansque levels, albeit weakly. Similarly
the long, mundane, and mocking details of Balu’s traditional
Indian-style hunt for a suitable bride through a newspaper
evokes suspicion that the writer has made an attempt to whet the
Western audiences’ appetite for quaint and exotic India.
The most
fascinating aspect and strength of the book is the writer’s
keen observation and descriptions of "unspoken
exchanges", between married Indian couples.
The author is
certainly at her best while building the basic theme of the
rekindling of suppressed sexuality of a middle-aged,
conservative Indian couple with finesse and sensitivity. The
deft handling of a ‘taboo’ topic among the Indian middle
class is a tribute to Cauvery’s boldness, and to her fine
understanding of the emotions of such couples.
The limited use of
dialogue is a device deliberately used by the writer to deal
with an ‘under the wraps’ issue; but makes for a tedious
narrative. The descriptive part of the journey through Europe is
also rarely enchanting. The poetic landscape of Switzerland is
prosaically penned down as, "the road began to rise
steadily and the scenery grew more magnificent with each passing
mile. Everywhere they looked they could see verdant meadows
dotted with farmhouses that had window boxes with geraniums
overflowing with geraniums `85 " Nevertheless, welcome
aboard ‘Cauvery coach’ for bored, middle-aged couples. But
do stop at Amsterdam for recharging your sexual batteries!
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THIS book is
likely to be of interest to only a limited readership because of
it deals mainly with the marital problems of people in a
particular age group. Even the ones who are interested in the
issue that the author tackles will need plenty of patience to
undertake the long, tedious journey. Although the theme chosen
is certainly unusual and is bound to be of interest to those who
can relate to it, for others it might be of no interest. An
inability to sustain the readers’ interest, long-winded
descriptions and a bland narrative style do tend to jar.
