A drunkard named Vishnu is dying on the first floor landing of an apartment building in Mumbai, India; the tenants of the building go on with their lives. The Death of Vishnu is Manil Suri’s first novel. Suri uses Vishnu, the second god of the Hindu triad and as the preserver of the universe, to symbolize the ideology of reincarnation. The book does not neatly tie off the various story lines in the end. As with reincarnation, the end only represents a link in the infinite chain of creation. Just because the book ends, doesn’t mean the characters’ lives end too.
On the first floor of the apartment, the housewives, Mrs. Asrani and Mrs. Pathak, argue over who will pay for an ambulance. On the second floor, Mr. Jalal decides to search for higher meaning after his wife accuses him of not having faith. On the top floor, Vinod Taneja’s longs for the wife he has lost. Kavita, Mrs. Asrani’s daughter, runs off with Salim, the son of Mr. Jalal.
The Death of Vishnu lacks a defined plot, but instead provides snapshots of each characters present. With each snapshot is a glimpse of their past in the form of memories that give the stories and characters feeling, depth, and meaning. As the reader you are shown the paths the characters have walked and then are allowed to briefly walk beside them.
Readers usually have a prejudice towards the end. You will hope that Mrs. Asrani and Mrs. Pathak will put aside their pettiness as Vishnu lies dying; that Mr. Jalal will finally find what he is looking for; that Vinod Taneja will find another woman; that Kavita will live happily ever after with Salim; and that Vishnu dies.
However, all that does not happen, with the exception of Vishnu. Vishnu dies.
Manil Suri does a beautiful job of presenting his readers with the memories and feelings of each character. Its portrayal makes one believe he/she is one with the characters.
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