{"id":8428,"date":"2020-11-05T16:38:27","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T11:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebooksatchel.com\/?p=8428"},"modified":"2020-11-05T16:39:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T11:09:24","slug":"jcb-prize-2020-shortlist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebooksatchel.com\/jcb-prize-2020-shortlist\/","title":{"rendered":"Reader’s Guide to The JCB Prize for Literature shortlist 2020?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It so happens that I have made my way through the The JCB Prize for Literature shortlist 2020, India\u2019s richest literary prize. True to the lists of the years before, this year too has given us a strong longlist of books. The 2020 shortlist is fascinating with two debut novels and a translation. While novels like Prelude to a Riot<\/em> and Chosen Spirits<\/em> makes one feel disoriented about the present and future, Anappara\u2019s Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line<\/em> makes us cry for the under privileged who bear the brunt of unimaginable injustice. Hareesh\u2019s Moustache<\/em>, the only translation in the shortlist, deftly translated by Kalathil, is a sprawling literary treat about the folk tales that make us and nature that nourishes us. On the other hand, These, Our Bodies Possessed by Light<\/em> takes us deep into white lies and paradoxes in a domestic space through three generations of women.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reader\u2019s Guide to The JCB Prize for Literature Shortlist 2020<\/h2>\n

Here are mini reviews of the five books that bagged a place in the JCB Prize for Literature shortlist 2020. All of them are exemplary books, which might mean the jury has a harder time deciding on a winner this year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prelude to a Riot<\/em> by Annie Zaidi<\/h3>\n

The novel is set in a nameless, peaceful town in South India amidst lush spice plantations (presumably in the Kodava regions) and follows three generations of two families \u2014 a Hindu upper-caste family and a Muslim one. In its slim volume, Prelude to a Riot<\/em> presents a vast array of characters \u2014 Dada, the Muslim patriarch, who lovingly talks to the plants in his estate and cannot be forced to migrate by his grandson Abu, Devaki who married for love but becomes a witness to her husband, father and brothers transforming into fanatics, the History teacher Garuda who asserts how history repeats itself in hideous ways and why a close study of our past is essential and many more. There is even a Self-Respect Forum, run by Appa, which sows seeds of hatred against \u201coutsiders\u201d \u2014 Muslims, migrant workers.<\/p>\n

Conversations are kept to a minimum and readers get acquainted with characters through soliloquies and vignettes of their life. This technique is intoxicating to the reader who reads between the lines, but might be lost on one who likes a more direct approach to the plot and characters. Zaidi\u2019s biggest achievement is how effortlessly she distills the present-day India, together with its intolerances\u2014into a potion that gains potency as we near the end of the novel. An unrest grips us, foreshadowing the violence that would follow in the novel. By the last page, it is quiet, yet brimming, seething with all things that are yet to come. And in real life, things that have already come.<\/p>\n

Buy<\/strong> on Amazon In<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 
\nBy the last page, PRELUDE TO A RIOT by Annie Zaidi is quiet, yet brimming, seething with all things that are yet to come. And in real life, things that have already come. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

 <\/p>\n\"Prelude<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

These, Our Bodies Possessed by Light<\/em> by Dharini Bhaskar<\/h3>\n

Dharini Bhaskar\u2019s debut novel is a dose of poetic beauty wrapped in three generations of women, narrated by the middle-child Deeya. Amamma Sarojaa (married at the age of sixteen as a second wife to a much older man), mother Vanaja (obedient and homely person keeping unsent postcards and inventing lies about her husband who abandons the family) and her three children \u2014 the \u2018lady-like\u2019 Ranja who craves perfection and stability, booklover Deeya who hopes to find her father in Norway one day and flighty Tasha who falls in and out of love quickly. These women hold together the family by safeguarding paradoxes, inventing stories and finding solace in myths \u2014 Greek, Biblical, Hindu and Scandinavian.<\/p>\n

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dharaini Bhaskar<\/a><\/span> for Huffpost In<\/em> where she helped me understand the delicateness of staying together as a family. She also shared her persevarance to find the musicality in language \u2014 No doubt an admirable quality that has helped her to find a place in the JCB Prize for Literature shortlist 2020.<\/p>\n

I greatly enjoyed getting to know these five women of the household. Men and bigger political events that happen in the country take a backstage \u2014being shortened to paragraphs \u2014 and the unblemished focus stays on the characters that inhabit the domestic space. Apart from the sound and rhythm of prose, I was also impressed by Bhaskar\u2019s inventive and unique words \u2014 fruit-quips, scent that is \u2018treacle-thick\u2019, children coming \u2018unstitched\u2019 at the table, saris that dance like ‘bellows of an accordian’, and (Mamma’s) earlobes that smell of far-flung Madras gardens. There are portions in the novel where I would have liked a stronger grasp on the plot and a weaker infusion of lyricism. But even then, These, Our Bodies Possessed by Light<\/em> remains an enjoyable read. I still think of them all, especially Vanaja.<\/p>\n

Buy<\/strong> on Amazon In<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 
\nThis novel features a domestic space where five women hold together the family by safeguarding paradoxes, inventing stories and finding solace in myths \u2014 Greek, Biblical, Hindu, Scandinavian. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n 
\n\"These<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moustache<\/em> by S. Hareesh, translated from the Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil<\/h3>\n

I began reading Moustache<\/em> very early into the new year, but took the longest time in reading it. It is heavy (read three pages and you\u2019ll feel you have read fifty), majestic, filled with folklores and steeped in the beauty of the low-level farming areas of Kuttanad. On a glance at the blurb, you might think this is a story of caste hierarchy when a lower caste Pulayan sports a moustache for acting the role of a policeman in a play, and the upper caste men are irked at his audacity. But this is a novel that not only explores such unjust social hierarchies, but also the raw, rural life \u2014 labourers who work in paddy fields, duck herders, fishermen, policemen \u2014 and the beauty of Kuttanadu through the waterways, fields and soil.<\/p>\n

Moustache<\/em> is a difficult book to translate but Jayasree Kalathil has done an impeccable job at capturing the sentiments from Malayalam into English. In a work-related email exchange, Kalathil said that she finds translation an iterative process. She \u201cavoids mainstreaming\u201d and her focussed on the aesthetics and musicality to translate the lyricism in Moustache. She remembers negotiating \u201cthe cultural and linguistic imaginaries and politics in both English and Malayalam\u201d (for regional variations) and educating herself about below-sea-level farming system, and the mechanics of dredging up land from lakes, in preparation.<\/p>\n

I was not pleased with the depiction of women in Moustache<\/em>, but after reading the Introduction where Hareesh himself addresses this, I was able to set the displeasure aside. Moustache<\/em> isn\u2019t a novel for everyone. It requires work, and patience to understand the cultural and ecological context (especially if you are unfamiliar to Kerala) but it is a novel that I knew would be a favourite of 2020 as soon as I read it. It is one I would recommend over and over again, because it is indeed a masterpiece.<\/p>\n

Buy<\/strong> on Amazon In<\/a><\/span>
\n 
\nA majestic novel steeped in Kuttanadu's nature, folklores, rural way of life and caste problems. It is heavy, lyrical and worth your time \u2014 MOUSTACHE <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

 
\n\"Moustache<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chosen Spirits<\/em> by Samit Basu<\/h3>\n

I felt two things while reading Chosen Spirits<\/em> by Samit Basu \u2014 a sense of dread thinking whether this will be our future soon and also a sense of relief that we haven\u2019t progressed as far as the world in the book. Basu\u2019s novel is at best contemporary with a twang of dystopian elements. Perhaps what our world would look like with a few teeny additions in technology. The novel follows Joey who is a Reality Controller of a famous Flow-er (and ex) Indy and Rudra (the new Reality Editor hailing from an elite family). Rudra\u2019s girlfriend Tara hopes to become a famous Flow-er while Zaria, a controversial public figure might have secret plans as she agrees to be a new entrant in the Flow.<\/p>\n

Flow-ers are similar to our present-day influencers. They live stream their life for the fans but they can have different personas that cater to the needs of the audience. The storylines that are streamed \u2014complete with conflicts, secrets, resolution, even sex \u2014 are controlled and edited, to give their fans maximum viewing pleasure. There are also smartatts (tattoos that know your emotions. I am so glad these don\u2019t exist now), an AI Narad (like Siri whom I found very annoying), the chaotic city of Delhi and deep levels of surveillance on the ordinary lives of citizens. The world of Flow-ers (influencers) and producers is soon run over by bureaucratic moves, sex scandals and betrayals. You will journey through everything that happens around you now, in this novel \u2014 disharmony among people, click bait headlines, and the voyeuristic pleasure in other people\u2019s lives. Chosen Spirits<\/em> is infinitely imaginative in scope. However therein lies its weakness. Perhaps a lesser number of imaginative flights and smart objects might\u2019ve made a stronger plot. But also, the novel showcases one of the most unusual worlds that is eerily similar to our own.<\/p>\n

Buy<\/strong> on Amazon In<\/a><\/span>
\n 
\nCHOSEN SPIRITS \u2014 A highly imaginative novel with influencers with different personas, smart tattoos, Siri-like Narad and scandals in a world eerily similar to our own. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n 
\n\"Chosen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line<\/em> by Deepa Anappara<\/h3>\n

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line<\/em> was the first from the JCB Prize for Literature shortlist 2020, that I read. I read it towards the beginning of the year and enjoyed it. It is a literary mystery narrated by a child protagonist that goes deep into the problems that affect India\u2019s financially poorer masses. Nine-year-old Jai, our narrator, lives with his parents and sister, Runu-didi. When children in the basti start disappearing, and friend Bahadur goes missing, Jai (who loves reality cop TV shows) joins hands with his friends \u2014 the studious Pari and the perfect-spy Faiz \u2014 to solve the mystery. Faiz is certain, that the children are snatched by evil djinns while Pari is more practical in her approach.<\/p>\n

The biggest strength of the debut novel<\/a><\/span> is Anappara\u2019s choice of a child narrator who introduces us to this grime filled, gritty world while trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. The Indian-English \u2014 \u2018side-by-side\u2019, \u2018su-su\u2019, \u2018mood off\u2019 \u2014 adds more pleasure. Books set in India sometimes fall into the pit of romanticization of poverty. It is heartening to note that Anappara has not stumbled but stayed strong with her plot and characters. The novel addresses many major issues \u2014 threats of destruction of households by the rich, insensitivity of \u2018hi-fi\u2019 madams to the domestic labourers, alcoholism, abusive parenthood, and Hindu-Muslim disharmony. However, in the process the magical aspects \u2014 ghosts, djinns \u2014 feel underdeveloped. Nevertheless, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line<\/em> is a harrowing read. Jai and his friends will surely linger in your thoughts long after you finish the book.<\/p>\n

Buy<\/strong> on Amazon In<\/a><\/span>
\n 
\nIn DJINN PATROL ON THE PURPLE LINE, a child detective and his friends look into the mystery of disappearing children, djinns, rich people and religious disharmony <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n <\/p>\n\"Djinn<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The JCB Prize 2020 Prediction<\/h2>\n

It is difficult to choose a favourite among the JCB Prize for literature shortlist because they all stand tall in their strengths. This is also a year where I enjoyed reading all the books that were chosen. My favourite from the list is Moustache<\/em> with its sprawling folklore and water bodies. But my prediction vote goes to Prelude to a Riot<\/em> which is quiet, yet terrifying. No matter which book wins \u2014 there can only be one winner after all \u2014, add all the shortlisted books to your reading list. They are worth your time.<\/p>\n

 
\nWho will win #theJCBprize2020 ? A reader's guide to the shortlist plus a prediction <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

 
\n\"The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It so happens that I have made my way through the shortlist of The JCB Prize for Literature 2020, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6307,6312],"tags":[6367,6888,10171,10169,431,6075,1853,10167,10109,10170,10168],"thb-sponsors":[],"yoast_head":"\nReader's Guide to The JCB Prize for Literature shortlist 2020? | The Book Satchel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Five books that have bagged a place in the JCB prize for literature shortlist 2020. 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