After finishing Manjushree Thapa’s new novel – Seasons of Flight – within eight hours of getting a copy of it, I could, at least, say that the book is a page-turner.
It has everything to be an interesting read: a little bit of political scenario set by the bloody Maoist conflict along with its social impact; the storyline based on ever increasing abroad-going phenomenon of contemporary Nepali society and, to spice up, love and a lot of sex (not explicitly explained but omnipresent) – something that the publishers – Penguin – explains as sexual awakening!
After finishing the novel, two phrases were in my head: absurdism and social alienation. I could call it absurdist because the main character, Prema, searches for the meaning of the life throughout the novel. As a woman who is on her own – both when in Nepal and America – she feels vacant within (and also searches for meaning of love by actions of lust). The feeling arises more due to her alienated life, from her family and country, than anything else. And, after spending a few years in America, she feels she does not belong to anywhere; America is not her while in Nepal, she finds herself as an escapist.
And, the novel ends with, what’s Albert Camus described as ‘acceptance without resignation’, Prema chooses to live with her condition trying to find meaning within the situation is in. This ends the novel happily with two people in love indicating that they would remain together.
With a fine-tuned language and narration, the novel reflects the ground realities of the present Nepali society especially in context of the abroad-going phenomenon. The decade long bloody war, the ever increasing political instability and the lack of opportunities in Nepal have brought along a feeling of hopelessness among people and they are looking at the developed countries as if they are the lands of fulfilling dreams. The author indicates that however a few years’ of struggle in the land of dreams makes one more alienated and frustrated with life.
The best part of the novel is the beauty of narration with which the author describes the reality of the people in Nepal and their lives after migrating to America.
However, I always find it hard to absorb the omnipresent sex in English literature by Nepali writers. In the name of sexual awakening – which for me is knowing the joy of sex – why do the writers toss in sex everywhere? Prema’s sexual awakening is more or less deals with her sexual relationship with her American lover – but then I cannot actually understand what the awakening has to do with her having relationship with a foreigner she meet for a few hours in Nepal or that in casual sex with half-a-dozen people (sex sells – even for celebrated authors)!
I have read author’s previous novel The Tutor of History. That took a long time for me to finish, however despite that lacking, it was a good novel for it reaches the roots of the events whereas Seasons of Flight just runs on the surface of the stories without getting much into the heart of the events.
Seasons of Flight is an engaging read – a must for leisure reading – but for me it doesn’t qualify to be worth remembering for a long time!
[DISCLAIMER: Neither am I a qualified critic nor I read the book with a view that I will be writing the review. I bought the book, an author-signed copy, and read is casually. I am not introduced to the writer.]
