America America. Review on Inscrutable Americans, The - Anurag Mathur

Dear Beloved Brother,

Hope everything is fine in your end. All is very good our end too. Respected parents sending their blessings in this letter. Hope you receiving them well.

Since you are going to London last 8 months and all that, it is very boring here. All of us missing you very much, especially I am. So all evenings, when earlier I am always spending fighting, teasing and bugging you, now I am spending mostly reading and all that. Recently, I am purchasing 10 good books at new outlet of Crossroads near Brigade Road (You are please not telling this to Respected mother. She is seeing my wardrobe one day and asking me to immediately buy some decent clothes. But I am saying no money, waiting for my salary and all that. Now if she finding out about the books she may wanting to scold me. So I am hiding them in the very backside in your cupboard where she won?t be looking). I am very much loving them all. And I finish reading ?The Inscrutable Americans? by Anurag Mathur yesterday.

By the way, if you are wondering what is wrong with my English suddenly, take it easy brother (This is a nice American phrase I am learning from this book). I must tell you that I am only trying to be writing like Gopal Kumar, the hero of the novel. And before you getting highly irritated and shooting me down, I am switching back to my boring Queen Victoria language.

The book is all about Gopal who comes to study in the USA for a year. He hails from the small town Jajau in Madhya Pradesh and is a proud son of a hair oil factory owner. He belongs to a well to do orthodox family where mother is always shouting at the servants and a Grandmother singing holy songs. Gopal comes with preconceived notions and lots of information about America which he obtained reading some X rated books and seeing R rated flicks. But once he lands in USA, he finds everything and everyone amusing and vice versa? some of which he recollects vividly in similar hilarious letters to his brother. Also, there is a typical yankee Randy (well, how much typical can it get?) his first and the last friend in foreign land. Randy shares a great repartee with Gopal and willingly takes upon himself the mission devirginization of Gopal. The story per se is nothing but Gopal?s observations, comments and comparisons with India in the process and his varied encounters in American society.

As such the scope of the book is narrow but Mathur makes a delightful and entertaining read about the experiences of a small town Indian boy lost in the big bad world out there. Gopal?s obsession with fair skinned girls and sex, Randy?s leg-pulls, Gloria and her poetry are all fun. The novelty and cultural differences Gopal witnesses, his predicament with non-veg food & toilets, strong inkling for bargaining, moral dilemma concerning sex and relationships, excitement at snowfall etc. can easily be related by anyone that has visited/ lived offshore. And this is where the novel really scores. Some other incidents like sudden loss of interest in everything, missing home & family eventually, feeling ?brotherly? towards hot babes and so on are very realistic too. (I must admit here brother, that when I am thoroughly bored and weary of the male species, I too like Gopal feel very ?sisterly?? even towards hunks of the likes Akshay Kumar and John Abraham).

Gopal comes across as a naïve simpleton country lad. But he is also shrewd & smart in his own ways and mostly when required. The fine narrative and delightful comparisons of American & Indian lifestyles are done without any opinionated bias or criticism and more as matter of facts. Here and there, Mathur sure takes potshots at the Western society albeit very subtly or in discreet manner.

The book is brilliant in parts, almost captivating. Yet the unnecessary drag and inconsistency in Gopal?s character makes it a mediocre effort. Mathur errs in giving that convincing touch to Gopal?s portrayal. I agree the book was written quite some time ago when perhaps it was more relevant & plausible. Still I feel that it left something more wanted for. Also, the humour at places gets downright gross and sometimes the hilarity even seems forced (just like the introductory para in this review ;)). The biggest let down however is surely its climax. It is simply thrust upon the readers and does not gel with the entire happenings earlier. I would rather have settled down for Gopal flying back to India, getting into an arranged marriage and having an elaborate suhag raat.

Also brother, I am not only learning Indian way of speaking English but American style as well, which I am going to demonstrate to you now. Mebbe ya can catch this book sumtimes you know.. mebbe o?er sum tea or coffee. But tell you what bro, you aint missin no nothin if you aint readin it.. so take it easy a?rite! So long then.. c ya.

Very Lovingly,

RJ

PS: I borrowed the title from that superhit Kannada movie which perhaps had this beautiful(?) song about USA.. ''car, car, car, car.. everywhere cars..'' Only in this case Gopal thinks its full of Americans!!