Manil Suri: does his work live up to the media hype?

In recent times, not a single year passes by without at least one new Indian author hitting the international literary scene. If it was Jhumpa Lahiri last year, this year goes to Maryland mathematician cum novelist Manil Suri whose debut novel,"The death of Vishnu" has been the talking point for some time now in the writing world.

Often more overrated than talented, these authors are, of course, the lucky ones, complete with huge advances from their publishers and overnight stardom. But Suri must be the luckiest of them all. Because from getting a right agent to his current status as a star author, his is an incredible success story without hassle of any kind.It looks like he was served stardom on a platter.

As Suri finished writing the final draft of his novel, he took a trip to New York just to find his agent. He located one, talked face to face with her, and finally left his manuscript wth her. Then he left for his home in Mumbai in India. Barely two days had passed when his agent Nicole Aragi was calling him to give him the message that his novel had gone up for auction. The bids were of astounding figures. The top bid was of $405,000. Suri admits he was frightened, and turned down the offer, settling for a lesser one - $350.000. He just wanted a check to his soaring expectations.

"The death of Vishnu" has been released amid a lot of fanfare. The Publishers Weekly awards it a special honour, which it reseves for outstanding books, by publishing a starred review of the novel. Time magazine rates Suri as one of the seven new authors to look out for.

What is the novel about? And does it really deseve the extra-ordinary praise that pours in? Or is it a media hype that will lose its punch in course of time?

"The Death Of Vishnu" dwells on a trite and uninspiring subject. It is about Vishnu, an odd-jobs man, who lived and was now dying on a landing of a middle-class apartment inhabited by several families with different culture and background. As you go through the novel, you find scenes of family dynamics and quotidian domesticity - all very familiar, some even cliched. If you don't feel bored, it is because Suri has a style. He shows a remakable facility with words, and his narrative has a kind of mocking, albeit, dry humour.

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