It had been a long time since I read Malayalam fiction. I heard great reviews about this book. But I could not get one copy in Bangalore. As I didn't get it I became more and more interested in reading it. Finally I got it and read it and ...it was really worth the wait!!!
Being from Kerala, many people I know work in Middle-East countries. I remember when I was a kid, many people I knew replied "Gulf" when asked about what work they were doing. For many, the word "Gulf" itself implied a career. What they actually "do" there was not relevant at all. You are going to be happier and richer if you or somebody from your family is able to reach somewhere in Gulf countries. But for many,(or, maybe most of them) this was not true. Aadujeevitham says the story of one such man, Najeeb, who reaches there with lots of dreams which soon turn into nightmares. He is taken into the desert as a shepherd where he is treated inferior to the sheep. Enslaved and cut off from the rest of the world, his life gradually transforms into that of a goat. But somewhere deep in his mind, he still has hopes to return to his family.
No book I read recently has affected me as this one did. The most shocking moment was when I heard that the book is based on a real story. As the tag line of the book goes "Lives that we haven't experienced are tall stories for us"!
One of the few books that have shaken me. 4.25 out of 5.
Being from Kerala, many people I know work in Middle-East countries. I remember when I was a kid, many people I knew replied "Gulf" when asked about what work they were doing. For many, the word "Gulf" itself implied a career. What they actually "do" there was not relevant at all. You are going to be happier and richer if you or somebody from your family is able to reach somewhere in Gulf countries. But for many,(or, maybe most of them) this was not true. Aadujeevitham says the story of one such man, Najeeb, who reaches there with lots of dreams which soon turn into nightmares. He is taken into the desert as a shepherd where he is treated inferior to the sheep. Enslaved and cut off from the rest of the world, his life gradually transforms into that of a goat. But somewhere deep in his mind, he still has hopes to return to his family.
No book I read recently has affected me as this one did. The most shocking moment was when I heard that the book is based on a real story. As the tag line of the book goes "Lives that we haven't experienced are tall stories for us"!
One of the few books that have shaken me. 4.25 out of 5.
