Sanjay Nigam

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Nigam-LHomme-greffe/159570

> L'HOMME GREFFÉ, de Sanjay Nigam. — "Pour l'instant, nous sommes ici, seulement pour l'instant … Cela signifie qu'il n'y a aucun lieu idéal. Il ne peut jamais y en avoir. Il n'y a que des destinations passagères". Ce roman pose d'une manière à la fois profonde et burlesque la question des racines, de l'identité. L'Homme Greffé n'a plus un seul organe d'origine, il est fait de morceaux épars et est pourtant de plus en plus uni. L'Homme sous-actif se meut à la vitesse d'un centimètre à l'heure. Sunny, médecin indo américain, se réfugie dans le somnambulisme. Gwen, infirmière anglaise croit aux vertus thérapeutiques de la littérature … Tous ces personnages se côtoient dans l'univers nocturne de Little India, quartier de la diaspora indienne de New York. Traduit par Alain Porte, Editions Le Cherche midi, 20€, 422 pages. (MATHIEU)
—Infos Yoga, (55), Déc. 2005/Janv. 2006, (p. 44)… (més)

I wasn't sure where this book was going at first and I certainly wasn't certain that I could take it, what with the man killing his most loved pet from the very beginning. The story follows said character through a sort of mid-life crisis, where he finds himself going from being not really anybody to being nobody who also has nothing to do, as his livelihood is taken from him with the death of his snake. He has done this to himself, however, and you spend the rest of the book wondering what he will do and how his sanity will survive. The characters are very well worked out, each has their own place and purpose and are very strongly written, making the story seem all the more real.

It wasn't until I finished this book that I realized just how emotional the story was. This emotion goes beyond the simple plot being an emotional one and into a journey through the writing itself. Through the actual printed words, in a very meaningful and striking way, the author has managed to capture the feelings of an instant or the mental experiences behind an event with such ease that if you blink, you miss it. The subtlety behind this writing style was amazing to me and because of it I found myself even more in touch with the characters long after I had finished the book and moved into other literary realms.… (més)

The book is about how Sonalal deals with the death of his snake. At first he basks in the media attention, then he plunges into a deep depression as he becomes consumed by guilt. He also lives in fear that his snakes mate will come after him and lethally bite him.

I really enjoyed this story – it is very simple and very profound, and I could not put it down. There are many issues looked at by the author. How guilt exhibits itself – in Sonalal’s case it was sexual impotence, and the inability to play his music. He consults various acquaintances for advice, including a fellow snake charmer, a street magician, a GP and a comical sex therapist. There is also his friend the prostitute who helps him in her way. Sonalal’s lack of education and inhability to express himself makes his inquiries quite humourous, as he twists words and meanings to come up with his version of the various suggestions.
I guess this could be described as an Indian version of a man’s middle-life crisis. He is just one obscure struggling man, who has a moment of fame, destroys it, and sinks back into obscurity. The journey between obscurities, is the basis of this recommended book… (més)