Quadrilateral by Sabarna Roy

chillibreeze writer — Radhika Chitnis

Sabarna Roy’s latest offering “Quadrilateral” is a collection of four intriguing stories that bring out various aspects of human nature – some desirable while others that we do not like to talk about. The main protagonists of all four stories are named Rahul. The author’s note explains that they are not the same man, but were drawn by visualizing one middle-aged male and emphasizing facets of his character. It is an interesting study of urban, middle-aged, male psychology and the four stories, taken together make for some thought-provoking reading.

Magic Show, the first story, is written with much care. Roy’s way with words is most apparent in this tale of a middle-aged “settled” man experiencing something of a mid-life crisis. The lilting prose is almost poetic and the dialogue crackles with energy and the magic that emerges between Rahul and Ipsita, the consultant who helps him explore his deepest longings.

The second story, Prank, is the dark tale of a different Rahul – this one is a bored, lonely man desperately seeking female companionship. The urgency of his need drives him to device a prank – he plans to send text messages to the cell phones of six of his friends wives, ultimately planning to seduce one. The careful planning and meticulous implementation of the prank falls apart under the piercing scrutiny of Tanya, who manages to hit upon the very basis of the prank. Rahul’s reaction is a chilling conclusion to the story.

Nightmare and Instantaneous Death, the two concluding stories, could easily have been about the same man – the Rahuls in both tales are depressed, obsessed and bitter men driven to desperation by their desires and pasts. Nightmare’s Rahul seems to have a bright future to look forward to as he embarks on his second marriage, after having lost his first wife to a fatal disease. But as the story progresses we discover that our protagonist is not the good, steadfast, rock-solid husband he seems to be. As Gopa, his second wife puts it, “I don’t believe people can be so good…” which is proved to us by the time the fatal twist of Fate ends the story.

The Rahul of Instantaneous Death is preparing for suicide – writing bitter, recriminating notes to leave behind for the people in his life. However, a sudden lust prompts him to change his mind and the result of his actions ironically ends in instantaneous death.

The first story of the book sparkles with hope, creativity and a new beginning, the second blends in shades of grey, while the last two are dark and swirling with the black that can be a bitter man’s mind. Quadrilateral brings home to us the desperate, disgusting and upsetting facets of the human condition, yet the writing, the simple story-telling and the crackling dialogue keep us turning the pages and leave us with a sense of wanting to see more from this author.

Quadrilateral is published by Sanbun Publishers, New Delhi in traditional paperback format and is available in select bookstores across India.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.

Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...

---

—About our writer: “Radhika has been a part of the Chillibreeze team since 2005. She is currently Asst. Manager of External Communications. She writes and edits the Customer and Writer newsletters and assists with Writer Network related work.”

 

 

 

>> Read more articles written by Chillibreeze writers:

1. Articles related to Content and Outsourcing
2. NRI and Expat Articles
3. Potpourri
4. Travel Writing
5. Book Reviews and Interviews

More resources for Writers on Chillibreeze.com Chillibreeze offers Indian writers the opportunity to work on customer projects. We are also India’s biggest writer network and a one-stop shop for Indian writers and editors. The writers’ section on Chillibreeze offers freelance writers and editors a variety of tools to advance their careers. Resources for writers include: Assessment of your writing, editing and proofreading skills Writing courses Expert Feedback on your article An opportunity to promote yourself on our website Top websites for Indian writers Tips and resources for Indian freelancers Book Publishing services And more……………….. Explore our writers’ section using the links on our left-hand side menu.