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The International Writers Magazine: Book Review
Transmission
by Hari Kunzru
Publisher: Plume (Jan 2005)
ISBN: 0452286514
'an
enjoyable and exhilarating novel...'
A Keren Arnold Review
An
e-mail appears in your in-box, with the subject line, Hi,
I saw this and thought of you. Intrigued, you click, and
computer-aficionado Arjun Mehtas favourite Bollywood star,
Leela Zahir appears, dancing with seductive carefree abandon.
Seconds later, your computer has crashed.
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Transmission
is the second novel by Hari Kunzru, author of the award-wining and best-selling
novel, The Impressionist and demonstrates his ability for
navigating a wide range of ideas in the form of a cleverly plotted,
exciting story, with authority and flair. It is bursting with satirical
wit yet at the same time a touching and very real story of the fragility
of human hopes and ambitions.
It tells the story of young Indian computer programmer Arjun Mehta,
who travels to California after a job offer, in the hope of living out
his dream life in a heady, Silicon Valley paradise. However his aspirations
are soon quashed when he arrives and faces the reality of the exploitation
of which he is a victim, and of a life of relative poverty in a country
where he is an insignificant virus-tester in an enormous corporation.
Everything about the new culture is alien to him, especially the way
in which the object of his affections, colleague Christine, chooses
to live her life. Soon, finding himself out of a job, confused by his
feelings for Christine, utterly bewildered by America, and lying to
his proud and happy family about the increasingly desperate situation
in which he finds himself, Arjun Mehta snaps, and decides that it is
time to prove his worth to the company that was so quick to let him
go. He unleashes a virus, inspired by the love of his life and star
of his favourite Bollywood movie. A virus that unbeknown to him, has
devastating and unforeseen consequences. Before long the virus has spun
out of control, leaving Arjun in the centre of an unintended and uncontrollable
situation.
As the story unfolds, we are introduced to a range of characters who
are affected by Arjuns mischievous virus, one of them Leela Zahir
herself, a film-star, a wealthy beautiful girl, a house-hold name in
India, who turns out to be one of the most sympathetic characters in
the whole novel, which is a particularly poignant touch. Filming a movie
in a remote part of Scotland, Leela is a vulnerable and depressed heroine,
who is free-spirited and yet remains caged by her vile, greedy mother.
Also Guy Swift, an obnoxious high powered marketing executive, whose
carefully mapped out plans for global success and domestic bliss begin
to unravel when the virus Leela01 appears on the scene. Kunzru weaves
his well-crafted and compelling prose throughout their unfolding fortunes
with a satirical eye, and a capability for both humour and compassion.
This is an enjoyable and exhilarating novel, which handles its broad
scope
with confidence and flair. It is an exquisite portrait of the fallibility
of the technological world, where at the mercy of computers anything
can, and
probably will happen, with devastating results. This insatiable plot
and
skilful prose remain the heart of the novel and make it a read which
simply flies past in a blaze of insatiable wit and gritty realism, whilst
at the
same time retaining a bold fantastical quality. The resolutions at the
end
of the novel are particularly satisfying and it can be safely said,
that
after Leela, no-one is left quite the same, from the millions of internet
game-freaks spending hours trying to regain their quest points by
re-booting their pcs, to the perpetrator, both hated, applauded
and pursued, and
also to the reader, who is left breathless from the fast-paced excitement,
with
a quiet dignity for the characters, and has acquired a new-found excitement
and intrigue for the dancing paper-clip at the bottom of their computer
screen at work. The sometimes un-palatable and often annoying characters,
in particular the main character, who is often awkward and apathetic
only
adds to the delicious satirical edge, which always stays at the surface
of this
book, which captures economics, technology and modern pop-culture in
its
unflinching, yet affectionate grasp.
© Keren Arnold March 15th 2005
(GlorifiedCookie@hotmail.com)
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