Gods and Ends is the debut novel by writer Lindsay Pereira. It was published by Penguin Random House India in March 2021.[1] Set in Orlem, Malad, a suburb of Mumbai populated by a large Roman Catholic community. It is described as a book about invisible people in a city of millions, and the claustrophobia they rarely manage to escape from.[2] The title is a reference to people who are twice marginalized—for being a minority community and living in a small, lesser-known part of a large suburb.[3]
 | |
| Author | Lindsay Pereira |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Penguin Random House India |
Publication date | March 2021 |
| Publication place | India |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 9780670094387 |
Reception
editThe novel was described by The Hindu as "a stark and fearless portrayal of the Roman Catholic community in the Bombay of yore."[4] The publication Firstpost described it as "stark in its simplicity," adding that the writer "uses dialogue and narration with good effect, giving each character enough space to tell their story."[5] The newspaper Mid Day said "Pereira’s chronicling subtly encapsulates their eccentricities, including the diction and acerbic humour, all of which will resonate with not just Bombaywallahs."[6]
Platform Magazine wrote: "The tragedy of this book and its characters is real, and the narrative manages to create necessary space for the lives and stories of people, who are generally erased from our imagination of the limitless city of Bombay."[7] Janhavi Acaharekar, reviewing the book, wrote: "Pereira’s well-crafted characters are born of a familiarity with the milieu he writes about, and his honesty is brutal."[8] A review in the Mint Lounge called it "an acerbic, funny and, at times, brutally honest portrayal of Goan Catholics settled in the suburb of Orlem."[9]
Awards
editGods and Ends was short-listed for the 2021 JCB Prize for Literature.[10][11][12][13] A citation from the judges said: "With a biting sense of humour and a quirky voice, Lindsay Pereira puts forth an intriguing debut. Part of the attraction lies in its unconventional form and structure. Each of the residents of Obrigado mansion seem to be competing in being more malevolent and pathetic than the other, making each of them particularly foul, but Pereira doesn’t offer any excuses for them, making them all unforgettable."[14]
The novel was also shortlisted for the Tata Literature Live! First Book Award for Fiction in November, 2021.[15] It was also longlisted for the PFC-Valley of Words Book Awards 2022.[16]
His second novel, The Memoirs of Valmiki Rao, was longlisted for the 2024 Crossword Book Awards for fiction in October.[17][18] It won the Mumbai Literature Live! Literary Award for fiction book of the year in November, 2024.[19][20]
The author
editBorn in Orlem, Malad, Lindsay Pereira grew up in Bombay.[21] He studied at St. Xavier's College and the University of Mumbai and obtained a PhD in literature for his work on gender attitudes implicit in nineteenth-century Indian fiction.[22] He has worked as a journalist and writer for publications including The Huffington Post,[23] The Globe and Mail,[24] and New York Observer[25] and has been a columnist with the daily Mid-Day since 2015.[26][27]
He was also co-editor with the late poet Eunice de Souza of Women's Voices: Selections from Nineteenth and Early-Twentieth Century Indian Writing in English, published by Oxford University Press.[28]
His second novel, The Memoirs of Valmiki Rao, was published by Penguin Random House India in August 2023.[1] A retelling of the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, it was described by translator and writer Arshia Sattar as "an elegy to a city wilfully destroyed by greed and cynicism, a lament to dreams that died and people that were murdered, a dirge that mourns the concerted dismantling of systems of thinking and being that upheld tolerance and compassion."[2] The novel was also called "a clever reimagination of the Ramayana that terrifies and evokes pity."[3] It won the Mumbai Literature Live! Literary Award for fiction book of the year in November, 2024.[29][20]
References
edit- ^ a b Pereira, Lindsay (2021). Gods and Ends. Penguin Random House. ISBN 9780670094387. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ a b Hegde, Sahana (11 July 2021). "'Gods and Ends': Lindsay Pereira's novel offers an unflinching eye for stories of the wretched". Scroll.in. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ a b Janardhan, Arun (22 March 2021). ""There are other lives, other voices": Journalist Lindsay Pereira on his debut novel Gods and Ends". GQ India. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Anima, P. (6 April 2021). "A menagerie of people who wither away". @businessline. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Gods and Ends author Lindsay Pereira: 'Bombay has the ability to horrify or surprise at every turn'". Firstpost. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Arre baba, dis is Orlem". www.mid-day.com. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Verma, Nidhi (7 April 2021). "Lindsay Pereira". www.platform-mag.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ Acharekar, Janhavi (8 May 2021). "Hopeless in hovels: Janhavi Acharekar reviews Lindsay Pereira's 'Gods and Ends'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Those miserable Goan Catholics of Mumbai's Orlem". Mintlounge. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ Scroll Staff (4 October 2021). "JCB Prize shortlist 2021: VJ James, Daribha Lyndem, Shabir Ahmad Mir, M Mukundan, Lindsay Pereira". Scroll.in. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Debuts and translations make up the JCB Prize 2021 shortlist". Mintlounge. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "JCB Book Awards | Literature Award India | JCB Book Prize". www.thejcbprize.org. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "2021 JCB Prize for Literature longlist is announced". The Indian Express. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Gods And Ends Lindsay Pereira Vintage Books". www.thejcbprize.org. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Tata Literature Live! First Book Award - Fiction -". Tata Literature Live!. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Post, Garhwal (19 April 2022). "PFC-VoW finalises long list for Book Awards | Garhwal Post". Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ Scroll Staff (7 October 2024). "The 2024 Crossword Book Awards longlists of ten books in each of five categories have been announced". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ "Crossword Book Awards 2024 Longlist Announced". Times Now. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ Scroll Staff (18 November 2024). "Literature Live announces 2024 winners of best books, poet laureate, and lifetime achievement awards". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier". Mid-day. 17 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ Pereira, Lindsay (21 April 2017). "Of ghosts, fêtes and chicken lollipops". mint. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Lindsay Pereira". Penguin Random House India. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Lindsay Pereira". www.huffingtonpost.ca. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "What I learned as a Michael Jackson impersonator in Mumbai". Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Lindsay Pereira". Observer. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Lindsay Pereira". www.mid-day.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ Janardhan, Arun (22 March 2021). ""There are other lives, other voices": Journalist Lindsay Pereira on his debut novel Gods and Ends". GQ India. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ "Women's Voices - Paperback - Eunice de Souza, Lindsay Pereira - Oxford University Press". global.oup.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ Scroll Staff (18 November 2024). "Literature Live announces 2024 winners of best books, poet laureate, and lifetime achievement awards". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 November 2024.