The Alchemy of Desire : Review

Introduction

“Love is not the greatest glue between two people. Sex is.”

The book, “The Alchemy of Desire” by Tarun J. Tejpal, starts off at this witty remark which mesmerized me so much as a reader that I could not help but share this phrase and the paragraph following these lines with my friends. Little did I know that the author had established the theme of the book right from the first line, unlike a lot of other books which ramble around the theme all the while, only closing in on it in a few portions of the book and sometimes only towards the end. The book is filled with it; desire. The book is not about its characters. Desire: that is just what the book is about. Through each character in the book, a new aspect of the theme is revealed, creating a mesh of ideas which get sorted out only at the end.

Summary

Something between the narrator and his wife Fizz (nickname for Fiza) snaps and the narrator no longer feels the same intensity of love for his wife as he had felt earlier. Fiza and the narrator had a happy marriage of more than 15 years, during which they had booth been so consumed with lust for each other that they almost lived in complete isolation from the world, not feeling the need of anybody apart from the sweet smell of each other’s body. However, one morning, the narrator wakes up with a vacuum in his heart and he can no longer feel the same connect with his wife. Both Fizz and the narrator (who has not been named throughout the book) are unable to point a finger at the problem. Having tried to make things normal between her husband and her, Fizz decides to leave the house.

Throughout the book, the reader is like an accomplice of the narrator in his mental quest to find the reason for such a discourse. We travel back and forth, in memories of how the two first met, got married against the permission of the narrator’s much loved grandmother, found redemption from the worldly concerns in the company of each other, struggled with their monotonous jobs, got miraculously rich by the money left by the narrator’s grandmother after her death, spent the money on buying and renovating their dream house in the hills of Nainital, travelled from Delhi to Nainital over the weekends until they finally settled in their little cocoon there.

Life changes for the narrator when they uncover a chest full of 64 Journals written by Catherine, an American woman who came to India in the pre-independence era. Catherine’s life with prince Syed brings out new dimensions to Indian eroticism to the readers while the narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with the descriptive beauty of the writings. After finishing the books, he sets out on a journey to various places to tie all the threads of the journals together, in the process realizing that:

 “Sex is not the greatest glue between two people. Love…”

Writing style

 The writing flows as easily as water or, to put it more contextually, as easily as desire! The book does not boost of heavy, out of the world vocabulary but there is no doubt that it is written by someone who is as comfortable with writing in English as the protagonist in the book is comfortable with his desire towards his wife in most parts of the book. The style of writing is simply rich with witty phrases, beautifully constructed sentences and very well thought of puns.

Apart from the main plot, what kept me hooked on to the book was the avid commentary on the Indian history and politics, intertwined with the main plot of the book. The book is primarily based in the time period of1980-2000. However, through the introduction of Journals of Catherine, the author has very intelligently encompassed even the pre- independence era, not leaving the opportunity to comment on the superstitions and thought processes of Indians during that time, apart from how sexual desire was a much celebrated aspect of human emotions during that time.

Written at a leisurely pace, the book sometimes tends to drift away from the storyline into a tangential thought process which in my case irritated me to some extent. However, it is important to note that the writing is crisp, even when it is wandering like Alice in Wonderland. Straight to the point comments and replies of the characters, keep off the boredom that comes with reading the same thing being ranted about in ten different styles.

Description of the theme

An important aspect of the book which I personally appreciated is that the book is written in such a manner that the characters somehow take a backseat. The author has beautifully explored the theme through each character that has been introduced. Little detail apart from those required to understand the theme have been provided about the characters, making sure that the reader does not lose grip on the theme.

Broadly, the book deals with desire in terms of the sexual craving of the couple for each other. Mainly from a male point of view, the book highlights the female point of view only in the fourth part- “Kama: Desire” through the longings of Catherine. The starting point of the book which states that sex is the only reason for two people to live together is questioned throughout the book and the author finally draws to the conclusion that desires for a person is not just driven by sex, but also by the emotional connect one feels for the other. Physical intimacy is undoubtedly an integral part of any relationship. However, it is not the only force responsible for the success of a relationship.

The author also explores how excessive desire for money has led to the creation of workplaces with monotonous and unhealthy work environments, where each employee is trying to climb the ladder at the cost of the other. In such a scenario, even if a person like the narrator of the book tries to keep away from the rat race, he is inevitably forced into it, given the basic need of survival which is not possible without earning money. Though there is always the choice of quitting the job and be content in one’s own cocoon, which the narrator subsequently takes, it is really just a Hobson’s choice!

Desire, when propelled by fulfillment leads to greed. It never ends. The satisfaction of desire leads to the cropping up of another. This is not just psychological. The basic economic theory clearly states that “human wants/desires are unlimited”. An unsatisfied desire can have varied outcomes. On one hand, it can motivate an individual to work towards achieving his/her desire while on the other hand it can cause great sadness for the individual.

Throughout the book, the characters seem to be in an illusion of being masters of their desire, while they are basically slaves at the hands of desire which plays the role of Satan for most of them. It is quite a paradox as to whether desires should be satisfied, leading to the cropping of another greater desire or are they best left unsatisfied, causing mental unrest. I cannot say that the book has been able to provide answers to these questions, but it sure has been able to address them quite objectively, giving a single conclusion that controlled desire is perhaps the best way to master it. Giving in to some and holding some back: making the right choice is really quite a tough question.