Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

I read Kiran Desai’s Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard after reading The Inheritance of Loss, moving down the author’s evolutionary ladder, so to speak. The exercise proved instructive. Hullabaloo, Desai’s literary debut, is full of intimations of the greater work to come. It has the tropes and stylistic elements that define Inheritance (comedic satire, animated dialogue, endearingly eccentric characters), though, understandably, it lacks the literary sophistication and conceptual heft of its successor.

Hullabaloo tells the story of Sampath Chawla who, having become disenchanted with life in general, takes up permanent residence in a guava tree in an orchard adjacent to his hometown. Ensconced in this verdant idyll, he acquires the aura of a “guru”, attracting large crowds – and eventually, a band of monkeys whose drunken antics are a cause for concern.

The book begins well, focusing on Sampath and the angst that drives him. However, in an attempt to profile other characters by offering multiple points of view, the author all but sidelines the protagonist. By the time the manic monkeys have done their worst and scrambled over the last treetop, Sampath is reduced to a… well, no spoilers here!

Hullabaloo soars to literary heights in places, but generally reads like a children’s book (especially in slapstick comedy situations). This is not to say that it isn’t hugely entertaining. In the final analysis, it’s worth the bucks, not just for academicians who seek to broaden their perspective on Desai, but also for those readers who’d like something light for the summer.