<p>Though Feni (a variety of liquor produced in Goa) can be aptly labelled as the leitmotif of Mathew Vincent’s second work of fiction, it is primarily the story of a former soldier Victor Gabriel. With his remarkable knack for developing characters, the author models Victor Gabriel on the lines of an ‘angry young man’ and enriches him with all the attributes that make him stand apart. Life has been both rough and smooth for the chief protagonist whom the readers meet for the first time, frolicking with his girl friend Ana, on the beaches of Goa.</p>.<p>The author has deftly exploited the flashback technique to shed light on Victor’s sordid childhood, debauchery-ridden youth and his stint with the Indian Army. Therefore, two parallel narratives unfold hand in hand. In the present time, Vic and Ana are having a drunk-on-Feni weekend, hitting the beaches and bars of Goa. The second parallel narrative is about Victor’s multi-layered past and explores his journey from Mumbai to Punjab to Bengaluru to Goa. </p>.<p>Undoubtedly, childhood experiences and the early upbringing of an individual play quite a crucial role in shaping one’s overall personality, and most often, also determines the course of one’s life. Victor could not have the luxury of a blissful childhood thanks to ceaseless altercations between his dipso-maniacal father and disgruntled mother. Life really takes a nasty turn for him when his mother finally snaps her nuptial ties with her alcoholic lout of a husband and leaves the innocent child at the mercy of the brute.</p>.<p>Victor’s disorganised and chaotic childhood contributes to transforming him into a rake and a street ruffian who thereafter graduates into a notorious gangster with his continual indulgences in several brawls and bouts of fisticuffs with rival gangs. The job in the Indian Army comes as a redeeming feature for this rowdy rebel.</p>.<p>Although the major part of the narrative revolves around the personal life of the chief protagonist, the novel has its share of social relevance too. The novelist is not just besotted with his central figure, but also ably depicts the anxiety of a community that has fallen prey to the menace of insurgency. The period between the 1980s and the 90s, which is painfully remembered as the dark decades of gruesome violence and mindless bloodbath in the history of Punjab, has also been portrayed through the eyes of Victor.</p>.<p>The detailed account of the agony of the common people living under the looming threat of insurgency is indeed gut-wrenching. This segment of the book becomes all the more significant and riveting because of Victor’s romantic bonding with a Punjabi girl Simran. This bond, however, never culminates into a marriage, but transforms into a big catastrophe for the hapless hero.</p>.<p>The author deserves special admiration for knitting the multiple threads of his narrative into an organic whole; thus, we have a neat and well-constructed plot, which is couched in an equally neat and exquisitely beautiful language. Certainly worth a read.</p>
<p>Though Feni (a variety of liquor produced in Goa) can be aptly labelled as the leitmotif of Mathew Vincent’s second work of fiction, it is primarily the story of a former soldier Victor Gabriel. With his remarkable knack for developing characters, the author models Victor Gabriel on the lines of an ‘angry young man’ and enriches him with all the attributes that make him stand apart. Life has been both rough and smooth for the chief protagonist whom the readers meet for the first time, frolicking with his girl friend Ana, on the beaches of Goa.</p>.<p>The author has deftly exploited the flashback technique to shed light on Victor’s sordid childhood, debauchery-ridden youth and his stint with the Indian Army. Therefore, two parallel narratives unfold hand in hand. In the present time, Vic and Ana are having a drunk-on-Feni weekend, hitting the beaches and bars of Goa. The second parallel narrative is about Victor’s multi-layered past and explores his journey from Mumbai to Punjab to Bengaluru to Goa. </p>.<p>Undoubtedly, childhood experiences and the early upbringing of an individual play quite a crucial role in shaping one’s overall personality, and most often, also determines the course of one’s life. Victor could not have the luxury of a blissful childhood thanks to ceaseless altercations between his dipso-maniacal father and disgruntled mother. Life really takes a nasty turn for him when his mother finally snaps her nuptial ties with her alcoholic lout of a husband and leaves the innocent child at the mercy of the brute.</p>.<p>Victor’s disorganised and chaotic childhood contributes to transforming him into a rake and a street ruffian who thereafter graduates into a notorious gangster with his continual indulgences in several brawls and bouts of fisticuffs with rival gangs. The job in the Indian Army comes as a redeeming feature for this rowdy rebel.</p>.<p>Although the major part of the narrative revolves around the personal life of the chief protagonist, the novel has its share of social relevance too. The novelist is not just besotted with his central figure, but also ably depicts the anxiety of a community that has fallen prey to the menace of insurgency. The period between the 1980s and the 90s, which is painfully remembered as the dark decades of gruesome violence and mindless bloodbath in the history of Punjab, has also been portrayed through the eyes of Victor.</p>.<p>The detailed account of the agony of the common people living under the looming threat of insurgency is indeed gut-wrenching. This segment of the book becomes all the more significant and riveting because of Victor’s romantic bonding with a Punjabi girl Simran. This bond, however, never culminates into a marriage, but transforms into a big catastrophe for the hapless hero.</p>.<p>The author deserves special admiration for knitting the multiple threads of his narrative into an organic whole; thus, we have a neat and well-constructed plot, which is couched in an equally neat and exquisitely beautiful language. Certainly worth a read.</p>