When drama was developing as a literary genre, there used to miracle plays. "The Happy Fruit Adventures" by Hari Ram Narayanan seems to be the prose version of the miracle plays. On reading the title, the reader is reminded of the adventure stories everyone has heard as children and Narayanan makes sure the reader gets to relive his childhood memories through the book. The presence of good and bad, fruit of happiness, experience, sacrifice etc remind the reader of canonical works like "Pilgrim's Progress" and even the bible (fruit of knowledge). The fact that this is one book which can be read by both children and adults is one close similarity that "The Happy Fruit Adventures" has with Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels".
The cover of the book also makes the reader wonder about what the plot would be and at the same time also invites the reader to get involved in the book without any second thought. The plotline and the characters are both equally engaging and involve the reader equally with them. The reader too pparticipates in the journey of Abider and Deviator at an unconscious level. Their very names have a lot to say about them easily. It's one book everyone must have in their book shelves and should pass it on to the coming generations as a literary treasure.
No comments:
Post a Comment