TITLE: GOAT DAYS
AUTHOR: BENYAMIN
GENRE: NOVEL (TRANSLATED)
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS :
Najeeb’s dearest wish is to work in the Gulf and earn enough money to send back home. He achieves his dream only to be propelled by a series of incidents, grim and absurd, into a slave-like existence herding goat in the middle of the Saudi desert. Memories of the lush, verdant landscape of his village and of his loving family haunt Najeeb whose only solace is the companionship of goats. In the end, the lonely young man contrives a hazardous scheme to escape his desert prison.
Goat Days was published to acclaim in Malayalam and became a bestseller. One of the brilliant new talents of Malayalam literature, Benyamin’s wry and tender telling transforms this strange and bitter comedy of Najeeb’s life in the desert into a universal tale of loneliness and alienation.
MY REVIEW :
“Goat Days” by Benyamin portrays the true story of a person named ‘Najeeb’, who kept enslaved in deserts of Saudi Arabia for 2 years. It is his heart-wrenching experiences during the captivation holds every reader’s breath, made this novel one of the greatest works in Malayalam literature.
Like 1.4 million (now 2.5 – 3.5 million) Malayalees (people who live in Kerala, the southernmost state of India) ‘Najeeb’ also set out to the soil of opportunities to fulfil his dream for a blissful life. But destiny becomes the villain and steers him to the hell of torments. The Arabian soil has seen many success stories, but mostly tales of those who fail in the midst of their life journey.
The novel has been told from the perspective of the protagonist. The author used a reverse chronology method of storytelling, which gravitates the reader more into the story and tend them to read further. He hides many details even in a sentence, the rationale behind those could only understand when you finish reading this book. I was marvelled by the writing; it added more gripping factors to the true story.
Timely use of humour tends reader laugh even with wetted eyes. From the first chapter forwards, one could establish an intimate connection with the protagonist. So the reader would suffer the same helplessness and pain that he experiences and develops an urge to escape from the desert as he has. At some point, I felt like my heart was lacerating with a piece of flint. It is impossible to express in words all the emotions I have experienced while reading this book.
The reader can understand the laws and orders of Saudi Arabia to some extent. The book portrays desert with all the minute details, which compelled me to search more about its wilderness. The drastic climate changes, flora and fauna, even the laws of the desert has explained adequately. Another engaging aspect of the story represents the personification of goats, and it’s a delight to read (Don’t confuse with magical realism!).
I recommend this work to everyone, especially those who curse life even for a trivial problem. In the book, there are words in Malayalam and Arabic, which might not understand by other native readers. But it’s not a big deal, there is a line in the book “If necessity demands, a listener can understand any language.“
MY RATING:
5 out of 5 stars
