Book Review 62
Name Of The Book : Aatujeevitham
Author : Benyamin
Language : Malayalam
Publisher : Green Books
Year : 2008
Category : Fiction
Review :
This book is the story of Najeeb from Kerala who wishes to work in the Gulf and make enough money for him and his family. He gets a chance to go to the Gulf and he is helped by his friends in Mumbai to reach there. On reaching there, his fate is different from what he had imagined. He is made to work as a slave in the Saudi desert. His job is herding goats in a place that is far from civilization. This makes his existence a bane. His sufferings and the challenges he faces each day is an eye-opener for the readers who are disheartened by trivial and minor inconveniences in their lives. His life in the desert is unimaginably dreary and the author has done complete justice to the story. Finally, Najeeb escapes from the desert but is faced with even greater difficulties on his way. Towards the end of the book, Najeeb discovers something that will change his life forever. Something that will fascinate the reader is the way the author has portrayed the element of faith through the character of Najeeb, even in the direst situations, it is Najeeb’s unwavering faith that gave him hope and helped him survive. This book is not just a book about suffering and pain but also about determination, faith and willpower. We will never be able to read this book without being moved by the character of Najeeb. The author, at the end of the book, has mentioned that this book is based on the real story of a man whom he happened to meet. The author has also described the ways in which he tried to recreate what Najeeb may have felt in the desert to understand its depth. This is in itself an example of what length an author can go to make his work as authentic as possible. One of the reasons for the brilliance of this book is the dedication and determination shown by the author. I read this book in Malayalam. Those who can read Malayalam, I would suggest that you read the book in Malayalam itself; but if you don’t, the translation is also available. This is one of the must-read books from Malayalam Literature.
Rating : 4.5/5
Name Of The Book : Aatujeevitham
Author : Benyamin
Language : Malayalam
Publisher : Green Books
Year : 2008
Category : Fiction
Review :
This book is the story of Najeeb from Kerala who wishes to work in the Gulf and make enough money for him and his family. He gets a chance to go to the Gulf and he is helped by his friends in Mumbai to reach there. On reaching there, his fate is different from what he had imagined. He is made to work as a slave in the Saudi desert. His job is herding goats in a place that is far from civilization. This makes his existence a bane. His sufferings and the challenges he faces each day is an eye-opener for the readers who are disheartened by trivial and minor inconveniences in their lives. His life in the desert is unimaginably dreary and the author has done complete justice to the story. Finally, Najeeb escapes from the desert but is faced with even greater difficulties on his way. Towards the end of the book, Najeeb discovers something that will change his life forever. Something that will fascinate the reader is the way the author has portrayed the element of faith through the character of Najeeb, even in the direst situations, it is Najeeb’s unwavering faith that gave him hope and helped him survive. This book is not just a book about suffering and pain but also about determination, faith and willpower. We will never be able to read this book without being moved by the character of Najeeb. The author, at the end of the book, has mentioned that this book is based on the real story of a man whom he happened to meet. The author has also described the ways in which he tried to recreate what Najeeb may have felt in the desert to understand its depth. This is in itself an example of what length an author can go to make his work as authentic as possible. One of the reasons for the brilliance of this book is the dedication and determination shown by the author. I read this book in Malayalam. Those who can read Malayalam, I would suggest that you read the book in Malayalam itself; but if you don’t, the translation is also available. This is one of the must-read books from Malayalam Literature.
Rating : 4.5/5