Book Review | One Love and the Many Lives of Osip B | C.P Surendran | Niyogi Books | Books and Beard Review | Animesh Das

Title: One Love and the Many Lives of Osip B.

Author: C.P Surendran
Publisher: Niyogi Books
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5 stars

"We live without feeling our country's pulse,
We can't hear ourselves, no one hears us,
If a word is uttered by chance,
Kremlin highlanders is remembered at once"

(Ian Probstein's translation of The Stalin Epigram)

I have started the daunting task of review with these verses of courage and resistance as I believe these lines, to some extent, gives us a glimpse of the essence of the work. There are some books that manage to reach us more than others and touch us profoundly because they make us feel the heartbeat of the world, its joys or sorrow, its agony and hopes, among many other things. Author, Poet and Journalist C.P Surendran's unforgettable and heartbreaking work 'One Love and the Many Lives of Osip B' will enlighten you, sadden you and challenge you to break the boundaries of your thought and ponder.

Like many others, I too am a firm believer of the fact that it is nearly impossible for anyone to present a complete picture of any literary work before the readers. Especially a work like the present one which contains multiple layers of meaning, different plots and themes, deserve a far more detailed discussion. As an author finishes the book, they put in it a small portion of their heart. With the final few concluding verses the author, much like the Almighty God, awakens the work with the breath of life. The work becomes alive and appeal differently to different people. On my part, l'll try my best to present before you a thumbnail view of the myriad themes it covers.

The work beautifully captures the passionate love story Osip B. (Osip Bala Krishnan), a teenage orphan boy named after the great Russian rebel poet Osip Mandelstam. Osip B.  and his grandfather Niranjan Menon suffers from a mental disorder due to which they both hallucinates. In this disturbed state of mind they have witnessed personalities like Joseph Stalin, premier of USSR, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Osip Mandelstam, the revolutionary poet who was arrested by Jospeh Stalin's goverment in 1938 for the second time and sentenced to five years in the corrective labour camp in the Soviet Far East where he died of extreme cold and starvation. These disorder has brought them to a stage where it is hard to distinguish reality from illusion. In the course of his study at a boarding school in the cantonment town of Kasauli, Osip falls in love with his British teacher Elizabeth, who leaves the school after informing Osip that she is 'carrying' and he should forget about her. Devastated by this sudden turn of events, Osip decides to plot a kidnapping with the help of his friends to gather sufficient money and reunite with Elizabeth in London. To know what happens next you have to go through this exciting work.

The first thing that I absolutely loved about this work is the eloquent writing style and narration. The simple but engaging writing has a unique poetic flavour which soothes the heart and heightens the reading experience to a great extent. Author Surendran has a unique style of writing that touches the soul and leaves the reader with an unfulfilled desire to know more. The author's mastery over words is evident by the way he has weaved the story with suitable words, phrases and imagery in an interesting and systematic manner with utmost care and attention. 

The themes of love and faith, rootlessness and identity crisis, individual freedom and existential quest, conflict of ideology and rise of extreme nationalism has been explored artistically throughout the story. His honest reaction on recent issues like beef ban, cancel culture, religious fanaticism etc has also been explored throughout. It needs extreme courage to be neutral and speak against injustice through your work, and Author Surendran has done a commendable job in minutely exploring the recent events through the lens of his characters. 

When Osip's poet friend Arjun asserts, ' Never articulate your adolescent theories outside these walls. They will lynch you, the right will lynch you...The left too, they will find some other reason' the reader can relate to the current situation.The author's exploration of the characters, especially the protagonist Osip and his grandfather Niranjan Menon, provide us an unique opportunity to peep into the dark, mysterious psyche of these characters and understand them thoroughly.

Overall, it was an amazing read. I give it full 5 stars and highly recommend it.

Happy Reading 

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