ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್ [Ghachar Ghochar]

Narrated by an unnamed young man in Bangalore, this short novel follows a family that moves from cramped poverty into sudden wealth when his uncle's spice business takes off. The household, including his parents, sister, uncle, and uncle's wife, starts to change as money arrives. The title is a made-up phrase for the tangle of selfish habits and silent compromises that now hold them together. A late event, involving the sister's husband and the family's response, reveals how far they have moved from who they were.

Readers of tight literary fiction will find a very short but dense book about class mobility in modern India, and about what people agree not to say. It rewards a second read and works well for book clubs because its final scene invites argument.

Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; an easy read.

Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?