The illicit happiness of other people by Manu Joseph- a very short review

                   

I had thoroughly enjoyed Manu Joseph's Award winning first novel,Serious Men.He didn't disappoint me this time either.His second work,'The Illicit Happiness of Other People',is also a satirical take on the Indian society.Set in the Madras of the 90's,the book traces the life and death of seventeen year old Unni Chacko,the son of Ouseph Chacko,a failed writer and Mariamma chacko,a Malayalee christian woman with a troubled past.The book is also  the story of Unni's younger brother, Thoma and his love for his neighbour Maithili Subramaniam.Witty,satirical and even philosophical at times,this book is really a good read and defintely has the potential to grab a couple of awards.

My Rating- 4/5

-nikhimenon