Jestus by V S Sury is a novel which cannot be called a novel as well. You can call it a piece which is anti-novel; you can call it a novel which is a non-fiction; you can call it nothing at all! The character of Jestus is introduced in this novel and the narrator who does it is unidentified himself. We never know him completely. We can never know Jestus!
The strange lead character of the novel is so strange that you cannot judge him. Yes, at least, he is a male and it’s established. Other than that, we do never know what does he know and what he might be knowing. The person, the protagonist has many names and he is called by any, anytime. The narrator is reciting the tale in the first person and that makes the readers wonder whether the author knew any person of such a complex personality. However, as we progress reading the novel, we come to know the distinguished qualities that our hero (or a villain?) has.
So, the novel is filled with mysteries, whims, scholarship, intellect, philosophical showmanship and absolutely absurd as well. You won’t feel like reading a novel written in the 21st century; you feel like you are reading something written in the age of Tristram Shandy or something in the early Victorian period. V S Sury has also written a sequel to the novel – Jestus on Rampage and in that, Jestus, the hybrid protagonist, goes about exhibiting his skills, no doubt the extraordinary ones.
The language of this book has been standard throughout and the narrative is loaded with witty use of humour. The author has displayed a keen interest and sense of understanding the balance in a fiction which appeals the modern as well as the conventional readers. It will certainly entertain the readers in my opinion. However, the length of the novel might take a toll at times. Further, the novel is published by a reputed publisher and so, the price is a bit higher as well. You can get a copy of Jestus by V S Sury by following the link below (Amazon India):
Buy Jestus on Amazon India – Click here
review by Suchitra for Indian Book Critics
Jestus
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Overall IBC Rating
Summary
What else do you need in a novel, other than an interesting story? This novel offers you a hybrid narrative with a confused bred hero – Jestus. You will laugh; you will ponder; you will be amused; you will be worried… a complex tale which could never be told a straight way!