White Man Falling by Mike Stocks - Ten out of 10
White Man Falling by Mike Stocks
Ten out of 10
White Man Falling is a splendid, wondrous, extremely amusing and yet so profound masterpiece that has been included on The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list compiled by The Guardian:
The hero of this stupendous novel that has not attracted the attention, acclaim that it deserves is a former police sub inspector, Swami, affected by an attack he had suffered as he used violence against a suspect who becomes a guru, a godhead or godsend for a good number of people after a White Man Falls in front of him.
As he is transported on the streets of his small town, near the hotel of the rich, corrupt man of the region, DD Rajendran known as DDR, this white man comes down to earth and lives for another few seconds, after which he expires.
Angry mothers come with their babies and kick the corpse of the “white demon” that had endangered their progenitor, the gossip of the town having it that the flying demon has actually landed on the hero, which is such a bad omen.
Furthermore, aggravating the situation, this fall from the sky – actually from the seventh floor of the hotel – has occurred just as the family of the protagonist is involved in the complicated negotiations, pre-marriage arrangements that are the custom in India and are meant to bring to fruition a union between the eldest daughter, Jodhi, and the middle son of the P family, Mohan.
After this awful event takes place, the marriage is threatened and it was anyway a long shot away, given the fact that the family has no means to pay for a good scooter, which would make for a good dowry according to rules and traditions.
However, there is a second chance for a successful arrangement, with fewer guests and curious people – the first time countless relatives, friends and onlookers descended upon the Swami house, a village from a small Marutti minivan, as the author stupendously puts it.
Alas, Swami is at the center of a new commotion, as some thugs arrive at the house, just as the family of the groom-to-be is in attendance and force the retired sub-inspector to get into a car and face DDR, the wealthy, strong man who is upset with the affair of the White Man Falling.
Rumor has it that the ex-man of the law is investigating the mysterious death on his own, although he went to identify the body only because he was requested to do so by his former colleague, inspector Murugesan and when the nabob is humiliating and threatening the poor hero and his family, Swami starts crying.
The protagonist of this narrative has come to the point where he cannot cope with adversity and trauma anymore, he is disabled, a burden for his family, unable to provide for his six daughters who appear to have no chance to marry “good good boys „and he wants to commit suicide.
This is when a lowly policeman, Apu, enters the stage – well, we learn a little later that he has done heinous acts before this moment, for he is the one who, with another corrupt official has tried to use extortion, then torture, burning the White Man who would Fall with cigarettes and making him jump to his death from the room of his hotel.
Apu is unhappy, worried that Swami might uncover his deadly role in the death of the foreigner pushes the man who had wanted to commit suicide on the street, causing him to have a heart attack and enter a coma that lasts for a few days.
What seems at first to be a calamity, for the bill runs to over ten thousand rupees for each day in intensive care, the family would never be able to pay for it, and the dreams of decent marriages are forever destroyed, turns out to be a miracle.
Swami returns to life after death – as his disciples would see it – after he has said Rama three times in his near or after death experience, thus confirming that he has walked with God and becoming a guru, named Swamiji now.
This is a dramatic change on all levels, for DDR, who was in the first place determined to press, perhaps squash this danger if necessary, becomes the protector of the godsend and suffers a transformation that would make him admit to terrible mistakes and eventually the effort to cover up the drama of the White Man Falling.
The family of Mohan is now willing to marry their son to Jodhi, albeit the prospects are changing constantly, especially after rumors that the girl is dressing in jeans – what a horror – and she does not want to unite her destiny with that of the successful, excellent boy – the last is true fro she actually likes the lazy, sleep loving, writer of bad poetry Anand.
There are numerous hilarious scenes, like the one when the poor family of the hero is invited – well, some of them, others arrive uninvited – to the expensive Friends café, where the air conditioning is so effective, or excessive that they all get a cold and suffer in the horrible temperature.
Swamiji does not want the attention he gets, in fact he keeps thinking to inform his thousands of followers and disciples that he had not walked with God, and tries hard to be ordinary, taking the bus from the mountains, when DDR had intended to organize an impressive motorcade with Mercedes limousines, Toyota SUVs and a whole procession.
With Swamiji on the bus, nobody is boarding it anymore, for they cannot aspire to get at the same level with a godsend and therefore the vehicle becomes the only one in Indian history to travel with two passengers on board, the guru and his daughter.
White Man Falling is a fantastic read and it is hard to understand why it is not better known- on goodreads, it has an incredible 214 ratings –one more with this note – and 27 reviews, whereas Dan Brown books have those in tens of thousands, perhaps even more…
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