The Guru Of Love: A Novel

I love this book. The author gives us a very intimate look at an old story. Set in Nepal, we realize that all people are the same no matter where they live or what their religious practice or profession. The main character is a man, his family and his mistress, nothing new huh? However, the wife is very clever in her handling this news. His wife doesn't react in typical fashion, after her initial abandonment "running home to mom" to sulk, she takes a very unique approach to the matter. She gives her husband what he wants. She invites his mistress to move in with the family and sleep in her bed! The consequences for each person is a surprise to each but the wife, who is steadfast endures the gossip, embarassment and humiliation with graciousness. Truly our main character realizes his mistake, is he to far gone for redemption? This author, a native of Nepal, has amazing talent. Now a professor at a University in N. America, I would love to sit at his feet and learn from him. His skill is to be studied and embraced. I can't wait for his next book.

It's been a long time since I've been able to finish a work of fiction. Too much of contemporary literature seems contrived, designed to schock, or is simply boring. But Mr. Upadhyay's novel is sweet - even if the characters are not completely developed, it's almost impossible not to care about what happens to them. Think of a fairy tale for adults - that's The Guru of Love

The Guru of Love is a terrific read. It is entertaining, engaging and well-written. The story concerns a middle-aged school teacher, Ramchandra, living in Katmandu. He has a wife he loves, two children and annoying in-laws who don't seem to like him that much. Ramchandra has middle class dreams of owning a house, but his realities keep him from that dream. To pick up some extra money, he tutors on the side. One of his tutees, Malati, is a young single mother with whom Ramchandra beomes a bit obsessed with. He begins an affair with her and ultimately, his wife finds out. His wife's behavior, while a little unconventional, makes for interesting reading. Ramchandra is not the most sympathetic of protagonists, but he is all to human and most readers will see bits of themselves in him, if not in his actions. The final resolutions of various parts of the novel (why Ramchandra's wife married him in the first place, what happens to Malati) are particularly satisfying. Not neat, tidy endings, but an excellent, and a bit amusing, ending. Enjoy this well-written novel.

Related with humanity and humor this debut novel by Nepali writer Samrat Upadhyay places him among the most gifted of contemporary authors. "Arresting God in Kathmandu," his 1999 collection of short stories gathered unanimous acclaim with critics hailing his work as "fiction that haunts as much as it instructs" and "complex and delicate." Surely, "The Guru Of Love" will reap even greater praise. Narrator/protagonist Ramchandra is a teacher of mathematics in Nepal. His school sits in a compressed muddy alley where piles of garbage are heaped.. Ramchandra's professional surroundings are similar to his personal dwelling - he lives in a tiny apartment with his wife, Goma, and two children, a daughter, Sanu, 13, and a rambunctious son, Rakesh, 9. Mired in no-way-out poverty Ramchandra tutors in an attempt to save enough to buy land. For him, Kathmandu is a city "swollen to such a point that it was ready to explode." And he owns absolutely nothing. Add to this the rudeness of his wealthy in-laws, the Pandeys, who look down upon him because he has not provided well for their daughter and grandchildren. One of Ramchandra's tutees is Malati, a beautiful but poor teenage mother. Deserted by the father of her child she lives with a stepmother who reviles her. It is not long before tutor and student begin an affair. Enchanted by the young woman yet troubled by his infidelity Ramchandra eventually tells Goma about his extra-marital relationship. Goma accepts the news almost impassively, or so it seems to Ramchandra, and leaves him. She takes their children and goes to live with her well-to-do family at Pandey Palace. The affair between teacher and student continues, but Ramchandra is desolated by the loss of his family and begs his wife to return. Goma does agree to come back but with one startling proviso: Malati and her baby are to come to their apartment and live with them. It seems that Goma knows Malati has no one and is concerned about the welfare of the young mother and her baby. Much to the distress of the Pandeys this rather unique arrangement takes place. There is, they say, gossip throughout the city and Ramchandra's fellow teachers and neighbors ridicule him. What is apparently a harmonious relationship slowly changes to one of tension as each individual struggles to realize who and what they have become. Personal issues are set against a backdrop of unrest in a city and country during the 1990 pro-democracy movement. Tradition vs. modernization. Can there be room for both? Ramchandra is undergoing a transformation as is his country. Samrat Upadhyay, a teacher at Baldwin-Wallace college, brilliantly paints a country's culture and the dichotomy of desires within the human heart.

Related with humanity and humor this debut novel by Nepali writer Samrat Upadhyay places him among the most gifted of contemporary authors. "Arresting God in Kathmandu," his 1999 collection of short stories gathered unanimous acclaim with critics hailing his work as "fiction that haunts as much as it instructs" and "complex and delicate." Surely, "The Guru Of Love" will reap even greater praise. Narrator/protagonist Ramchandra is a teacher of mathematics in Nepal. His school sits in a compressed muddy alley where piles of garbage are heaped.. Ramchandra's professional surroundings are similar to his personal dwelling - he lives in a tiny apartment with his wife, Goma, and two children, a daughter, Sanu, 13, and a rambunctious son, Rakesh, 9. Mired in no-way-out poverty Ramchandra tutors in an attempt to save enough to buy land. For him, Kathmandu is a city "swollen to such a point that it was ready to explode." And he owns absolutely nothing. Add to this the rudeness of his wealthy in-laws, the Pandeys, who look down upon him because he has not provided well for their daughter and grandchildren. One of Ramchandra's tutees is Malati, a beautiful but poor teenage mother. Deserted by the father of her child she lives with a stepmother who reviles her. It is not long before tutor and student begin an affair. Enchanted by the young woman yet troubled by his infidelity Ramchandra eventually tells Goma about his extra-marital relationship. Goma accepts the news almost impassively, or so it seems to Ramchandra, and leaves him. She takes their children and goes to live with her well-to-do family at Pandey Palace. The affair between teacher and student continues, but Ramchandra is desolated by the loss of his family and begs his wife to return. Goma does agree to come back but with one startling proviso: Malati and her baby are to come to their apartment and live with them. It seems that Goma knows Malati has no one and is concerned about the welfare of the young mother and her baby. Much to the distress of the Pandeys this rather unique arrangement takes place. There is, they say, gossip throughout the city and Ramchandra's fellow teachers and neighbors ridicule him. What is apparently a harmonious relationship slowly changes to one of tension as each individual struggles to realize who and what they have become. Personal issues are set against a backdrop of unrest in a city and country during the 1990 pro-democracy movement. Tradition vs. modernization. Can there be room for both? Ramchandra is undergoing a transformation as is his country. Samrat Upadhyay, a teacher at Baldwin-Wallace college, brilliantly paints a country's culture and the dichotomy of desires within the human heart. - Gail Cooke