The Story of My Assassins by Tarun J Tejpal, HarperCollins, 2009
Departing from the superficial level to which much Indian writing in English has been relegated in recent years, The Story of My Assassins is a superb treatise on contemporary India masquerading as fiction. Tarun Tejpal brings to life the grim realities of India's socio-political underbelly, all the while telling a fascinating yet deeply disturbing story. The book revolves around a failed journalist who is suddenly made aware of a plot to assassinate him. The government provides him with high security cover, even as he remains confused about what is actually going on. Meanwhile, his girlfriend suggests that his supposed killers are, in fact, all being framed. Curious to know the truth, the journalist attempts to track the histories of each of the five men arrested for plotting his murder. Thus, five fascinating lives are unravelled, each replete with its own intrigues and complexities.
In this work, it is easy to see a combination of the two Tejpals that make up the man – the journalist and the novelist. Having now headed the fiery Tehelka for nine years, Tejpal is no stranger to the goings-on in the underbelly of power, and has evolved as a socially engaged journalist determined to expose the wrongdoings of the powerful. As a novelist, however, he is prepared to be subversive, something at which he achieves great success. Writing fiction, he seems to be revelling in speaking out, a desire that perhaps remains otherwise unfulfilled.
Much of today's Indian English-language authorship tends to use some version of the 'India shining' brand to market itself. On the contrary, Tejpal counts as one of the rare breed of authors and filmmakers – figures such as Aravind Adiga, for example, and perhaps Danny Boyle – who make a case for India as it is. As such, considering that India is a conundrum even to its inhabitants, this new work is a notably brave attempt to go beyond the obvious. At its very core, Assassins "is a journey into the heart of power, the exploration of power," Tejpal said on the eve of the launch. A reading confirms the author's claim. Rising above the obvious, and interspersed with dark humour, Assassins is an unnervingly gripping tale on the use and abuse of power in modern-day India.