The narrator

The narrator is the main character of Vivek Shanbhag’s novel Ghachar Ghochar. His family nickname is “Kurkure” (108), but his proper name is never mentioned in the narrative. The narrator lives at home with his entire immediate family: his father (Appa), his mother (Amma), his sister (Malati), his uncle (Venkatachala), and his wife (Anita). He and Anita have no children.

The narrator does not have a normal job. Though he is officially the director of Sona Masala, his family’s spice firm, the narrator actually does not do any meaningful work for his company. Though he has an office at a spice distribution center, the narrator only uses this space to occasionally nap and otherwise avoid his familial home situation. His only contribution to this business is his readiness to sign any documents brought to him by his uncle Venkatachala.

The narrator also frequents Coffee House, a...