‘A House Full of Men’ book review: Lonely in a crowd

Express News Service

Twenty-five-year-old Kittu has gone out of Lucknow only twice in her life. The first trip saw her attending the last rites of her grandmother. The second was for a wedding, thankfully, but she returned home to her mother’s funeral. She has never forgiven her mother for leaving her alone in a house full of men. Is there anyone at home she can share her deepest thoughts with? Anyone who can lend an ear to her endless relationship issues, manic obsessions and simple aspirations? Who’s got the time? Kittu might live in a full house, but sometimes, she feels like she’s all alone in the world. A House Full of Men is a novel about false starts and failed attempts, love and the need to be understood.

When Kittu showed up at the dining table that morning, Shamik was devouring stuffed chicken parathas, served piping hot by Lakshmi Mausi, with immense gratification. He was the only person she knew who ate chicken for breakfast. And of course, the most loved family member, Bark Twain, did too.

As usual, she’s not too happy with the immaturity of her siblings. And this wasn’t the first time either. She gathered up the pages of the newspaper, which had been scattered in different parts of the house like part of a treasure hunt, what with four men living in the same house, and each searching for the front page. There was a headline about an Indian model getting into legal trouble for posing nude again.

It was printed in a font usually reserved for news such as the American president punching a female news reporter so she kicked him hard between his legs and he tumbled, holding his crotch, trembling with pain. Or something similar that would be truly worth grabbing eyeballs, Kittu thought to herself. Before she could complete that rib-tickling thought, her phone beeped, loudly. 

Come to think of it, one’s mobile has a habit of jumping to life at the most awkward of moments. She finds her phone, it’s buried under the couch cushion Bark Twain rests on. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to state that for all practical purposes, Kittu was a non-entity for Bark Twain. Of course for her, life remained a struggle every step of the way.

Every other week Ravi would be called in to meet with Shamik’s teachers and discuss his behavioural problems. The headache never ended. ‘Why can’t you play nice like Nishu?’ asked Kalyani—their mother—as she scrubbed another stubborn stain on his chin in the bathroom. 

A House Full of Men is a light fluffy read, especially for those in a hurry. 

A House Full of Men
By: Parinda Joshi
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Pages: 356
Price: Rs 399