Customer Reviews

The Scream

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From Rohiton Mistry, Indo-Canadian author of 'Family Matters" and "Fine Balance", comes this little gem of a story that describes the thoughts and observations of an old man coming to grips with his surroundings while in the throes of death. In the abject loneliness of his room, at the home of his children, he suddenly becomes conscious of a world outside his room that is full of discordant and unpleasant sounds coming from people who don't care about anybody but themselves. Everybody is caught up in his or her own little living world and has left him to die alone, or so they think. It is this space that the old man realizes the freedom that comes from dying in such a detached fashion. He can read late into the night, urinate out the window, and heap contempt on his callous and hypocritical family members for abandoning him. From the solitude of his room, he gets to hear a cacophony of unflattering sounds of humans suffering all around him in their own private little existences. There are screams coming from a street fight, flatulence from upset bowels, snoring from clogged nostrils, and belching from gassy food that amuse and console the old man to no end. Mistry has created an intelligent being who, with approaching death, ironically understands more about the vulnerability of life than thoses who are supposed to be alive and healthy. It would seem that only those who are descending into death have the time and insight to appreciate how truly alien and indifferent living is to dying. This short book is well worth the read for its satire of Indian culture and its curious artwork.

The previous four (great) books by Rohinton Mistry have established him as a prominent Canadian author. And for those who have read these, it is certainly worth adding this 30-page short story chapbook to your collection. And although this story is as profound as it is short, the novels are, of course, more engaging.

This is a great read.

The art work was beautiful and this is a definite read. Sadly it was a short book and I was left wanting more.

Must read for all!!