BookDragon Blog

The eponymous Arzee is a diminutive young man in his late 20s living with his mother and younger brother in crowded Bombay, swaggeringly looking forward to the near future. In spite of the difficulties he’s faced (much of which he blames on his size), he’s convinced his life is on the verge of fortuitous changes – any day, he’ll be promoted to head projectionist at the Noor, a once-glorious movie house that has seen better times. His lofty new title means his mother will be able to find him a wife, he’ll be able to start his own family, and live the ‘normal’ life he so craves.

But the best-laid plans (and expectations) often go awry, and Arzee’s hopes are quickly dashed when he learns that the Noor is about to be permanently shut down. Anxious and bewildered, Arzee finds that his only relief from his internal desperate demons is in conversations with some of the least unexpected companions, including a loan shark, the current head projectionist he’s worked with for over a decade and yet barely knows, and an entire bar full of sympathetic girls. Talking brings revelations, both hopeful and somber. He finds the unexpected community he’s been longing for, and eventually even gains the courage to seek out the lost love of his life.

Choudhury’s slim novel is a simple fairy tale at heart, cleverly embellished with a cast of unexpected characters, searching conversations, and shrewd observations about humanity (and sometimes the lack thereof). A dwarf-in-debt in a dead-end job and his long-lost lady-love separated by misunderstandings … dare we hope for a happy ending?

Tidbit: Here’s another small world moment: last spring when I told a local friend – with whom I share books, tea, and her fabulous art – that I had just started a book blog, she immediately linked me to another friend of hers she knew in Bombay who also book-blogs, and mentioned that his first novel was soon to debut.

Lucky for me, one of our wonderful interns went off to India and brought me back a copy of that said novel … and that’s how Arzee the Dwarf by young Chandrahas Choudhury, who book-blogs at The Middle Stage (we do seem to be in serendipitous agreement on so many titles), finally landed in my travel reading pile this holiday season. Arzee is not yet published here at home, but it’s got a major publisher (HarperCollins) abroad, so a U.S. pub date can’t be far. In the meantime, young Choudhury has an upcoming short story anthology, India: A Traveller’s Literary Companion, making its U.S. debut this spring. Stay tuned for that one …

Readers: Adult

Published: 2009 (India)