The Vicks Mango Tree

by Anees Salim

A few months after a state of Emergency has been clamped on India, Raj Iyer, a fledgling journalist living in the alley of the Vicks mango tree, goes underground, to resurface some years later in a corner of the Municipal Park as a bronze statue. No one's sure exactly why he has become so famous, though there is talk of a book being written on him, which hails him as a modern hero of Mangobaag. The Vicks Mango Tree is the story of the tiny fictional region of Mangobaag -- and India -- as she limps through twenty-one months of suspended civil liberties, half-hearted revolts and stern censorships. It is also the tale of Teacher Bhatt, Rabia Sheik and Shankar Iyer, ordinary people in pursuit of their middle-class dreams, and local legends like Maharaja Muneer Shah, Miss Myna and Dr Abid Ali, who live and die in the dying light of a glorious past. Full of odd characters and piquant situations, and alive with the politics and possibilities of a not-so-long-ago time in India's history, The Vicks Mango Tree is a compelling first novel.

Genres: Fiction

380 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Anees Salim is an advertising professional and is employed with Draft FCB Ulka. He loves being invisible and lives with his wife and son in Kochi. Vanity Bagh is his second novel.

Reviews

[Abraham Rajesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing book filled with characters that grow on you with the flick of every page. The interesting style of story-telling from Mr.Raj Iyer's point of view. Teacher Bhatt's character, Rabia's chain letter episodes and Sundar Iyer do stir emotions. A lovable book that will stay in the reader's mind. A compelling first novel indeed.

[Balasankar C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should've read this before reading Vanity Bagh. I know this is Anees's debut novel, and I am to blame reading them in the wrong order, so it is fine - but Vanity Bagh set a much higher benchmark for me.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been ages since a book had me gasping, chuckling and sometimes even laugh out loud. Some of the characters are so ridiculously funny you don't know if you want to laugh or if you are shocked. Considering this is a debut novel, this was a good job. The fact that the general vibe that Mangobaag reminded me of Hyderabad, was also a major plus. :)

[Vedant Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

i had maybe built it up a lot different. Feel like the book focussed on some aspects a lot more than I would have liked, and other more interesting aspects a lot lesser. So okay okay it ended up being

[Shweta Ganesh Kumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tale of a bunch of ordinary people meandering through their lives in the fictional town of Mangobaag.
I picked this book up as the blurb said that the book was set against the backdrop of the Emergency - however, the book didn't do justice to it.
Apart from the well-etched character of Rabia, there was no character one felt touched by.

[Anil Dhingra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The description of the book said it's based on the emergency years. Sadly it's only the period of emergency that the book is based on . Nothing but a passing reference to the emergency itself.
Based in an imaginary small town in South India it has just a few middle class characters whole life is described. Plus there is an erstwhile Maharaja.
The book simply fails to keep pace. Difficult to complete it in one go.
I have purchased two books by the author simultaneously and I hope the other one will be better.

[Shalim M Hussain · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Tales from a Vending Machine, Vanity Bagh and The Blind Lady's Descendants and enjoyed Small Town Sea. I tried to like The Vicks Mango Tree but couldn't. Anees's trademark humour is in a very rudimentary form in this book. So is his microscopic detailing, usually used for humour. In short, this reads like a debut.

[Shiyas Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read about the author in a website .Since he is from my hometown,I wanted to promote his writing , so bought a copy of his book... Well, I met the author before reading this book.

Well, this books revolves around a bunch of characters set in a fictitious town called Mangobhag.. Not very gripping, nothing inspiring, nothing noteworthy..looks like could have included a lot of funny/ misty characters.. but instead has a gloomy nature .. the book goes on bragging about Teacher Bhatt's tragedy (widower who lost a child soon after birth) .. and adds nothing more to it.. just an alley , mango tree and a mansion kind of house and its tenants.. Perhaps, the author have been in some parts of Calcutta, Mumbai and Hyderabad.. to add a south Indian flavor he has brought in Iyers and Nairs. Other than that , there ain't nothing much .. I will read one more of his book , before I am being judgmental about this author..

Thing is if you are looking for Chathan Bhagath kind of book , dont go for this.. this is a bit dragging, and would be apt if you are from 60-70's.. would be easier to digest and if u have a more classical approach in fiction , this would be somewhere between 3-5.. But considering that the author has written such a narrative with less than 15 characters IS really impressive..The editing I believe has to be appreciated as well. anyways 2/5...

[Deepak · Rating 4 out of 5]

There have been numerous works, both on film and paper depicting the emergency period and its effect on the everyday life of Indians. The debut novel by Anees Salim also follows a similar trajectory, albeit invoking the emergency period in a lighter vein rather than opting a somber approach. A very compelling effort.

[Richa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after Mango Bagh so the comparison was inevitable and The Vicks Mango Bagh was at a disadvantage. But this was only because I had read Mango Bagh first. It is a beautiful book and I think reading Anees Salim had made me a better reader. Can not wait to get my hands around the rest of his work.

Anees Salim is a must read for people who want to try some amazing Indian writers.

[Jithin Mathew Thomas]

This is one of those books, you could take for a casual read with your morning tea. Coming from a first time writer it was quite captivating. The political context in which it is placed, is not something Indian fiction normally barges into. A quick read.

[Vaivaswatha Manu · Rating 4 out of 5]

good