In the Country of Deceit

by Shashi Deshpande

New

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

259 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2009

About the author

Novelist and short story writer, Shashi Deshpande began her career with short stories and has by now authored nine short story collections, twelve novels and four books for children. Three of her novels have received awards, including the Sahitya Akademi award for `That Long Silence'. Some of her other novels are `The Dark Holds No Terrors', `A Matter of Time', `Small Remedies', `Moving On', `In The Country of Deceit' and `Ships that Pass'. Her latest novel is `Shadow Play'.Many of her short stories and novels have been translated into a number of Indian as well as European languages. She has translated two plays by her father, Adya Rangacharya, (Shriranga), as well as his memoirs, from Kannada into English, and a novel by Gauri Deshpande from Marathi into English.
Apart from fiction, she has written a number of articles on various subjects - literature, language, Indian writing in English, feminism and women's writing - which have now been put together in a collection `Writing from the Margin.' She has been invited to participate in various literary conferences and festivals, as well as to lecture in Universities, both in India and abroad.

She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2008.

List of books by Shashi Deshpande

Dark Holds No Terrors (1982)
That Long Silence (1989)
A Matter of Time
Moving On
Small Remedies
Shadow Play (2013)
The Narayanpur Incident
If I Die Today
In the Country of Deceit
The Binding Vine
Ships That Pass (2012)
The Intrusion And Other Stories
3 Novels : A Summer Adventure, The Hidden Treasure, The Only Witness
Come Up & Be Dead
Collected Stories (Volume - 1)
Collected Stories (Volume - 2)
Writing from the Margin: And Other Essays

Reviews

[Versha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-Read in 2021
***

2014
I Just love Shashi Deshpande’s writing, her prose is always enchanting to read it gives me immense pleasure to read her works, which are ‘simple and sophisticated ’ at the same time! She writes about ordinary people, about their loneliness, their emotions, their agony, their helpless situations in life. Her characters are easily relatable or should I say they are ‘there’, they are ‘real’!

In the Country of Deceit is a story about Devayani the main protagonist who lives independently in a small town surrounded by few relatives and friends. Her life initially is uncomplicated. Often she receives few letters from her loved ones insisting her - either to leave that place and live with them or constantly indicating her to get married. Then enters Rani, an ex-film actress who lives in that same town and gradually becomes a good friend to Devayani. Finally through Rani, Devayani meets DSP Ashok who instantly falls for her (though married and has a daughter) still he just can’t stop following her. Finally Devayani accepts him and enters the country of deceit ( in this book the country of deceit is nothing but ‘deceitful love’ which Devayani was a part of) where she constantly lies and deceits her loved ones and secretly meets this man and finally falls in love with him, a love which has no boundary, no ethics, no morals . She knows whatever she is doing is not right and it has no future but she is helpless. The fear and guilt of becoming “the other woman” in someone’s life is always there and is constantly eating her up inside every time she meets him, but she is helpless. She urges herself to stop this nonsense yet again she is helpless.

“Why did I do it? Why did I enter the country of deceit? What took me into it? I hesitate to use the word love, but what other word is there?” (a line from the book)

Though I knew whatever Devayani did was a mistake yet I felt sorry for her. Her continuous brooding over herself and for her love for a man who can never be hers’, really makes the reader feel helpless. This powerful writing really had a great impact on me. I am sure Devayani is going to stay in my mind for while now because I really liked her.

my review journal

[beautywithbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Country of Deceit is a story of young lady Devayani, the main protagonist. She lives independently in a small town Rajnur after her parent's death. But she is well surrounded and supported by few relatives and friends. She is constantly insisted by her close relatives to live the place and live with them or to get married. Her life in tranquil and content with teaching English and creating her garden.
An ex-film actor, Rani, comes to stay in the same town. Gradually they both become good friends and Rani insists Devayani help in a script for her comeback movie. Through Rani, Devayani meets Ashok Chinappa, Rajnur's new District Superintendent of Police. Ashok is much older than Devayani, married and has a daughter. Still, he cannot stop himself falling for her. Finally, Devayani accepts him and constantly lies and deceits her loved ones to secretly meet this man. She falls in love with this man who is much elder and married, who cannot commit her anything. This love has no boundary, no morals or ethics. Even after knowing what she is doing is not right, she does not have any future with Ashok, she is helpless. The guilt of becoming "the other woman" is someone's life is eating her up inside but every time she becomes helpless and desperate to meet him.
This novel about adult love makes one think about true nature of love and marriage. In a society, where there are restrictions to fall in love, two individuals fall in love despite the social norms. The protagonist constantly urges herself to stop this but there are questions that arise with no answers: How one perceives love? Love is an idea....or is it? And who decides what is right and what is not?
This is a simple story, narrated in first person, written in a sophisticated and powerful way. It mirrors the life of an ordinary person, about her loneliness, emotion, agony, and helplessness. There are some very beautiful passages on love and life.

[Priyanka Pujari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for my book club.
The writing was good. I liked the slice of life. Some things were so relatable, it gave me goosebumps.

Everything else sucked. The beginning of the book annoyed me to no end. I was so confused as to who is who. So many characters with no family tree to establish the relationships.
The letter format really did not do it for me, I wish sometimes the author made an effort to separate the end of the letter and the protagonist's rambling.
The character of Devyani is not fleshed out well. Why did she fall for the married cop? The beginning of their relationship did not make any sense. They had one conversation, she saw his back, he saw her face and they fell in lust. There was 0 chemistry. Devyani doesn't really know anything about the cop, except for his love of whiskey and singing old English songs.
The pacing was bad. The so called affair doesn't start till almost 2/3rd of the book.
The ending was predictable and I honestly didn't give two hoots to any of the characters.

[Divyanshi Dash · Rating 3 out of 5]

i am very torn, great writing, love that there are no answers to the only question: why go into the country of deceit? or, why go into it knowing it is the country of deceit? a miracle, a disaster.

[Sohini Banerjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read: This is a deep read. A straightforward story on the front, but with numerous layers - emotional, familial, social, moral. It’s easy to read, but will leave you with so many questions, but not a right answer. In the end, the story makes you ponder over the importance and power of our choices, and how there’s a price or consequence to each of them. Recommended :)

[Swagata Tarafdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about love that is forbidden in society, the kind of love where the couple don't have a future together... how does it feel? This novel is about one such forbidden love-story.

[Vidhi Bansal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect story of how, once you enter the country of deceit there is little you can do to escape it.

[Aditi Chikhale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came into my possession quite unexpectedly. I bought it from a book stall, about to be closed when the beautiful cover caught my attention. I read the name ‘Sashi Deshpande’ and the book was already in my bag. Only after reaching home did I realize that I hadn’t even registered the title. Once you love a writer, their name is enough to lure you into the pages of another book.
Devayani Mudhol is living in her recently renovated childhood home in the small town of Rajnur. It’s been 3 years since her mother’s death, a loss too early and devastating for her. After many family troubles, only now does her life have any sense of normality. Being an unmarried woman, she is constantly urged by her relatives to meet a potential man. But, Devayani is sure that she doesn’t want to get married without love. As she settles into her routine of teaching English to college students, managing the house, and creating a garden overlooking her window, she finds an unlikely friend in Rani, a former Bollywood actress, who has recently shifted to Rajnur. She meets Ashok, the new police superintendent of police at Rani’s house. A meet that starts it all. He is a married man with a daughter, but he can’t stop thinking about Devayani who spoke only a few words to him that night, but a few honest words. He calls her after their meet but they exchange hardly a sentence. Devayani keeps thinking about him. One day, unable to keep his emotions at bay, Ashok confesses that he has fallen for her but Devayani doesn’t respond to this declaration even though it constantly runs through her mind. After a few days, they meet again and their love blooms as it if it was always meant to be. It is an extra-marital affair and both of them are painfully aware of that fact. Nevertheless, it is love.
The book is beautifully written. There are so many voices that reach to the reader because of the letters that are strewn throughout the book. It is not only about the extra-marital affair, it is also about family ties, property disputes, love, responsibilities, life in a small town, etc. I loved the relationship between the two sisters, Devayani and Savi. I loved the love between Ashok and Devayani. But most of all, I loved Devayani. I really really liked the book.

[Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Mrs. Deshpande's language is not particularly evocative or ebullient, she always manages to get the writing just-right. This is yet another excellent book, beautifully written to evoke an incredible sense of empathy with the protagonist. The book is written in the first person, interspersed with correspondence between her and various main figures. This tool makes the writing even more real, as the reader is simply given the letter, mostly without analysis.

The story revolves around the dilemmas of a young woman in a country town who is unmarried (shock!) but fully supported and networked with family. Her world is turned upside down when she falls in love with a married man, and has to live with the deceits which follow. Like the other Deshpande themes I have read which deal with the travails faced by women in India, this book is both revealing and refreshing.

[Akshita Rawat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this book randomly from a kabadi shop at Mumbai's Chapel road.
The story revolves around a 20 something woman who lives alone is a small town, Rajnur. The title hints at her affair with a married man, but the book is about more than that. It is her personal journey, her family, unlikely friendships and in turn finding her capabilities.
The book got a bit boring at times. I found the plot to be a little weak. However, I thoroughly liked Deshpande's writing style.
Her other critically acclaimed works are considered to be better in terms of plot and the themes they address. I plan on reading one of those in the future

[Ritwika Chakraborty · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Country Of Deceit is one for the light reading category. It doesn't have a strong plot....it is just a book that goes with the flow. It's a story of a 25+ unmarried and educated woman, living in a small town. She is reflected as a smart, strong headed and content human being who doesn't need much in terms of monetary earnings or luxurious lifestyle to lead a satisfied life. Her character unfolds as a person who in unafraid of staying unmarried and revels in the small joys of life, like seeing her garden come up beautifully, among others.
She befriends a retired Bollywood actress and as their friendship progresses, she finds that her friend has started trusting her other responsibilities, like writing a script or story line for her return to the movie industry. Anyway, as the book goes on, their intimate friendship is one of the three main lines that evolves.
The second line is the one where the author has introduced a legal issue of a lucrative businessman who tries to acquire a piece of land that the protagonist(she) inherited.
The third and the main story line is her illicit relationship with a married man and how she copes with her guilt of it being an affair and her being helplessly in love with him. She goes back and forth in her argument with herself and tries to rationalize her relationship, but it takes a toll on her when she realizes what she really wants but will possibly never get.

I'll keep away from the revealing the ending of each line. All in all, I felt the story lacked purpose. I would read it if I don't have anything else to read. The language is easy to grasp, and fresh. I enjoyed the authors thoughts as reflected from the protagonist's thinking. They had a modern non-conservative take on issues. There is supposedly a prequel to this book, where Shashi Deshpande takes the reader through another part of the protagonist's life but this genre isn't really my thing and so I won't be picking that up.

There wasn't anything negative to write about the book, it was an enjoyable read, just not an exciting and intriguing one. Pick it up if you like to sit back and enjoy reading about the intricacies of Indian family relations, countryside descriptions and a look into the mind of a smart, helplessly in love modern woman living in a conservative society.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book to bits. Ms. Deshpande is becoming one of my favourite authors. She is extraordinarily skilled in her craft, her writing is astoundingly beautiful. She weaves stories, narratives consisting of family, friendships, community and society so beautifully that you can't resist but crave more of it.

Such is this book. Story of Devayani and Ashok, two people who fell in love. It's a quintessential case of the right people, wrong time and even the worst situation. It's contemplative and quite evocative.

This book evoked all kinds of emotions in me. It made me feel every bit of what Devayani was feeling. It made me feel helpless because everything which felt right this one moment, the next it didn't feel that way.

Devayani's character is deeply layered. Her strengths and weaknesses are portrayed beautifully and in equal measure. Through the entirety of it one question remains unanswered, rather it remains untouched for the readers to decide "why does one enter into the country of deceit?"

The answers may vary, but as far as I know we do unspeakable things for only one reason: to love and be loved in return. But is love enough? Is love always guilt free? Is love always burden free? Is love different for men and women? Are the rules of love different for men and women?
This book makes you question your own understanding of love, makes you look deep into the crevices of your own heart that's how I know, how profound this book is.

PS: This book left me in tears yet it's not reason enough to keep me away from this book. It's definitely one of those books which I'd want to re-read at certain intervals.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the love story of a young and inspired woman, Devayani, who is relatively happy with her single status till she meets Ashok, the newly-posted DSP of Rajnur, at her friend Rani’s house. It is the relationship of Devayani and Ashok that forms the crux of the plot. Penetrating physical love for Devayani indicates the proclamation of her sexuality and the discharge of prudery associated with it. When Ashok leaves on a promotion for Bangalore, Devayani cannot decide whether her short-lived relationship with him was a calamity or a slip-up, even though it may be considered an act of deceit, a “betrayal”. She decides never to meet him but is also not ready to erase his memories: “Must I forget his tenderness, the gentleness of his touch, the urgency of his passion? And why, yes, why must I forget that I too had a moment, a very brief moment, when I raised my arms and my fingertips brushed the sky?” Devayani finds memory as a source of comfort to which she could resort in times of distress…. Give this book a go. I read it way back in 2010. And an abrupt re-read, personally won a very grim day for me.

[Shiny Ajit · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In the Country of Deceit" by Sashi Deshpande is a beautifully crafted novel that delves into the themes of love, loneliness, and moral conflict in a small-town Indian setting. Through the eyes of Devayani, the protagonist, the story unfolds in a reflective manner, enhanced by interwoven letters that add depth to her character and experiences. Her journey is marked by both resilience and vulnerability, especially as she navigates her feelings for Rani, a lost actress, and a married police officer whose turbulent nature contrasts sharply with her own tranquil life. Deshpande skillfully portrays the emotional complexities of human relationships, providing readers with a bittersweet love story that resonates long after the final page. The authenticity of the characters and the vivid depiction of the town create an immersive experience, leaving a lasting impression of empathy and unease. Overall, it's a poignant exploration of inner conflict and human connection that many readers will find relatable and thought-provoking.

[V J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick review:

Tons of characters might confuse readers, especially if you're not used to living in joint/connected family; a little weird way of telling the backstories, through letters and connected thoughts; the language didn't seem like written English, probably very close to being Indian English, if you prefer that.

But, overall, can be read over a few sittings. A good ride over a slow life where each event would be changing something in one's life. Very neutral feeling after finishing the read.

[Divya Pal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good yarn. An incident similar to If I Die Today is mentioned. But the red-herrings like the inconclusive plot of land and the role of Rani in the whole affair are unsatisfying.

[Shankar Narayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book interesting. At the time the book was written, the plot line of a single woman who falls in love with an older married man and has an affair with him may have had an element of shock and intrigue. I am not sure that it has the same effect today.

The writing really stands out in some parts. I like authors who have the ability to smuggle weighty thoughts into their prose without really burdening the reader. She manages to do that time and again through the book.

[Shubha S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language used was okay, but not captivating. There are times when introspection becomes too monotonous. Felt that it lacked depth.

[MIiftheqhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adult epiphany of emotions.

[Richi Naik · Rating 1 out of 5]

No story, so many side characters and stories within that goes nowhere. I have never read a book that i disliked this much.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shashi Deshpande always impressed with her evocative rendering of the inner life of her women characters.

[Juhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Love is an idea' ..... or is it? And who decides what is right and what is not?

The novel is about 'adult love'- as the author herself says in an interview. Two individuals fall in love despite being restricted by the society's norms. Usually in popular media, the major reason why lovers fail to unite at the end is death - one of them dies. But in the real world, there are dozens of other 'reality checks' which can prevent them from being together. What if you meet the right person at the wrong time? I think the novel explores that possibility. The helplessness of the characters in such a situation is beautifully etched out. The novel also made me think about the true nature of love and marriage.

[Rakhi Anil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book keeps you captivated till the end. You can relate to the characters very well and most emotions are just as in real life. For instance when Devayani decides to give up on Ashok and prays for Arjun to get alright and I loved the letter that Shree writes to Devayani, very touching. Overall an excellent read the author leaves you asking for more

[Santy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good well written, liked the independent nature of the heroine, somehow felt the book lacked depth. Could have been much better

[Shyam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Account of an eventful period in the life of a single woman living in a small city. Narration keeps you hooked till the end. Few passages about love/life really beautiful

[Rkphilip]

Well a different type of novel. Enjoyed reading it.
Questions about Love - how different people perceive it? remain after reading it.

[Geetanjali Tara Joshi · Rating 2 out of 5]

B-O-R-I-N-G!