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One Small Voice
India, 1992. The country is ablaze with riots. In Lucknow, ten-year-old Shubhankar witnesses a terrible act of mob violence that will alter the course of his life - one to which his family turn a blind eye.
As he approaches adulthood, Shabby focuses on the only path he believes will buy him an escape: good school, good degree, good job, good car. But when he arrives in Mumbai in his twenties, he begins to question whether there might be other roads he could choose. His new friends, Syed and Shruti, are asking the same questions; together, buoyed by the freedom of the big city, they are rewriting their stories.
But as the rising tide of nationalism sweeps across the country, and their friendship becomes the rock they all cling to, this new life suddenly seems fragile. And before Shabby can chart his way forward, he must reckon with the ghosts of his past...
Dazzling and deeply moving, One Small Voice is a novel of modern India: of violence and prejudice, friendship and loyalty, community and tradition, and of a young man coming of age in a country on fire.
As he approaches adulthood, Shabby focuses on the only path he believes will buy him an escape: good school, good degree, good job, good car. But when he arrives in Mumbai in his twenties, he begins to question whether there might be other roads he could choose. His new friends, Syed and Shruti, are asking the same questions; together, buoyed by the freedom of the big city, they are rewriting their stories.
But as the rising tide of nationalism sweeps across the country, and their friendship becomes the rock they all cling to, this new life suddenly seems fragile. And before Shabby can chart his way forward, he must reckon with the ghosts of his past...
Dazzling and deeply moving, One Small Voice is a novel of modern India: of violence and prejudice, friendship and loyalty, community and tradition, and of a young man coming of age in a country on fire.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 23, 2023
32 people are currently reading
1159 people want to read
About the author
Santanu Bhattacharya
2 books52 followersSantanu Bhattacharya is the author of two novels, One Small Voice and Deviants, and several works of short fiction. One Small Voice was chosen as an Observer Best Debut Novel for 2023, and was shortlisted for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award and the Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize. Santanu is the winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize Residency, the Mo Siewcharran Prize, the Life Writing Prize, and a London Writers’ Award. He grew up in India, and now lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
January 13, 2023
What matters in the history of time is not the story that dazzles today, but the one that sparkles with so much honesty it survives. Even if it's told by only one small voice.
What made this book for me is the vibrant narrative voice and that sense of emotional authenticity that we can see in the quotation above. I really connected with this style of writing from the warmth of the family in the opening scenes to the trauma that the narrator experiences which changes his view of the world without ever making him cynical.
There's something almost Dickensian in the way this navigates between the big politics of India and the smaller, though no less important, individual impact. And, like Dickens, this teeters on that line between emotion and sentimentality: in the end, it just stops short of the saccharine for me. It's perhaps a little neatly shaped but I'm going with my heart rather than my head with rating this one.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
September 25, 2022
I have turned the last page, tears settled on my eyelashes and I take a deep breath trying to ground myself while in my minds eye flames flicker and grow. I feel I know Shabby as well as I know my own son and while Santanu Bhattacharya brought the novel to a stop like a conductor lowers the baton on a perfect symphony, there is a huge longing to follow his life for the next year, or two, or forever.
This book deals with so many modern ills and social issues at once that it should be a mess; difficult to understand or superficial as if no one strand of the story is important enough to take centre stage but perhaps the novel is its own metaphor for modern India. Bright, brash, tender, scented with promise. So much technological growth and yet so much unchanged from Colonial rule. Every strand is important because every strand is connected to every other. At its heart a coming of age story about a boy’s journey to manhood finding his own place in a world that has changed so much since his parents generation’s own youth but it is also a story of nationalism and the interference of the state in acts of worship, race, ritual observance, oppression and the possibility of change. Turn the page and it is a story of family and the weight of parental expectations, then a treatise on unrecognised buried mental health issues. It is a story of class and caste and an exploration of how best to help those you seek to help, by being with them in the trenches or getting as wealthy as possible in order to have a voice that is listened to so that you can advocate on their behalf.
I could wax lyrical all night about how huge, how wonderful and how beautifully written and woven this novel is but you’re going to have to take my word for it until you can read it for yourself!
This book deals with so many modern ills and social issues at once that it should be a mess; difficult to understand or superficial as if no one strand of the story is important enough to take centre stage but perhaps the novel is its own metaphor for modern India. Bright, brash, tender, scented with promise. So much technological growth and yet so much unchanged from Colonial rule. Every strand is important because every strand is connected to every other. At its heart a coming of age story about a boy’s journey to manhood finding his own place in a world that has changed so much since his parents generation’s own youth but it is also a story of nationalism and the interference of the state in acts of worship, race, ritual observance, oppression and the possibility of change. Turn the page and it is a story of family and the weight of parental expectations, then a treatise on unrecognised buried mental health issues. It is a story of class and caste and an exploration of how best to help those you seek to help, by being with them in the trenches or getting as wealthy as possible in order to have a voice that is listened to so that you can advocate on their behalf.
I could wax lyrical all night about how huge, how wonderful and how beautifully written and woven this novel is but you’re going to have to take my word for it until you can read it for yourself!
did-not-finish
September 10, 2023I read half of this and I’ll never get those hours back. I’m glad others liked it but I thought it was incredibly plodding with one of the least interesting protagonists in all of literature.
January 17, 2023
I came across this book almost accidentally whilst browsing NetGalley. Then, when I looked it up on Goodreads I discovered it has one of those annoying addenda to its title “An Observer best debut novel for 2023”. I say annoying, but in this case it added to my interest and I decided to request it.
My thanks to the publisher for approving my request and making an ARC available.
We read the story of Shubhankar. He will come to be known as Shabby as the story progresses. As a young child in India in 1992, Shubhankar witnesses a terrible act of violence which his family seems to ignore and which he consequently locks up within himself. This casts a shadow over his life from that point onwards.
Shubhankar’s story is overlaid on a backdrop of political upheaval across India with violence between Hindu and Muslim, the place of women in society and the challenges of the new generation all coming into play as the country goes through changes.
The book is structured as two interleaved narratives, one before and one after an “incident”, Shubhankar’s own life changing experience. This structure works well for the most part (although I am a huge fan of Emily St John Mandel and she does it better than most so it’s a high bar for this book to jump over).
Overall this is an excellent debut novel. It combines an individual story with a national context in an interesting structure. There are times when it feels like the book might tip into sentimentality, especially towards the end, but, even at almost 400 pages it doesn’t feel like it outstays it’s welcome.
My thanks to the publisher for approving my request and making an ARC available.
We read the story of Shubhankar. He will come to be known as Shabby as the story progresses. As a young child in India in 1992, Shubhankar witnesses a terrible act of violence which his family seems to ignore and which he consequently locks up within himself. This casts a shadow over his life from that point onwards.
Shubhankar’s story is overlaid on a backdrop of political upheaval across India with violence between Hindu and Muslim, the place of women in society and the challenges of the new generation all coming into play as the country goes through changes.
The book is structured as two interleaved narratives, one before and one after an “incident”, Shubhankar’s own life changing experience. This structure works well for the most part (although I am a huge fan of Emily St John Mandel and she does it better than most so it’s a high bar for this book to jump over).
Overall this is an excellent debut novel. It combines an individual story with a national context in an interesting structure. There are times when it feels like the book might tip into sentimentality, especially towards the end, but, even at almost 400 pages it doesn’t feel like it outstays it’s welcome.
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March 3, 2024Have reviewed the book for Wasafiri, for those who have access:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
A short extract below:
This debut novel swings between two kinds of violence: the broad strokes anti-Muslim violence in India that the post-1992 generation has witnessed and the more localised attacks on north Indian (Hindi-speaking) migrants. It is told from the perspective of an upper-caste Hindu protagonist, Shubhankar Trivedi, who is a child in 1992, the year the Babri mosque in Ayodhya was destroyed, triggering riots across the country. Shubhankar witnesses the murder of a Muslim man and is haunted for years afterwards by nightmares featuring ‘M'. Yet, it is not religious violence that shapes his destiny, but his own attempt to escape the box that his family wants him to inhabit...
The novel’s perspective, however, belongs neither to perpetrators of violence nor to those who are most vulnerable to it. It belongs to the bystander, the one who is complicit through silence and who can afford to sidestep it.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
A short extract below:
This debut novel swings between two kinds of violence: the broad strokes anti-Muslim violence in India that the post-1992 generation has witnessed and the more localised attacks on north Indian (Hindi-speaking) migrants. It is told from the perspective of an upper-caste Hindu protagonist, Shubhankar Trivedi, who is a child in 1992, the year the Babri mosque in Ayodhya was destroyed, triggering riots across the country. Shubhankar witnesses the murder of a Muslim man and is haunted for years afterwards by nightmares featuring ‘M'. Yet, it is not religious violence that shapes his destiny, but his own attempt to escape the box that his family wants him to inhabit...
The novel’s perspective, however, belongs neither to perpetrators of violence nor to those who are most vulnerable to it. It belongs to the bystander, the one who is complicit through silence and who can afford to sidestep it.
July 11, 2023
I really finished this 380-odd page long novel over the course of a day and I don't regret it. I am now teary eyed at 2.30 in the a.m. Cannot recommend this enough.
One Small Voice is a bildungsroman set against a hellscape that grows progressively fascist. As such, it is one of many contemporary works in Indian Anglophone literature that seek to respond to the current moment of Hindu nationalist infernality that the country is in the throes of. (For the uninitiated, it would be useful to note that such expressions are severely limited by the harshly repressive nature of the regime. Dissident authors would find a physical distance from the country they are writing about to be of help.)
Santanu Bhattacharyya brings the infernality of this country to light with an unflinching honesty. But in doing so, the narrative also holds out other possibilities. It does absurd things like revel in ideas of hope and love, even in a moment that is built around the preclusion of such frivolities. As long as there is a story, there is something to hold on to. Granted, this hope is flimsy. I can see the glimmer offered by the novel torn apart in a million different ways.*But it narrates that glimmer in a way that makes you want to believe in it, think you could. For India in 2023, even that counts for something.
*I don't think it detracts from the uhh...merit of the novel to point out that it offers a very upper caste and upper (middle?) class perspective on contemporary India. That is part of its point- to show how the violence of Brahminism in particular and majoritarianism more generally turns inwards, claims victims from those it seeks to protect. But I think it is unrealistic in its portrayal of how easily upper caste domesticity can fall into a pattern of basic decency. For narrative's sake, may we overlook this.
One Small Voice is a bildungsroman set against a hellscape that grows progressively fascist. As such, it is one of many contemporary works in Indian Anglophone literature that seek to respond to the current moment of Hindu nationalist infernality that the country is in the throes of. (For the uninitiated, it would be useful to note that such expressions are severely limited by the harshly repressive nature of the regime. Dissident authors would find a physical distance from the country they are writing about to be of help.)
Santanu Bhattacharyya brings the infernality of this country to light with an unflinching honesty. But in doing so, the narrative also holds out other possibilities. It does absurd things like revel in ideas of hope and love, even in a moment that is built around the preclusion of such frivolities. As long as there is a story, there is something to hold on to. Granted, this hope is flimsy. I can see the glimmer offered by the novel torn apart in a million different ways.*But it narrates that glimmer in a way that makes you want to believe in it, think you could. For India in 2023, even that counts for something.
*I don't think it detracts from the uhh...merit of the novel to point out that it offers a very upper caste and upper (middle?) class perspective on contemporary India. That is part of its point- to show how the violence of Brahminism in particular and majoritarianism more generally turns inwards, claims victims from those it seeks to protect. But I think it is unrealistic in its portrayal of how easily upper caste domesticity can fall into a pattern of basic decency. For narrative's sake, may we overlook this.
March 4, 2023
The story about modern India that the world has been waiting for. One Small Voice makes one big noise, delicately.
February 3, 2023
“But he knows now that this is how human beings are. All we want is to move up the ladder, but once we’ve gone up, we look back and yearn, those markers of a past time now quaint, retro..“
This book is a really well thought out coming of age story based in India. It is full of so much. The whole story is centred around the political and religious violence and unrest in India. The beginning of the book wasn’t as engaging as I found the switch between timelines a little disjointed and the editing maybe a little jolty in the way it moved with their not actually being much time between the two timelines. I think this improved a lot once Shubhankar went to university and the second half was really engaging. As someone who has spent a significant amount of time in India (and not the touristy side) the imagery worked well for me however I do think it would maybe hard to visualise if you hadn’t had that exposure as there’s not THAT much by way of description. Overall an engaging and heartbreaking read with really lovable characters
This book is a really well thought out coming of age story based in India. It is full of so much. The whole story is centred around the political and religious violence and unrest in India. The beginning of the book wasn’t as engaging as I found the switch between timelines a little disjointed and the editing maybe a little jolty in the way it moved with their not actually being much time between the two timelines. I think this improved a lot once Shubhankar went to university and the second half was really engaging. As someone who has spent a significant amount of time in India (and not the touristy side) the imagery worked well for me however I do think it would maybe hard to visualise if you hadn’t had that exposure as there’s not THAT much by way of description. Overall an engaging and heartbreaking read with really lovable characters
February 26, 2023
I found this book slightly boring and was tempted to DNF it a few times. I enjoyed the concept of the story but I found the way it was written seemed very moving from point A to B and lacked emotion for me, meaning I found it really difficult to be engaged or invested in the plot. I also wasn't a fan of the dual timeline and don't think it really added anything to the novel and maybe would have had more of an impact if the timeline was linear, as all it really did was add confusion.
March 6, 2023
This novel depicts one man's coming of age in the background of India's political unrest and subsequent mob violence.
In most of the novels I've read detailing India's modern political history, the character's are from lower castes - often living in slums or extreme poverty - but the protagonist of this novel comes from a place of privilege: he is from an upper caste Hindu family. It was refreshing to read a novel which does not shy away from questions of privilege and actively weaves the repercussions of higher socio-economic class into its narrative.
This is a tender and essential Debut which details the effects trauma has on an individual, their loved ones, and a nation.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this terrific novel.
In most of the novels I've read detailing India's modern political history, the character's are from lower castes - often living in slums or extreme poverty - but the protagonist of this novel comes from a place of privilege: he is from an upper caste Hindu family. It was refreshing to read a novel which does not shy away from questions of privilege and actively weaves the repercussions of higher socio-economic class into its narrative.
This is a tender and essential Debut which details the effects trauma has on an individual, their loved ones, and a nation.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this terrific novel.
February 23, 2023
One Small Voice skilfully interweaves the coming-of-age story of Shubhankar Trivedi (Shabby) with a backdrop of communal violence which touches his life in significant ways.
Shabby grows up in Lucknow in a family clinging precariously to middle-class and Brahmin status (his choice of nickname is in part a way to distance himself from a name that proclaims his background). His parents push hard to give Shabby and his brother the one thing they can – an education.
As a child Shabby is aware of other cultures – he attends a Christian school, there are Muslims in the town. But as violence against Muslims in Gujarat fills the news, ten-year-old Shabby witnesses a horrific act by a mob and this trauma changes him, and his perceptions of those around him. Unable to tell his parents what he has seen, or comprehend the complicity of people they know and respect, he takes the guilt and blame upon himself.
Later, as an adult in Mumbai, he is caught up in another terrible act of violence and experiences life-changing injuries. One Small Voice moves between two timelines. One is the aftermath of the injury. The other is his life from childhood up to that point, with the truth about what happened unfolding through the narrative.
While One Small Voice is driven by the theme of communal violence it is much more than an issues novel. It’s also a beautifully written exploration of family life, and of Shabby’s struggle to reconcile his parents’ expectations with a rapidly changing culture.
Shabby’s adult life in Mumbai is apparently much freer than his parents’. He works for an American company, he lives with friends, he mixes with people from different backgrounds. However, their apparent freedom and tolerance is still constrained by the darkening political landscape.
What I like most about One Small Voice is that it’s a powerful story about one man’s trauma and recovery, but it’s also a vivid depiction of his world. From the pressure on Shabby and his peers to succeed, and the way they cope – or fail to – to the small details of their lives, it’s a novel that stays with you.
*
I received a copy of One Small Voice from the publisher via NetGalley.
Shabby grows up in Lucknow in a family clinging precariously to middle-class and Brahmin status (his choice of nickname is in part a way to distance himself from a name that proclaims his background). His parents push hard to give Shabby and his brother the one thing they can – an education.
As a child Shabby is aware of other cultures – he attends a Christian school, there are Muslims in the town. But as violence against Muslims in Gujarat fills the news, ten-year-old Shabby witnesses a horrific act by a mob and this trauma changes him, and his perceptions of those around him. Unable to tell his parents what he has seen, or comprehend the complicity of people they know and respect, he takes the guilt and blame upon himself.
Later, as an adult in Mumbai, he is caught up in another terrible act of violence and experiences life-changing injuries. One Small Voice moves between two timelines. One is the aftermath of the injury. The other is his life from childhood up to that point, with the truth about what happened unfolding through the narrative.
While One Small Voice is driven by the theme of communal violence it is much more than an issues novel. It’s also a beautifully written exploration of family life, and of Shabby’s struggle to reconcile his parents’ expectations with a rapidly changing culture.
Shabby’s adult life in Mumbai is apparently much freer than his parents’. He works for an American company, he lives with friends, he mixes with people from different backgrounds. However, their apparent freedom and tolerance is still constrained by the darkening political landscape.
What I like most about One Small Voice is that it’s a powerful story about one man’s trauma and recovery, but it’s also a vivid depiction of his world. From the pressure on Shabby and his peers to succeed, and the way they cope – or fail to – to the small details of their lives, it’s a novel that stays with you.
*
I received a copy of One Small Voice from the publisher via NetGalley.
December 30, 2024
“One Small Voice” by Santanu Bhattacharyya is a compelling novel set against the backdrop of India in 1992, a time when the country was ablaze with riots. The narrative revolves around Shubhankar, known as Shabby, who, as a ten-year-old, witnesses a traumatic act of violence during the riots in Lucknow. This event shapes his life, setting him on a path to escape the horrors he witnessed by pursuing education, a good job, and a comfortable life.
What sets this book apart is the vibrant narrative voice and emotional authenticity woven throughout. The writing style, ranging from the warmth of family scenes to the trauma Shabby experiences, creates a connection that resonates deeply with readers. The story navigates seamlessly between the larger political landscape of India and the individual impact on Shabby’s life, reminiscent of Dickensian storytelling that balances emotion and sentimentality. The narrative skillfully explores modern-day issues and social challenges, encompassing themes of violence, prejudice, friendship, loyalty, community, and tradition. As Shabby confronts the ghosts of his past, the story unfolds with a perfect blend of individual growth and societal change, making it a poignant coming-of-age tale.
The novel delves into diverse aspects of contemporary India, addressing nationalism, state interference in religious practices, gender roles, mental health, and societal expectations. The intertwined narratives before and after a life-changing incident provide a nuanced structure that captures the complexities of Shabby’s life. “One Small Voice” stands out as an excellent debut, combining individual stories with a national context, offering a glimpse into the evolving landscape of modern India. The book successfully balances emotional depth with societal commentary, creating a narrative that lingers in the reader’s thoughts. Santanu Bhattacharyya’s work is a testament to his storytelling prowess, making this novel a must-read for those who appreciate well-crafted narratives that explore the human condition in the face of societal upheavals.
What sets this book apart is the vibrant narrative voice and emotional authenticity woven throughout. The writing style, ranging from the warmth of family scenes to the trauma Shabby experiences, creates a connection that resonates deeply with readers. The story navigates seamlessly between the larger political landscape of India and the individual impact on Shabby’s life, reminiscent of Dickensian storytelling that balances emotion and sentimentality. The narrative skillfully explores modern-day issues and social challenges, encompassing themes of violence, prejudice, friendship, loyalty, community, and tradition. As Shabby confronts the ghosts of his past, the story unfolds with a perfect blend of individual growth and societal change, making it a poignant coming-of-age tale.
The novel delves into diverse aspects of contemporary India, addressing nationalism, state interference in religious practices, gender roles, mental health, and societal expectations. The intertwined narratives before and after a life-changing incident provide a nuanced structure that captures the complexities of Shabby’s life. “One Small Voice” stands out as an excellent debut, combining individual stories with a national context, offering a glimpse into the evolving landscape of modern India. The book successfully balances emotional depth with societal commentary, creating a narrative that lingers in the reader’s thoughts. Santanu Bhattacharyya’s work is a testament to his storytelling prowess, making this novel a must-read for those who appreciate well-crafted narratives that explore the human condition in the face of societal upheavals.
March 20, 2024
It did not feel like the work of a debutant. It felt like reading someone who has been writing stories for decades! The characters and plot are very simple and engaging. The writer creates an impact with his style of writing; humour and clever storytelling! Certainly a must read for all the 90s generation from India!
December 28, 2024
Incredibly written, such dark themes were broached in such a gentle but powerful way. I cannot stop thinking about this novel, how we continuously seek to search for dividers and other their fellow humans.
April 23, 2023
It lost me by page 50
June 20, 2025
Could just be confirmation bias but this very much felt like 'a first novel' in how the narrative flowed - but still an enjoyable and interesting read
May 5, 2023
Starting of as a relatable story with familiar characters, Santanu's writing style and the timeline play, creates a sensory experience of known (and often avoided) uncomfortable feelings about the socio-political scenario in India. While it’s mostly a story of difficulties and uncertainties, there’s a net of natural and familiar hopefulness and little joys of daily life, that engages the reader to keep reading as the characters unfold beautifully, sometimes made me chuckle and sometimes made me cry. Loved reading One Small Voice.
February 23, 2023
𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚂𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚅𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚞 𝙱𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚢𝚊 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝟸𝟹 𝙵𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹
This is such a compelling and hard hitting coming of age story set in modern India. At 10 years old Shabby is caught up in an incident of mob violence, witnessing a violent murder. We watch on as he has to navigate life dealing with the trauma of an incident his family don't acknowledge.
Initially, i was a little confused about the timeline as the story plays out. Shabby's story weaves in and out of his past to the present, in a country of extremes, a hierarchical society greatly influenced by so much diversity in religion, language, politics, wealth affected by a north south divide, a religious divide, and strong family expectations. Bhattacharya depicts the rich and complex tapestry of India so well through Shabby and his relationships with friends, family, memory and identity. By mid-story i was so invested in Shabby's future i couldn't stop reading, anxious for his wellbeing and future. And each time i thought the story was going to be a predictable drama, Bhattacharya takes a sharp turn and opens my eyes!! I absolutely loved the ending. This is a 4.5⭐️ read and one to look out for next year!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
This is such a compelling and hard hitting coming of age story set in modern India. At 10 years old Shabby is caught up in an incident of mob violence, witnessing a violent murder. We watch on as he has to navigate life dealing with the trauma of an incident his family don't acknowledge.
Initially, i was a little confused about the timeline as the story plays out. Shabby's story weaves in and out of his past to the present, in a country of extremes, a hierarchical society greatly influenced by so much diversity in religion, language, politics, wealth affected by a north south divide, a religious divide, and strong family expectations. Bhattacharya depicts the rich and complex tapestry of India so well through Shabby and his relationships with friends, family, memory and identity. By mid-story i was so invested in Shabby's future i couldn't stop reading, anxious for his wellbeing and future. And each time i thought the story was going to be a predictable drama, Bhattacharya takes a sharp turn and opens my eyes!! I absolutely loved the ending. This is a 4.5⭐️ read and one to look out for next year!
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
April 10, 2023
I expected the “incident” in the book to be something major, but perhaps because it wasn’t, it was all the more chilling. It also reinforces and reiterates the main theme of the book - the seemingly voiceless, those thought of as insignificant unless they shout the loudest to be heard.
I love the interactions Shabby has with his maternal grandmother and his own mother - they were beautifully conveyed. Ditto the text in Shruti’s letter to Shabby: it heaves with heartbreak and hope.
On the whole, I enjoyed this book. It took a while to finish only because I was travelling, otherwise it’s a page turner.
And it also proves that a small voice doesn’t need big words to be heard.
I love the interactions Shabby has with his maternal grandmother and his own mother - they were beautifully conveyed. Ditto the text in Shruti’s letter to Shabby: it heaves with heartbreak and hope.
On the whole, I enjoyed this book. It took a while to finish only because I was travelling, otherwise it’s a page turner.
And it also proves that a small voice doesn’t need big words to be heard.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2022
Following Shabby as he navigates his way through life after experiencing a severe trauma as a child, this book tells the story of a young man who moves to Mumbai to forge his own path.
Shabby could not get over what he had seen nor the fact his family seemingly turned a blind eye. It gave great insight into the Hindu/Muslim rioting and covered the topic sensitively.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the array of characters who interweaved through Shabby’s story.
This book is released February 2023 and I received an ARC from #netgalley. Many thanks.
Shabby could not get over what he had seen nor the fact his family seemingly turned a blind eye. It gave great insight into the Hindu/Muslim rioting and covered the topic sensitively.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the array of characters who interweaved through Shabby’s story.
This book is released February 2023 and I received an ARC from #netgalley. Many thanks.
April 5, 2023
3.5* rounded down. This isn’t usually my thing but I got a proof through work and wanted to support. I’m very glad I read it as it really taught me a lot about India and the history of the country within the last 30 years. Some of the teachings within this book are also so important that I would encourage people to give this a read for this alone! I found the first third and last third very very good but was slightly lost in the middle. Overall a really important story, just not my typical kind of read.
May 10, 2023
I’m back after two months!
It is not to say that I was off books all this while, but I was in the middle of a rather ginormous read...when I ended up becoming somewhat saturated, and left it midway.
(Here's hoping that I finish the book sometime soon!)
In the last two months, I didn’t read much. An occasional Bangla short story, some graphic novels...and when I caught sight of this title, perched unassumingly on the ‘New Arrivals’ section of the next-door bookshop, I didn’t think much of it. Then a few days back, I was made aware that Champaca had the author signed copies of this book and possibly for that reason alone, I decided to buy it (yes, I’m aware of how shallow that sounds).
But that is the thing with certain unassuming books – sometimes, they make the loudest noise and leave the deepest impact when you least expect them to. After it arrived on post, I merely sat with it, thinking of reading one or two chapters. After a while, when I looked down, I was on page 52.
The story revolves around the protagonist, Shubhankar Trivedi, or Shabby, as he rechristens himself later. Born in the mid-Eighties in Lucknow, his life initially seems to follow the average middle-class rigmarole – with getting an admission in an English medium school and parents who dream of their kids making it big in life with a seat in the IITs and an overseas job. But that quickly comes crashing down in 1992, when at the age of ten while attending a wedding, Shabby witnesses a terrible act of mob violence – an aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition. Unable to share the trauma with his parents and realising the silent complicity of those around him, Shabby begins to blame himself for the incident – one that slowly seeps into his life and takes control of it through nightmares and more.
Eventually,when Shabby grows up and leaves for Mumbai, he tries to charter his own path. Outwardly,he seems to have a freer life than his parents. He works for an American company, shares accommodation with his Muslim friend, Syed and hangs around with the free-spirited Shruti. We also get a glimpse of his equation with their cook, Shakku-bai and her son, Mangesh, and for a while, Shabby feels like he has escaped his claustrophobic life in Lucknow. However, this “freedom” still comes with its limitations, governed mostly by the darkening political landscape.
Throughout the novel, several political upheavals in modern India find mention – whether it be through the 1992 riots post the Babri Masjid demolition, or the Gujarat riots in 2002 or even the 2008 attacks on migrant workers in Mumbai. However, this book does not focus on any one of those incidents alone. As we turn the pages, it gives us a glimpse of the weight of parental pressure, the unrecognised mental health issues, the growing nationalism in an ever-changing modern India and how that dictates the way a person eats, prays or socialises.
While in a lot of novels dealing with similar topics, we often come across protagonists from maginalised backgrounds and as such, the violence meted out to them seems rather predictable; in ‘One Small Voice’, the protagonist is an upper caste,upper class Hindu – the kind who think they are miles away from the raging fire. From the beginning, Shabby is made to believe how no matter what happens around him, his privilege will stand as a shield between him and the menaces around. But right before the ‘incident’ happens, Shabby remembers the words of his grandmother from ages ago – “We will pay the price for the sins of our forefathers”.
The book jumps back and forth between two timelines – one that leads up to the night of the wedding and the other that leads up to the ‘incident’, which brings to mind the very famous quote by Martin Niemöller: “…Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
As a millennial, the references in the book – of daily life,family, school and growing up – resonated deeply with me as it is from a time period that I have lived through.
I could resonate with Shabby and his brother Chintoo when they spoke of their wish to leave their small hometown and never return again.
I could resonate with “Home is an oversold concept”, as a generation “coached to leave”.
Santanu Bhattacharya’s debut novel, ‘One Small Voice’, albeit set against the backdrop of intermittent flashes of violence, is ultimately the coming-of-age story of a man who overcomes his trauma and tries to stand tall in an embittered world. It is also a beautiful story of friendship, of dreams and of resilience.
It is not to say that I was off books all this while, but I was in the middle of a rather ginormous read...when I ended up becoming somewhat saturated, and left it midway.
(Here's hoping that I finish the book sometime soon!)
In the last two months, I didn’t read much. An occasional Bangla short story, some graphic novels...and when I caught sight of this title, perched unassumingly on the ‘New Arrivals’ section of the next-door bookshop, I didn’t think much of it. Then a few days back, I was made aware that Champaca had the author signed copies of this book and possibly for that reason alone, I decided to buy it (yes, I’m aware of how shallow that sounds).
But that is the thing with certain unassuming books – sometimes, they make the loudest noise and leave the deepest impact when you least expect them to. After it arrived on post, I merely sat with it, thinking of reading one or two chapters. After a while, when I looked down, I was on page 52.
The story revolves around the protagonist, Shubhankar Trivedi, or Shabby, as he rechristens himself later. Born in the mid-Eighties in Lucknow, his life initially seems to follow the average middle-class rigmarole – with getting an admission in an English medium school and parents who dream of their kids making it big in life with a seat in the IITs and an overseas job. But that quickly comes crashing down in 1992, when at the age of ten while attending a wedding, Shabby witnesses a terrible act of mob violence – an aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition. Unable to share the trauma with his parents and realising the silent complicity of those around him, Shabby begins to blame himself for the incident – one that slowly seeps into his life and takes control of it through nightmares and more.
Eventually,when Shabby grows up and leaves for Mumbai, he tries to charter his own path. Outwardly,he seems to have a freer life than his parents. He works for an American company, shares accommodation with his Muslim friend, Syed and hangs around with the free-spirited Shruti. We also get a glimpse of his equation with their cook, Shakku-bai and her son, Mangesh, and for a while, Shabby feels like he has escaped his claustrophobic life in Lucknow. However, this “freedom” still comes with its limitations, governed mostly by the darkening political landscape.
Throughout the novel, several political upheavals in modern India find mention – whether it be through the 1992 riots post the Babri Masjid demolition, or the Gujarat riots in 2002 or even the 2008 attacks on migrant workers in Mumbai. However, this book does not focus on any one of those incidents alone. As we turn the pages, it gives us a glimpse of the weight of parental pressure, the unrecognised mental health issues, the growing nationalism in an ever-changing modern India and how that dictates the way a person eats, prays or socialises.
While in a lot of novels dealing with similar topics, we often come across protagonists from maginalised backgrounds and as such, the violence meted out to them seems rather predictable; in ‘One Small Voice’, the protagonist is an upper caste,upper class Hindu – the kind who think they are miles away from the raging fire. From the beginning, Shabby is made to believe how no matter what happens around him, his privilege will stand as a shield between him and the menaces around. But right before the ‘incident’ happens, Shabby remembers the words of his grandmother from ages ago – “We will pay the price for the sins of our forefathers”.
The book jumps back and forth between two timelines – one that leads up to the night of the wedding and the other that leads up to the ‘incident’, which brings to mind the very famous quote by Martin Niemöller: “…Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
As a millennial, the references in the book – of daily life,family, school and growing up – resonated deeply with me as it is from a time period that I have lived through.
I could resonate with Shabby and his brother Chintoo when they spoke of their wish to leave their small hometown and never return again.
I could resonate with “Home is an oversold concept”, as a generation “coached to leave”.
Santanu Bhattacharya’s debut novel, ‘One Small Voice’, albeit set against the backdrop of intermittent flashes of violence, is ultimately the coming-of-age story of a man who overcomes his trauma and tries to stand tall in an embittered world. It is also a beautiful story of friendship, of dreams and of resilience.
March 5, 2024
You know you really love and connected with a book when you do further research about the book. For me it was the indirect references to and the political history that this book was set around. Such a bold and emotional book that carries the complexities of adulthood and how past traumas shape us.
The writing has a timeless quality to it (almost Dickensian) a book of modern India that portrays violence, prejudice, community and tradition. It is also heavily political in that it deals with the story of nationalism and the influence, power and interference of the state. It is a story of family and the weight of parental (and to an extent generational) expectation. As a South Asian myself I have experienced this 'do better' than your parents and their parents before them. And education is highly valued. In this story Shabby and Chintoo experience this but they use it as escapism to also build a life away from India. I have never read a book that doesn't shy away from how politics especially in India and the government has so much growth and has hope and is inspiring yet it is underpinned and still stuck in the same Colonial rule.
The mob mentality, the ostracized Muslims, pitting the Hindus and Muslims against each other. It touch upon the cult-like groups that mask their hate and prejudice through worship and race/caste. But then comes the One Small Voice. It is a story of hope, love and understanding. The ending with the death and the family and friends coming together really touched me. It is so humorous in places but so deep and makes you question a lot. Like what if Ma had asked Shubby about the accident? Or what if Shubby had come clean earlier had took this weight of his shoulder? Or even why did they not confront Suresh-mausa earlier?
I also LOVED the references to the Indian culture as I could relate to it as it is similar to my Pakistani background. It makes reading it that much more enjoyable as it makes you feel seen and represented.
The author writes beautifully about friendships and the devastating consequences about secrecy and shame. The characters are written exceptionally and feel so real that it makes me feel as if I have met them before. This was written as a debut... wow... I can't wait to read what he writes next.
Quotes/
'Urdu was born in the barracks a few hundred years ago, and was spoken by soldiers. It gets its grammar from Hindi, and vocabulary from Persian.'
'But he knows now that this is how human beings are. All we want is to move up the ladder, but once we've gone up, we look back and yearn, those markers of the past time now quaint, retro. In Germany, they have a word for it - the memories of the East that have endured, even though back then people were scaling walls and crawling through tunnels to cross over to the West - ostalgie, born out of the need to hold on to something familiar when everything around has change beyond recognition.'
'We women, if we don't look after ourselves, no one else will, and then we end up alone and sick when we're old.'
'How easy it is for people to come and go, enter our lives, like, life is a play in acts, and every act has a different cast of characters, with the protagonist having little choice in who they are surrounded by, the power completely vested in the playwright.'
'This is what happens when people can't tell their own stories. Other people tell them on their behalf, spinning what they wished for them, wished upon them. And they, the voiceless, lie silent, witnessing their lives being reincarnated on other people's tongues.'
'Migration is the oldest truth of humankind.'
The writing has a timeless quality to it (almost Dickensian) a book of modern India that portrays violence, prejudice, community and tradition. It is also heavily political in that it deals with the story of nationalism and the influence, power and interference of the state. It is a story of family and the weight of parental (and to an extent generational) expectation. As a South Asian myself I have experienced this 'do better' than your parents and their parents before them. And education is highly valued. In this story Shabby and Chintoo experience this but they use it as escapism to also build a life away from India. I have never read a book that doesn't shy away from how politics especially in India and the government has so much growth and has hope and is inspiring yet it is underpinned and still stuck in the same Colonial rule.
The mob mentality, the ostracized Muslims, pitting the Hindus and Muslims against each other. It touch upon the cult-like groups that mask their hate and prejudice through worship and race/caste. But then comes the One Small Voice. It is a story of hope, love and understanding. The ending with the death and the family and friends coming together really touched me. It is so humorous in places but so deep and makes you question a lot. Like what if Ma had asked Shubby about the accident? Or what if Shubby had come clean earlier had took this weight of his shoulder? Or even why did they not confront Suresh-mausa earlier?
I also LOVED the references to the Indian culture as I could relate to it as it is similar to my Pakistani background. It makes reading it that much more enjoyable as it makes you feel seen and represented.
The author writes beautifully about friendships and the devastating consequences about secrecy and shame. The characters are written exceptionally and feel so real that it makes me feel as if I have met them before. This was written as a debut... wow... I can't wait to read what he writes next.
Quotes/
'Urdu was born in the barracks a few hundred years ago, and was spoken by soldiers. It gets its grammar from Hindi, and vocabulary from Persian.'
'But he knows now that this is how human beings are. All we want is to move up the ladder, but once we've gone up, we look back and yearn, those markers of the past time now quaint, retro. In Germany, they have a word for it - the memories of the East that have endured, even though back then people were scaling walls and crawling through tunnels to cross over to the West - ostalgie, born out of the need to hold on to something familiar when everything around has change beyond recognition.'
'We women, if we don't look after ourselves, no one else will, and then we end up alone and sick when we're old.'
'How easy it is for people to come and go, enter our lives, like, life is a play in acts, and every act has a different cast of characters, with the protagonist having little choice in who they are surrounded by, the power completely vested in the playwright.'
'This is what happens when people can't tell their own stories. Other people tell them on their behalf, spinning what they wished for them, wished upon them. And they, the voiceless, lie silent, witnessing their lives being reincarnated on other people's tongues.'
'Migration is the oldest truth of humankind.'
March 25, 2024
Now shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award
This book was featured in the 2023 version of the influential annual Observer Best Debut Novelist feature (past years have included Natasha Brown, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Douglas Stuart, Sally Rooney, Rebecca Watson, Yara Rodrigues Fowler, JR Thorp Bonnie Garmus, Gail Honeyman among many others).
It tells the story, over some twenty-five years (from the early 1980s to 2016), of Shubhankar Trivedi – who later picks the name Shabby when he starts at engineering college, picking a name that “gave away nothing – where he was from, his religion, caste, even gender”
Shubhankar though grows up in Lucknow (in Northern India) to a Hindu, Brahmin Caste family where he is the older of two sons. The youngest is nicknamed Chintoo, but Shubhankar has no family nickname as “you are the eldest son, and your name should carry the pride of the family” – so that the very choice of a nickname at college is a very deliberate attempt to distance himself from familial expectations.
The family despite their upper caste and respectable ancestry (his paternal grandfather a freedom fighter, his maternal grandfather an engineer) are decidedly striving middle-class - his father a foreman in a fertilizer factory. But Shubhankar’s parents (and Nani – his maternal grandmother and ever critical family matriarch) all determined for better for the two sons – particularly their eldest. The books starts with Shubhankar being prepared (successfully) for an interview for a Catholic Primary school and later with him sitting (and failing) a series of examinations for prestigious engineering courses across the country. Later – in a period only briefly referred to by the book – he re-sits them at his own choice and, post engineering college, takes a job with an American software firm in Mumbai (again a deliberate decision to distance himself from his past) where we rejoin his life.
Shabby’s life though hinges around two key events.
The first event is as a young child in Lucknow in the 1990s in the riots and sectarian (particularly anti-Hindu) violence which followed the 1992 Ayodhya Mosque demolition and which reverberates through the book. There he witnesses a Muslim man, the assistant to a local Hindu tailor and whose name beginning with M he cannot remember, being burnt by a mob outside a marriage Shubhankar and his family are attending – an event which his family suspect he may have witnessed but around which a veil of silence is drawn. Shubhankar in turn decides to withdraw from his family – furious at their passive complicity in the attack. For the rest of his life in the novel, Shubhankar/Shabby is literally haunted by M. He is also driven to find ways first of all to trace M or his family (deliberately working in voluntary work that might bring him into contact with them). His burgeoning artistic (drawing and painting) talent revolves around images of flames and fire. And finally many of his life choices are driven by a conscious and sub-conscious desire to somehow atone for his inability to help prevent the attack: for example when he goes to Mumbai he offers to a Muslim student Ganjeri to rent a flat with him. Ganjeri (real name Syed Shah), Ganjeri’s girlfriend Shruti and Shabby then as a trio trying to find their identities.
The second event, is when he is working as an IT consultant in Mumbai and is involved in “the incident” which occurs in a series of anti-Northern immigrant riots there in early 2008. That incident is unexplained until very late in the book – however the whole book pivots around it, as it is written with two timelines – both of which proceed chronologically but in an alternating way (and both sets of chapters signposted with years of decades). One of these series is from his childhood up to and for a period after the incident, the second from some 4-5 years after it as he starts to finally come to terms both with the incident but also with his earlier trauma.
The thematic development of the novel is interesting.
It starts on a very micro level with the life of Shubhankar and his family (which is a fairly classic if not almost cliched tale of Indian childhood).
It then develops, equally on a micro-level, through the life of Shabby and his friends as a twenty-something IT-working generation finding their way in the world including deciding on whether that way is in India or abroad – particularly America (which while perhaps a less cliched tale is one increasingly featured in novels).
But then, and particularly in the last quarter of the book takes a turn for the macro – with Shabby’s life becoming a way to explore modern India and with the election of the Nationalist Modi government in 2014 making sectarianism the law (literally) rather than an occasional exception. This is both:
By way of metaphor (the two events and their impact on Shabby standing in for the way in which sectarian and regional division – both historical and more recent - still scars the country. An earlier scene involving a human pyramid held together by a disparate crowd just when it was about to collapse forming a more hopeful counterpoint.
By way of the book’s text in the thoughts and spoken words of Shubhankar and others which increasingly challenge what they are seeing and examine the roles different generations can play in changing things.
This last part of the novel could I think easily be a little overdone – straying into the grandiose or sentimental – and I think some readers may think it is. However, for me it works because of the way in which we are first drawn into and invested in the story of Shubhankar/Shabby and the nuanced cast of characters around him each of whom seem drawn out as real people: from Nani who we and he only really get to know close to the end, to Dhwani – the survivor of two twins whose life intersects at intervals with Shabby, to Shruti and Ganjeri – the latter perhaps the only one whose character arc I found a little far fetched).
Overall I think this is an excellent debut.
My thanks to Penguin General UK for an ARC via NetGalley
This is what happens when people can’t tell their own stories. Other people tell them on their behalf, spinning what they wished for them, wished upon them. And they, the voiceless, lie silent, witnessing their lives being reincarnated on other people’s tongues.
This book was featured in the 2023 version of the influential annual Observer Best Debut Novelist feature (past years have included Natasha Brown, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Douglas Stuart, Sally Rooney, Rebecca Watson, Yara Rodrigues Fowler, JR Thorp Bonnie Garmus, Gail Honeyman among many others).
It tells the story, over some twenty-five years (from the early 1980s to 2016), of Shubhankar Trivedi – who later picks the name Shabby when he starts at engineering college, picking a name that “gave away nothing – where he was from, his religion, caste, even gender”
Shubhankar though grows up in Lucknow (in Northern India) to a Hindu, Brahmin Caste family where he is the older of two sons. The youngest is nicknamed Chintoo, but Shubhankar has no family nickname as “you are the eldest son, and your name should carry the pride of the family” – so that the very choice of a nickname at college is a very deliberate attempt to distance himself from familial expectations.
The family despite their upper caste and respectable ancestry (his paternal grandfather a freedom fighter, his maternal grandfather an engineer) are decidedly striving middle-class - his father a foreman in a fertilizer factory. But Shubhankar’s parents (and Nani – his maternal grandmother and ever critical family matriarch) all determined for better for the two sons – particularly their eldest. The books starts with Shubhankar being prepared (successfully) for an interview for a Catholic Primary school and later with him sitting (and failing) a series of examinations for prestigious engineering courses across the country. Later – in a period only briefly referred to by the book – he re-sits them at his own choice and, post engineering college, takes a job with an American software firm in Mumbai (again a deliberate decision to distance himself from his past) where we rejoin his life.
Shabby’s life though hinges around two key events.
The first event is as a young child in Lucknow in the 1990s in the riots and sectarian (particularly anti-Hindu) violence which followed the 1992 Ayodhya Mosque demolition and which reverberates through the book. There he witnesses a Muslim man, the assistant to a local Hindu tailor and whose name beginning with M he cannot remember, being burnt by a mob outside a marriage Shubhankar and his family are attending – an event which his family suspect he may have witnessed but around which a veil of silence is drawn. Shubhankar in turn decides to withdraw from his family – furious at their passive complicity in the attack. For the rest of his life in the novel, Shubhankar/Shabby is literally haunted by M. He is also driven to find ways first of all to trace M or his family (deliberately working in voluntary work that might bring him into contact with them). His burgeoning artistic (drawing and painting) talent revolves around images of flames and fire. And finally many of his life choices are driven by a conscious and sub-conscious desire to somehow atone for his inability to help prevent the attack: for example when he goes to Mumbai he offers to a Muslim student Ganjeri to rent a flat with him. Ganjeri (real name Syed Shah), Ganjeri’s girlfriend Shruti and Shabby then as a trio trying to find their identities.
The second event, is when he is working as an IT consultant in Mumbai and is involved in “the incident” which occurs in a series of anti-Northern immigrant riots there in early 2008. That incident is unexplained until very late in the book – however the whole book pivots around it, as it is written with two timelines – both of which proceed chronologically but in an alternating way (and both sets of chapters signposted with years of decades). One of these series is from his childhood up to and for a period after the incident, the second from some 4-5 years after it as he starts to finally come to terms both with the incident but also with his earlier trauma.
But all that was before the . . . the incident.
Not any more. Now his body is broken, his mind a mush. He is in recovery, as the psychologist termed it. In one of their sessions, the psychologist asked him to beware of microaggressions.
But nothing here is micro, he wanted to tell her. This whole country, this city, people screaming, horns honking, vendors hawking, passers-by shoving, dogs barking, coconuts breaking on the ground unannounced, every corner and every moment here is macro. Being wary of aggressions here means being wary of life itself.
The thematic development of the novel is interesting.
It starts on a very micro level with the life of Shubhankar and his family (which is a fairly classic if not almost cliched tale of Indian childhood).
It then develops, equally on a micro-level, through the life of Shabby and his friends as a twenty-something IT-working generation finding their way in the world including deciding on whether that way is in India or abroad – particularly America (which while perhaps a less cliched tale is one increasingly featured in novels).
But then, and particularly in the last quarter of the book takes a turn for the macro – with Shabby’s life becoming a way to explore modern India and with the election of the Nationalist Modi government in 2014 making sectarianism the law (literally) rather than an occasional exception. This is both:
By way of metaphor (the two events and their impact on Shabby standing in for the way in which sectarian and regional division – both historical and more recent - still scars the country. An earlier scene involving a human pyramid held together by a disparate crowd just when it was about to collapse forming a more hopeful counterpoint.
By way of the book’s text in the thoughts and spoken words of Shubhankar and others which increasingly challenge what they are seeing and examine the roles different generations can play in changing things.
This last part of the novel could I think easily be a little overdone – straying into the grandiose or sentimental – and I think some readers may think it is. However, for me it works because of the way in which we are first drawn into and invested in the story of Shubhankar/Shabby and the nuanced cast of characters around him each of whom seem drawn out as real people: from Nani who we and he only really get to know close to the end, to Dhwani – the survivor of two twins whose life intersects at intervals with Shabby, to Shruti and Ganjeri – the latter perhaps the only one whose character arc I found a little far fetched).
Overall I think this is an excellent debut.
What matters in the history of time is not the story that dazzles today, but the one that sparkles with so much honesty it survives. Even if it is told by only one small voice. No gatekeepers, no censors. It will be recovered, restored, repeated generation after generation, by grandmothers to grandchildren at bedtime, maybe just a new song here, a new rhythm there. ‘So what’s the story then?’ a little boy questions.
I ask his name.
'Shubh,’ he says. ‘It means good, auspicious.’
My thanks to Penguin General UK for an ARC via NetGalley
December 3, 2025
One Small Voice is the debut novel of prize-winning author Santanu Bhattacharya, who grew up in India and now lives in England. The novel interested me because it tackles the issue of contemporary nationalism in India through the lens of a child witness to mob violence who struggles to understand his future and that of his homeland. The story is told in alternating time frames of the 1990s and the 2000s, and its parts are named according Hindu mythology.
(The narrative includes many words in what I assume is Hindi though sometimes it is Marathi, which the main character doesn't always understand. Most of the time meaning can be deduced from context or (what I assume is) repetition of the Hindi words in English. Sometimes, however, meaning remains opaque, which I presume is meant to mirror the way people in India do not always understand each other.)
Shubhankar's childhood in Lucknow is marked by a constant struggle to meet the expectations of his parents. Unlike his younger brother Chintoo who has a more carefree attitude and gets away with it because he has a charming personality, Shubankar a.k.a. Shabby, has a reticent manner and he doesn't dare challenge his parents' ambitions. For them, India's transition to independence has not improved their circumstances much, and like many, they believe that a good school and a good degree in engineering, will lead to good job, with a better standard of living than his lower middle-class parents.
Papa, who feels the pain of his inability to give his children an inheritance, connections or even their talents, wants to empower his boys to have a voice, through the only weapon they have: education.
One extraordinary sequence has Shabby and his father travelling by train to multiple colleges on one day, competing in exams with thousands of other young boys to gain entry to a good secondary school.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/12/04/o...
(The narrative includes many words in what I assume is Hindi though sometimes it is Marathi, which the main character doesn't always understand. Most of the time meaning can be deduced from context or (what I assume is) repetition of the Hindi words in English. Sometimes, however, meaning remains opaque, which I presume is meant to mirror the way people in India do not always understand each other.)
Shubhankar's childhood in Lucknow is marked by a constant struggle to meet the expectations of his parents. Unlike his younger brother Chintoo who has a more carefree attitude and gets away with it because he has a charming personality, Shubankar a.k.a. Shabby, has a reticent manner and he doesn't dare challenge his parents' ambitions. For them, India's transition to independence has not improved their circumstances much, and like many, they believe that a good school and a good degree in engineering, will lead to good job, with a better standard of living than his lower middle-class parents.
Papa, who feels the pain of his inability to give his children an inheritance, connections or even their talents, wants to empower his boys to have a voice, through the only weapon they have: education.
'You know what's unique about the Indian middle class?' Papa didn't wait for an answer. 'We have no fallback option. The poor can give up. The rich can pay their way through things, escape the country, go on a retreat. But we middle-class people... we have to keep going. We have to work every day to hold onto the little things we've acquired. And we fear that politicians will take even those away.' (p.114)
One extraordinary sequence has Shabby and his father travelling by train to multiple colleges on one day, competing in exams with thousands of other young boys to gain entry to a good secondary school.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/12/04/o...
March 2, 2023
There is so much to say about this excellent debut novel, but I’ll begin by saying how much I enjoyed reading it. It is beautifully written in clear, straightforward prose that never lags, always beckons the reader back to its pages.
One Small Voice is the story of a young man, from childhood to the age of 30, but it is also the story of India from the mid 1980s to the 2010s with all of its joys, sorrows and sometimes horrors. The main character, Shubhankar (Shabby) witnesses a stunningly violent act as a young child, but because he fears and doesn’t understand it, keeps his feelings bottled up inside, never telling his parents what he saw or felt. This one act and the adults’ reaction to it so disturbs him that it becomes the overwhelming influence in his life, setting the stage for who he becomes and how he reacts to society, relationships and the chaos of the world around him in Lucknow and Mumbai.
Using alternating timelines, Bhattacharya brilliantly weaves in the everyday troubles in the Indian society of the time, communal discord, acts of violence, political frustration, family values, rebellion against parental expectations and the drive to find a better life than what is on offer in his challenging homeland.
Having lived in Mumbai during the communal riots of the 1990s, I found Bhattacharya’s handling of the atmosphere then and its affects on individuals beautifully rendered without the overwriting that could come from portraying such a difficult and dramatic subject.
My profession has led me to read a great number of South Asian novels. One of the most brilliantly conceived books I’ve read about the challenges of life in India during the 1980s and 90s is A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I feel One Small Voice by Santanu Bhattacharya is A Fine Balance for the 21st century.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this outstanding book.
One Small Voice is the story of a young man, from childhood to the age of 30, but it is also the story of India from the mid 1980s to the 2010s with all of its joys, sorrows and sometimes horrors. The main character, Shubhankar (Shabby) witnesses a stunningly violent act as a young child, but because he fears and doesn’t understand it, keeps his feelings bottled up inside, never telling his parents what he saw or felt. This one act and the adults’ reaction to it so disturbs him that it becomes the overwhelming influence in his life, setting the stage for who he becomes and how he reacts to society, relationships and the chaos of the world around him in Lucknow and Mumbai.
Using alternating timelines, Bhattacharya brilliantly weaves in the everyday troubles in the Indian society of the time, communal discord, acts of violence, political frustration, family values, rebellion against parental expectations and the drive to find a better life than what is on offer in his challenging homeland.
Having lived in Mumbai during the communal riots of the 1990s, I found Bhattacharya’s handling of the atmosphere then and its affects on individuals beautifully rendered without the overwriting that could come from portraying such a difficult and dramatic subject.
My profession has led me to read a great number of South Asian novels. One of the most brilliantly conceived books I’ve read about the challenges of life in India during the 1980s and 90s is A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I feel One Small Voice by Santanu Bhattacharya is A Fine Balance for the 21st century.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this outstanding book.
April 29, 2023
Not quite sure what to write about this, to be honest, other than that I loved it so much.
I love a good story that weaves between two timelines - what is usually a little confusing at first works as a wonderful device that gets me every time, especially if (like in this book) the older timeline is actively catching up with the events of the more recent one (does this sentence make a modicum of sense? who knows).
Like many people raised in central Europe (or so I imagine), I know little to nothing about Indian history, especially contemporary. Some Googling was required of me to grasp the context of certain situations, but that is much more on me than the book - I am glad it didn't hold my hand as its characters lived through events. It felt all the more immersive.
Shabby - Shubhankar - is a very compelling protagonist, with flaws, aspirations, and a deep trauma that follows him wherever he goes. He witnesses an act so unspeakably violent at an age all too young, an act which stains the rest of his life with a deep shadow, one he desperately tries to emerge from. The story follows him as he attempts to reconcile with the past, and to look towards the future he continuously feels unsure of.
Nationalism and deep-seated prejudices are not easy topics to tackle, but I think this book deals with them... maybe beautifully is not the right word to use, but certainly both gracefully and with the right scrutiny. They are both driving force and background to these characters' lives, a balance not easily achieved.
The writing it BEAUTIFUL, the relationships between people so real they almost hurt, showing how the human experience is incredibly universal despite borders and distance. Each character feels fleshed-out, making for a very vivid narrative tinged with tragedy. If I could recommend this to everyone, I would. And I probably will.
It will come as no surprise that it did make me sob like a baby. The author has seemingly already found their voice, and I am excited to hear what they will say next. If it is half as gorgeous, I am sure to enjoy it.
4.25/5
I love a good story that weaves between two timelines - what is usually a little confusing at first works as a wonderful device that gets me every time, especially if (like in this book) the older timeline is actively catching up with the events of the more recent one (does this sentence make a modicum of sense? who knows).
Like many people raised in central Europe (or so I imagine), I know little to nothing about Indian history, especially contemporary. Some Googling was required of me to grasp the context of certain situations, but that is much more on me than the book - I am glad it didn't hold my hand as its characters lived through events. It felt all the more immersive.
Shabby - Shubhankar - is a very compelling protagonist, with flaws, aspirations, and a deep trauma that follows him wherever he goes. He witnesses an act so unspeakably violent at an age all too young, an act which stains the rest of his life with a deep shadow, one he desperately tries to emerge from. The story follows him as he attempts to reconcile with the past, and to look towards the future he continuously feels unsure of.
Nationalism and deep-seated prejudices are not easy topics to tackle, but I think this book deals with them... maybe beautifully is not the right word to use, but certainly both gracefully and with the right scrutiny. They are both driving force and background to these characters' lives, a balance not easily achieved.
The writing it BEAUTIFUL, the relationships between people so real they almost hurt, showing how the human experience is incredibly universal despite borders and distance. Each character feels fleshed-out, making for a very vivid narrative tinged with tragedy. If I could recommend this to everyone, I would. And I probably will.
It will come as no surprise that it did make me sob like a baby. The author has seemingly already found their voice, and I am excited to hear what they will say next. If it is half as gorgeous, I am sure to enjoy it.
4.25/5
July 29, 2024
This really compelling novel explores the political, religious and social turmoil in India through the perspective of one man, Shubhankar Trivedi, through whose eyes we see events unfold in a nation increasingly riven by religious and nationalist sectarianism. It’s not a pretty picture. Following Shabby, as he calls himself later on, from the pivotal moment in 1992 when he witnesses an act of violence that shapes him for the rest of his life. “You let them kill one person, you look away, you think – it’s just one person. Next thing you know they’re killing hundreds.” Shabby looked away and can never forgive himself. We follow him from his childhood in Lucknow on to his adult life in Mumbai, where he forges friendships across the sectarian divide. There’s a wonderful Forsterian moment with his Muslim friend Ganjeri. “He reaches out and touches Ganjeri on his little finger. Ganjeri doesn’t flinch, lets the fingers stay there. In another place and time, this friendship could have been something more…..But this country is not that place, and now is not that time.” Race, religion, discrimination – there are weighty themes here, all expertly handled, and the book makes the stories behind the news headlines relatable, as we read of the very personal stories behind those impersonal headlines. My one quibble is that there is too much graphic sex, which is quite unnecessary and adds nothing to the narrative and on occasion leads to some strange similes. However, overall I found this a wonderful read, which even brought a tear to my eye on occasion, and gave me a deeper understanding of today’s turbulent India.
April 10, 2023
Set in Lucknow, India and later moving to Mumbai this is a coming of age book. Shubhankar's parents want the best for him, a good school followed by a good job in engineering. His talent's seem better suited to the arts and he stumbles through the interview. Miss Lucy the school teacher will become more important to him later. The Hindu Muslim riots, starting with the demolition of the Babri mosque during a Hindu nationalist rally sparks social unrest which visits Shubhankar twice, first as a witness to a murder as a ten year old child and second to a beating by a gang for defending a Muslim as a thirty year old man.
Shubhankar is scarred by what he has witnessed, and chooses to keep it a secret, which manifests in all sorts of negative behaviour. We hear about the neighbouring twins of similar age to Shabby and the cautionary tale of not pushing your children too far. Dwiti is the high achiever but commits suicide under the pressure of expectation.
Shubankar's move to Mumbai gives him room to breath and he shares a flat with two friends, Ganjeri and Shrutie. Ganjeri is a Muslim and is becoming more politicised. They go to parties at their American neighbours who work for an NGO and we see the contrast in their lifestyles and freedom of thought.
Shabby's search for details of the murdered tailor is ever present and eventually through some coincidence he is able to find the answers from Miss Lucy.
A small story, set in a large family and well told. Very impressive for a debut novel.
Shubhankar is scarred by what he has witnessed, and chooses to keep it a secret, which manifests in all sorts of negative behaviour. We hear about the neighbouring twins of similar age to Shabby and the cautionary tale of not pushing your children too far. Dwiti is the high achiever but commits suicide under the pressure of expectation.
Shubankar's move to Mumbai gives him room to breath and he shares a flat with two friends, Ganjeri and Shrutie. Ganjeri is a Muslim and is becoming more politicised. They go to parties at their American neighbours who work for an NGO and we see the contrast in their lifestyles and freedom of thought.
Shabby's search for details of the murdered tailor is ever present and eventually through some coincidence he is able to find the answers from Miss Lucy.
A small story, set in a large family and well told. Very impressive for a debut novel.
January 5, 2023
Set over a twenty five year time frame, this is the coming of age story of Shabby. It is also a brilliant telling of the rise of nationalism in India from the 90’s to more recent times. The book references the wider historical context of India and its Colonial past.
Early in the book Shabby experiences significant trauma when he witnesses a mob murder; the trauma is compounded when he understands that adults know about it but ignore/deny it. What he witnessed informs the whole book but we are aware from early on that there is more trauma in store for Shabby.
I waited to read this book on holiday as I knew much of it was set in Mumbai so I wanted to read it in the heat. I’m so pleased I did as I somehow felt even more immersed in Shabby’s story.
The themes of this book are BIG covering ritual, societal norms, how young people experience the world, discrimination, trauma, sexuality but the humanness of the characters is what shone through the most. Santanu Bhattacharya writes female characters so well, I loved Shabby’s Nani and her openness to her grandson later in the story, thank you for bringing some powerful women to life! I have been thinking of them long after finishing the book.
Finally the book renewed my belief in the power and absolute necessity of the arts, both in the writing of the book and within the story of Shabby and his art.
A five star recommendation that will stay with you.
Thanks to @Netgalley for the advance read
Early in the book Shabby experiences significant trauma when he witnesses a mob murder; the trauma is compounded when he understands that adults know about it but ignore/deny it. What he witnessed informs the whole book but we are aware from early on that there is more trauma in store for Shabby.
I waited to read this book on holiday as I knew much of it was set in Mumbai so I wanted to read it in the heat. I’m so pleased I did as I somehow felt even more immersed in Shabby’s story.
The themes of this book are BIG covering ritual, societal norms, how young people experience the world, discrimination, trauma, sexuality but the humanness of the characters is what shone through the most. Santanu Bhattacharya writes female characters so well, I loved Shabby’s Nani and her openness to her grandson later in the story, thank you for bringing some powerful women to life! I have been thinking of them long after finishing the book.
Finally the book renewed my belief in the power and absolute necessity of the arts, both in the writing of the book and within the story of Shabby and his art.
A five star recommendation that will stay with you.
Thanks to @Netgalley for the advance read
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