That reading as a leisurely activity has taken a back seat is not new. People would rather spend hours scrolling through reels on Instagram. But, if there’s one book that is perhaps can get people back on the reading bandwagon, it is a good, juicy, high-paced thriller. Sakyajit Bhattacharya’s One Legged, which is on this year’s JCB prize-shortlist, is all that, and more.
Originally published in Bengali as Ekanore, and translated by Rituparna Mukherjee, this novella gives you the chills, which stay long after you turn over the final page. What makes it all the more unsettling is how relatable the protagonist—nine-year-old Tunu—is.
Tunu spends his summer holidays at his maternal grandparents’ place. Like many Bengali kids, he is familiar with the lore of Ekanore, a one-legged ghost, who lives on a palm tree and kidnaps naughty kids. But, unlike most kids, or as is the popular belief, Tunu isn’t a child with a pure heart and mind.
That is, in fact, Bhattacharya’s first daring move. It isn’t easy to portray a child’s mind stripped off all innocence. Many may see the decision as corrupt. The evil Tunu is capable of is unnerving.
As one progresses through the novella, there’s a sense that Bhattacharya perhaps was unsure of the characters, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, that may be the best thing about the narrative. It made Bhattacharya veer into interesting sub-plots, which only gave the story an engagingly complex flavour.
One must bear with the first 20 pages, where the author takes his time to lay the foundations for a story that moves at rollercoaster speed after that. It is then absolutely impossible to not finish in a single sitting. It’s a complete treat to read; there’s entertainment, nail-biting suspense, and there’s a thoroughly satisfying climax.
One Legged is not just a psychological thriller. There are several subtexts—caste discrimination, stories that we tell kids, misinformation, bullying and lynching. Even if you do not want to read it as a mystery thriller, you can read it for the social commentary that runs in-between the lines.
It is only natural to wonder how an 80-page (original) long horror novella made it to the JCB shortlist, alongside books such as Sanatan by Sharankumar Limbale, and translated by Paromita Sengupta, Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life by Upamanyu Chatterjee, Chronicle of an Hour and a Half by Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari and Maria, Just Maria by Sandhya Mary and translated by Jayasree Kalathil. A quick read is all you need to have all your questions answered.
One Legged
By: Sakyajit Bhattacharya
Publisher: The Antonym
Collections
Pages: 160
Price: Rs 449