How do you classify ’Talkative Man’!! In the words of the Late R.K. Narayan himself, he says that Talkative Man is too long to be a short story and too short for a novel.
My answer to this is it hardly matters whether a novel is of 500 pages or of 116 as the ’Talkative Man’ is-it is the contents that should inspire or create an interest in us to read.
When MS asks us to review a book - it asks us to analyse the book. I don’t want to do that. This book my the master writer should be read for the following reasons:-
a) Characterisation - so real and universal that the characters seems one among us. All the characters come alive in front of you.
b) Narration - well paced and no unnecessary gimmicks are added to the plot.
c) Story Telling - Its an art and perfected by RK Narayan.
As V.S.Naipaul said about Narayan’s Malgudi - its about ’’Small men, small schemes big talk and limited means’’.
That was said generally about Malgudi. This book ’’Talkative Man’’ also being set in Malgudi has the ingredients any R.K Narayan has. So read and enjoy.