Talkative Man

by R.K. Narayan

Book Overview

Bizarre happenings at Malgudi are heralded by the arrival of a stranger on the Delhi train who takes up residence in the station waiting-room and, to the dismay of the station master, will not leave. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670813419
• ISBN13: 9780670813414
• Release Date: March 1987
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 123 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Talkative Man

This is my first Narayan book, and I very much enjoyed it. It's a quick, enjoyable read that manages, over a short space (116 pages), to create some vivid and memorable characters. The story also resonates on some deeper level as a study of love, marriage and the forces that drive some men to obsessively and serially pursue and seduce women. The story is narrated by Talkative Man, a local journalist in Narayan's fictional town of Malgudi. He meets a purported doctor from Timbuktoo who has supposedly come to the town on a mission for the United Nations. The doctor takes up residence first at the town's train station and then with Talkative Man. He has no real job and no visible means of support, but is a dapper dresser and elegant man with whom all the locals are taken. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that he is a womanizing predator who seduces young women and then abandons them without warning. The climax comes when Talkative Man attempts to prevent the doctor from seducing a young Malgudi woman whom Talkative Man has known since birth. I don't want to give away more of the plot than that because the twists in it are so much fun.

Want light, pleasant, and relaxing? Visit Malgudi

A well-dressed but enigmatic stranger claiming to be from Timbuctoo takes advantage of a small-town journalist in this short novel set in the fictional town of Malgudi, India, that R. K. Narayan has brought to life in an entire series of books. The journalist (and well-known busybody) is our narrator for the story of Dr. Rann, who is ostensibly preparing a report for the U.N. on ?futurology?, although he seems to do little enough work. Dr. Rann drifts into this quiet little backwater of a town and quickly makes himself at home, helping himself to what few amenities are available. Our journalist begins to feel somewhat taken advantage of, until the good doctor?s wife shows up. But not to worry, things work out well enough in the end, (with some clever manipulation), and if any parties are less than thrilled with the outcome, at least no one is seriously worse off than they were before.The brevity of this novel (116 pages) is such that Narayan addresses it himself in a postscript, but to say that this book is too short would be a mistake. It struck this reviewer that by cropping the early and middle sections still further, one could have made a very creditable novella with this material without losing much. As it is the middle section does seem to drag a bit. The best feature of this book is Narayan?s delicate touch with characterization, sketching familiar types with just a few lines: the old librarian and his wife, their granddaughter Girija, the distraught station master, the old porter, Varma (who owns The Boardless Hotel), the Deputy Minister, and even the President of the Lotus Club. The locale almost stands as a character itself, constantly intervening with its all-too-familiar small town inquisitiveness and morality, but still adding an exotic touch to the story. While not a real thigh-slapper, Narayan?s upbeat tale is written in a pleasant, easy-to-read style that is as accessible to teens as adults. There?s nothing really special going on here, but if you?d like a quiet, relaxing vacation in South Asia but just can?t get away, Malgudi may be just the place for you.

His best book

Having read all his books, this one is the one that stays with me longest. The prose is as excellent as ever and the story is extremely interesting.