Santanu Bhattacharya is an Indian biochemist and a professor at the Indian Institute of Science, having won many awards for notable research. This is his first novel, arranged in eight parts, each a basic element of matter in Hinduism, pervaded by the element of fire.

As modern India is being swept by a rising tide of nationalism, Shabby comes of age. We follow his life from three years of age, when his parents coach him to articulate his long Brahmin name, Shabhankar Treveldi, so he can enrol in a prestigious Catholic school to increase his future job prospects. In a country where class prejudice is rife, this is extremely important to his Hindu parents.

However, class prejudice is only one problem. Frequently, violent riots occur between Muslims and Hindus. When Shabby is 10, he witnesses a horrific act of bigotry. A Muslim tailor is shut outside the wedding venue of Shabby’s family, then set alight by a mob of Hindu rioters. Shabby does not share this horrific experience with anyone, and the fact his cowardly family turned a blind eye means he can never forgive them. The trauma is locked within him, producing vivid nightmares and fear-filled days. Because his trauma is ignored, he spends his life searching for information about the tailor, who to him, is not a statistic, but an individual.

Another event that changes Shabby’s life is often referred to as the ‘incident’ but what actually happened is only revealed near the end. This suspense, along with many other dramatic events, action-packed, riveting dialogue between loyal and disloyal friends, and sensuous descriptions of India’s culture kept me reading.

Shabby is not bound by Hindu class prejudice or religious rites. He uses his artistic talent to teach children in the slums and he eats beef (the holy cow) with his Muslim friend. He says his tolerance is ‘a human thing’. As India breaks from the shackles of colonialism, he tries to discover a voice to release the silence of his trauma and to damn his country’s violent intolerance.

This is a courageous journey, and increases my faith that one small voice, if it survives, can make a difference to millions of ordinary people.

Reviewed by Judith Grace

Santanu Bhattacharya is the winner of the Mo Siewcharran Prize 2021 and The Life Writing Prize 2021. He grew up in India and studied at the University of Oxford and the National University of Singapore. His novel, One Small Voice, was published 2022.

In 2021 Santanu won a London Writers’ Award in the literary fiction category, and was selected for the Tin House Writers’ Workshop. Material from his debut novel won the Mo Siewcharran Prize and was longlisted for the Pontas/JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize, and Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award. His short memoir piece ‘The Nicer One’ won the Life Writing Prize and so the mentorship of Max Porter. His short story ‘London Calling’ was longlisted for the 4thWrite Prize. His non-fiction essays have appeared in The Oxford Student, Feminism in India, and the book Revealing Indian Philanthropy.

Santanu has worked with the United Nations, the British Civil Service and Teach For India. Having lived in eight cities across three countries he has now settled in North London.

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