In search of a new home

Rohit Trilokekar

"Wasn't everyone really trying to get somewhere?" It's a question Mumbai-based author Rohit Trilokekar poses to his reader, right in the middle of his recently-released novel, The Perfect Outside (1889 Books, UK). This question also seems to occupy his charming protagonists, Polly the macaw and Fluffy the Persian cat, the pets of one Mr Wadia, an eccentric Parsi gentleman, who is also a collector of antique clocks.

Rarely do novels revolve around an idea. In Trilokekar's book, it's about the life inside versus that outside. How often have you heard animals and birds philosophise about this? His small cast of loveable characters make you feel for them, and the world that they inhabit.

The book takes us into a home that's trapped in time, quite literally. Mr Wadia has set all the clocks in his house to eleven minutes past eleven - it never moves beyond. There is a little story to this obsession, but not good enough to convince his parrot, who thinks him to be a "fool". She wants to fly, like she once could before getting locked into his cage 10 years ago. Fluffy, the lazy Persian queen, is indifferent to her desire for freedom. To her, being cooped up is luxury. On most days, the two have Ramukaka and the TV set keeping them company. But, when Mr Wadia, who has been single all his life, finds himself a lover, who detests Fluffy, it's as if her life suddenly comes undone. In a first, the cat is forced to think about how she, like Polly, was stuck in a rut, too.

This curiosity sets the two on a surreal journey, which begins outside Bandra's by-lanes lined by old bungalows, to the sea-facing Bandstand where they seek temporary shelter, the busy suburban junctions of the city, and the market square, where they make acquaintance with a wise old cow.

It's very hard to say who this novel is written for - while at its core, it's a fable about two naïve friends seeking a different life, it also deals with existential questions about home, freedom and the constant and endless search for a "perfect spot" to call one's own. It makes Trilokekar's work deeply allegorical, and also resonate with those who are experiencing a similar conundrum, where they are caught between two worlds, and cannot yet define, where they belong.

Price: Rs 499
To buy: Online