At the heart of You is the epigraph, quoting Dr Heidi Henson, a dedicated advocate for Death with Dignity in Massachusetts who worked tirelessly to raise awareness for the disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). While there are several authors and works discussing the topic of euthanasia and its legal, ethical, medical, social and emotional impact, M Mukundan’s novel is striking for its focus on a single experience surrounded by stories coaxed from memory and history.
“There are a few people around me who live an uncelebrated life, like me.”
A plan of death
On the Friday morning of November 14, we meet CV Unnikrishnan, who travelled to the city from Kundachira to hold a press conference. Initially disappointed by the lack of attendance and the general dismissiveness of the barely-there audience, Unnikrishnan announces that he will die on the 16th of the next month and would like the reporters to spread the news. The result of such an announcement is incredulity, followed by the belief that this is the unexplained ramblings of a senile old man.
After returning from the press conference, Unni’shna, as he is referred to from now on, is hounded by a young woman named Parvathi, or Paru, forthcoming with her editorial assignment of finding out why and how Unni’shna plans to die and the reason behind such a public announcement. Much to Unni’shna’s irritation, Paru is relentless in her queries, painstakingly learning about Unni’shna’s life from his neighbours and relatives as she continues her investigation. What follows is the narrative of a complex, layered life, an assortment of experiences oscillating between the past and the present. While Unni’shna’s recollections contribute to the structure of his stories, his conversations with Paru are covered in the moss of reconfiguring his own relationship with meaning and time.
Unnikrishnan wonders about his announcement. He is unsentimental about it, as he is throughout most of his narration. But he also cannot help but question the motive behind this young journalist’s curiosity – whether it is driven by a deadline or genuine interest. Her demanding, at times manipulative behaviour, is met with abrasive excoriation, but it does not seem to deter Paru. Once a writer, Unnikrishnan does not enjoy the reminders of being prolific; his family and friends’ surprise, shock, and disappointment do not move him to reveal what happened in those thirty years when he left home one night and never looked back. Throughout Unnikrishnan’s recollection, we learn that he is known for prevaricating, but since childhood, he has always strived to look behind the scenes, discover what’s hidden, and open locked doors. And now, he still refuses to allow anyone to look at the part of his life he has kept hidden for so long. Working toward a deadline of his own, Unnikrishnan realizes, “Everyone’s life had gotten somewhere. Except yours.”
Each chapter in the novel begins with a title indicating the stage of Unnikrishnan’s life about to unfold. We learn and relearn the progression of his life and times. Early in the novel, Unnikrishnan’s childhood friend, Dr Balan emerges as one of the most impactful characters in the story, later working alongside his wife, Dr Kamalakshi, toward legalising euthanasia in India. Balan and Unnikrishnan have both changed so much, but what remains unaffected by time and space is their forceful and generally truthful relationship. Unnikrishnan’s autobiographical accounts then focus on his journey to his present solitary existence, occasionally disrupted by the warmth and generosity of his arguably only friend.
Mukundan excels in the gripping account of Balan’s impact on Unnikrishnan’s life and death, which is immaculately and remarkably translated into English by Nandakumar K. As we understand more about the nature of Unnikrishnan’s announcement, the prose aids in paying close attention to the social and emotional texture of Balan’s work with euthanasia while always being attuned to interconnected lives and voices. While the absorbing tale of Unnikrishnan’s self-possession is fascinating, Balan and Kamalakshi’s efforts toward understanding and informing others about the tangible, excruciating pain of the debilitating diseases that form a large part of their work at times become obscured, especially when introducing readers to the choices one must make when faced with such conditions.
‘You have to live until you die’
In one of the chapters in Book Two (the second half of the novel), Unnikrishnan invokes the following words by Salman Rushdie: “You have to live until you die,” which are woven into the fabric of the novel in many forms across multiple events. The story, told from the point of view of a second-person narrator, further reassures the reader that Unnikrishnan isn’t just recollecting and surrendering – he believes in the life he has chosen and the death he will choose. The question of choosing death, explained as being different from taking your own life, is a decision that is layered, complex and requires vast, remarkable strength, making You a journey toward understanding a world where the pain is unrelenting and cascading.
Mukundan’s words in Nandakumar K’s translation excel in guiding the reader through a life that is unsettling at times. The novel begins and continues with the prospect of imminent death – it’s unnerving, yet the narration isn’t just a collection of simple stories strung together to provide the reader with the expected closure. There is an end, but no closure; we still don’t know what happened to Unni’shna for three decades. We witness his love for humans transfigure into writing about the people around him, as though the unique connection between part and whole, or the expectations it places on the reader, holds the key to its meaning. We are left to wonder what pulsed beneath his hunger for meaning and truth throughout his life, and if that pointed him toward a journey and the choice.
You: A Novel, M Mukundan, translated from the Malayalam by Nandakumar K, Eka/Westland.
