Idolatry by Aditya Sudarshan
Idolatry, set in Mumbai in the near future, is about a novel technology, Shrine Tech, which enables everyone to worship a god of their own preference.
The story follows a disaffected young actor, who is hired as a marketing rep by the company that owns the Tech.
It is run by a man calling himself Mister Happy Maker.
Soon, the young actor is plunged into the crucible of a society altering in strange and insane ways, in which ordinary individuals (a building society secretary, an indie film-maker, an aged priest, among others) are living their dreams, nightmarishly.
About the author
Aditya Sudarshan is a Mumbai-based fiction writer. His books include A Nice Quiet Holiday and Show Me A Hero. He is also the author of a number of produced plays, including The Green Room, winner of the Hindu Metroplus Playwright Award for 2011. He writes political satire for NDTV's The Great Indian Tamasha and literary criticism for The Hindu Literary Review.
Review
‘Idolatry’ is set in the near future in Mumbai, where life has been overrun by the commercialisation of religion, the fall of governments and how society evolves and permeates in weird ways. I love discovering new authors and Aditya was one for me and I really enjoyed the book and it was definitely thought-provoking!
This was a detailed and novel approach to the themes of religion and commercialisation, where everyone can worship their own form of God, which could be an established one like the Christian God, Krishna or even yourself if you are a narcissist! It's very easy to imagine parts of this novel becoming a reality, especially in a world where your whole life can be found in one device - a smartphone. Why shouldn't you have an AI shrine to worship at in your home? I can understand why it was also a very Indian story as I have never seen such a melting pot of religions anywhere else as its more visual with bright temples, calls to prayer and huge festivals. The majority still have faith, whereas in the UK I would say we are a more secular society.
Saionton was the perfect protagonist for this tale, as he was a regular Joe. Recruited to ‘The Company’ to be a marketing assistant, he doesn't really have any strong feelings for or against the Company or the Shrine-Tech in general. Therefore, he is kind of a clean palate on which to place the themes of the book. He is intelligent but is apathetic when it comes to the world around him, especially as he can no longer work as an actor and has only taken this job to pay his rent. I loved seeing his reactions to the insane cast of characters all of which are brilliantly formed. I still feel as if I have a ‘ta-da’ moment to come in which I finally figure out something profound. It's a book which is staying in my conscious and I keep wondering about it and its characters and purpose. I do know I have had an educational and philosophical adventure into a weird world!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
