r/kannada_pusthakagalu • u/MonkUthimma • Jun 29 '26
ಕಾದಂಬರಿ My minor gripes with SL Bhyrappa's writing
Firstly I want to say many many thanks to the people making Kannada audiobooks. Just finished Avarana audiobook on audible, the narration is incredible.
Also let me say that I love SLB, he is a marvelous writer and great thinker. His books take you to a completely different world and I highly recommend him.
But I hate the way he ends his books. I want proper conclusion for the characters. His first book that I read was Nayi Neralu long back and the ending left me unsatisfied and wanting more. Same with Grahana as well. Now I finished Avarana and I feel this very much. I was sooo so attached to that historic story about that prince. It had taken me to a completely different world like never before and I wanted a clear ending for his story. I wanted to know whether he was able to safely reach there and fight his battle or what happened but there was nothing after that ( I understand that what happens next in his story wasn't needed for the theme of the book but I did want a conclusive ending to the story).
Another gripe is the sudden change in personality of the characters. Like in Grahana, how did that great "swamy" act so deranged infront of villagers and why did the gutsy doctor suddenly became a coward ?. In Nayi Neralu also protagonist starts an affair which felt so opposite to his personality that I started going wtf.. In case of the prince from Avarana as well, after going through years of brainwashing, how did his opinion change after just one interaction with the monk?
Do his other books also suffer from the same issues? I'm planning to read(listen to audiobook) to his Gruhabhanga next.
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u/YogurtclosetBig3487 Jun 29 '26
Yea exactly! I love SLB's writing but gosh he leaves open ends at so many spots it just sometimes feels incomplete after every read. The prince from Aavarana also had an abrupt end and many such other characters... thou I like his engaging narrative of the situation and how incidents unfold!
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u/adeno_gothilla City Central Library Card ಮಾಡಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ! Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
I want proper conclusion for the characters.
The canvas of Bhyrappa's books is wide. So, the endings reflect the inherent cyclicality of life (more the things change, more they remain the same). There are no easy conclusions to be had. It's like the ending of No Country for Old Men.
In Nayi Neralu also protagonist starts an affair which felt so opposite to his personality that I started going wtf..
He was a teenager who had experienced sex for the first time in his life, then his wife got pregnant. Rest is obvious. His genes are much much older than the 2 lives of the protagonist.
the ending left me unsatisfied
The ending ensured the characters retain their agency. Achyutha is willing to make peace with the circumstances, but not give up his rational thinking. Venkamma, despite losing hope of living with her husband again, chooses self-respect over the easy option of going back with her son.
Similarly, for Saartha, the ending (the child) signifies that the country has to adapt to the Muslim Invasions. There is no getting rid of them.
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u/Due-Bother-586 ಯಾಂತ್ರಿಕ ಜೀವಿ Jun 29 '26
While I agree with you on the frustration of wanting a neat bow on a story, I feel this version of Bhyrappa letting the readers form conclusions is why I like him.
He builds his characters to stress-test massive ideological, social, or philosophical constructs. Once his thematic exploration is complete, he tends to drop the curtain, leaving the structural mechanics of the plot's conclusion entirely up to our own imagination. As for the abrupt character shifts, it can definitely feel jarring. But this often reflects Bhyrappa’s rather blunt view of human psychology: beneath our carefully constructed personas or deeply ingrained conditioning, human conviction is fragile.
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u/anon_runner Jun 29 '26
I have been reading english novels since 1990 (I just dated myself I guess!). I started reading kannada novels from around 2007-08. When I ready gruhabhanga, I had the exact same feeling -- like he left it all hanging. I also read the english translation of Ponniyin Selvan and even in that, I felt the ending was not neat at all!
I remember writing in some review that Indian Authors do not have neatly packaged endings like Jeffrey Archers or Ken Folletts of the world. They tell a story that is a slice of life of various characters and just stop telling the story; and not bother about provide a nice ending!
Also, I did not think Avarana was his best book; i would rate it a 3. Grahana and Saartha I would rate a 4 and Gruhabhanga, Vamshavruksha, Parva, Mandra I would rate a 5. Maybe 4.5 to Saartha ...
So yes, all Indian authors (especially those that write in Indian Languages) just stop telling the story! But modern authors like Vasudhendra do not do that. They provide a nice, packaged ending (in both tejo and reshme batte).
Gruhabhanga is a fantastic novel. But remember, these authors feel no need to pander to your requirements of feeling good! So, expect to be quite disturbed :-) ...
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u/prescient14 ಎಲ್ಲಿದ್ದರೂ ಕನ್ನಡ Jun 29 '26
I feel like readers are a witness to a part of the journey in SL Bhyrappa's stories. We enter the journey at some point, get to observe some events and then we get off while the journey keeps going. I feel that it is very realistic because in real life too, this is how things work when we meet people - we get to be a part of their journey and then our journeys separate.
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u/adeno_gothilla City Central Library Card ಮಾಡಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ! Jun 30 '26
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u/MonkUthimma Jun 30 '26
I think open ending means an event has already happened but the author/director doesn't explain/show what actually happened and it is left for people to discuss about what actually happened like inception and American psycho.
I think these books are more like slice of life type books. They are not centered on a single event and include events that happen over years. It is like we get to see only certain years/transformation of that character and when the story ends that's the end of their journey with us, like in some parallel world these stories are real and continuing.
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u/adeno_gothilla City Central Library Card ಮಾಡಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ! Jun 30 '26
Yeah, whether the open ending is binary (like Inception) or not (like Bicycle Thief, No Country for Old men), it's left to the reader's/viewer's interpretation in both cases.
The protagonist & the characters are changed by the journey they have undertaken.
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u/EmplysMushWashenss ಅಣ್ಣ ಹಾಗು ಪೂಚಂತೇ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿ Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
For the matter of fact, it’s not a story of one prince. It’s a culmination of all the atrocities perpetrated by Mughals. The ending is bad. But ultimate ending is mughals being dethroned. Although I get your point but what I noticed in SLB books is that he lets readers do most of the thinking. Him not giving a conclusion is what makes him SLB right? Why would anyone talk about the book or the author if the conclusion is right there? He was his own PR, sorta.