Book Title: Kaayaa
Author: Guruprasad Kaginele
Translator: Narayan Shankaran
Publisher: Vintage Books
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 014347491X
Date Published: Dec. 19, 2025
Price: INR 393.88
Book Review
“Kaayaa” by Guruprasad Kaginele introduces us to Dr Bheem Malik, a celebrated plastic surgeon in New York who sees himself as a sculptor of the human body. His clients are the elite of Manhattan, people willing to reshape their faces and figures in search of perfection. For Malik, beauty is a craft, almost an art form. He believes he can design not just bodies, but better lives. On the surface, he has everything—fame, wealth, influence, and a carefully curated personal life.
But when his name surfaces in a MeToo-style accusation, his flawless world begins to crack. His medical career is threatened, and so is the political future of his powerful mother-in-law, Kasturi, a senator. As scandal and public judgment close in, Malik is forced to look beyond appearance and confront uncomfortable truths about power, consent, and responsibility. The story shifts from glamour to introspection, asking what remains when reputation and control begin to slip away.
Set largely in the United States, the novel explores migration, ambition, marriage, and identity. Malik and Kasturi, both immigrants chasing the American dream, find their lives shaken by the very system they worked hard to succeed in. The novel digs deep into enhancement culture, exposing the emotional and ethical tensions behind cosmetic surgery. It reminds us that changing the body is often easier than healing insecurity or loneliness. Beneath the theme of beauty lies a deeper question—how much can we really reshape who we are?
Beautifully translated by Narayan Shankaran, “Kaayaa” (“body”) is not just about cosmetic surgery or scandal. It is about love, ageing, belonging, and the quiet fear of losing relevance in a fast-moving world. Honest, sharp, and thought-provoking, this Kannada novel feels timely and relevant. It invites readers to reflect on the bodies we build, the secrets we carry, and the fragile truths we try to hide beneath the skin.
Books are love!
Get a copy now!
Also Read:
