Book Title: Rukmini Aunty and the R.K. Narayan Fan Club
Author: Sita Bhaskar
Publisher: Penguin
Number of Pages: 240
ISBN: 978-1035405541
Date Published: Nov. 28, 2025
Price: INR 293
Book Review
Sita Bhaskar’s “Rukmini Aunty and the R.K. Narayan Fan Club” opens with warmth, humour, and a sharp eye for everyday quirks. The story follows Rukmini Aunty, Sesha Uncle, and their American-based relatives Vinod and Janani, as an innocent family visit spirals into an unexpected adventure. What begins as casual banter about travel, architecture, and a new dream home quickly turns into a chaotic discovery: the dilapidated house next door once belonged to none other than R.K. Narayan. With gentle humour and affectionate character sketches, the author turns an ordinary neighbourhood problem into a lively narrative driven by curiosity and cultural contrasts.
As the family digs deeper into the mystery of the rundown house, the story shifts into a fun mix of curiosity, confusion, and classic Indian bureaucracy. The author uses their search for answers to explore themes of nostalgia, literary heritage, and the administrative hurdles that often get in the way of simple questions. Scenes at the corporation office—with clerks scrolling on phones, missing officers, and endless detours—are written with comic precision. The way each character responds to the situation reveals their personalities: Rukmini Aunty’s dramatic flair, Sesha Uncle’s exasperation, Janani’s relentless enthusiasm, and Vinod’s quiet attempts to keep the peace. Their interactions keep the narrative grounded, relatable, and often laugh-out-loud funny.
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Finally, the book is about how stories—both personal and literary—shape our understanding of place and identity. By blending humour with cultural observation, the author pays a light, affectionate tribute to R.K. Narayan while also highlighting how easily history can slip into neglect. The novel moves with the ease of a family anecdote yet carries a gentle reminder about preserving what matters. Warm, witty, and charmingly chaotic, this is a read that leaves you smiling long after the final page.
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