I recently picked up a romance novel to satisfy the writer and reader in me. On the contrary, I felt sickened by its excessively decorative language and repulsed by the entire concept of love that leads to idolization and dependence rather than liberating two people in love. I guess my ideas about love have drastically changed with age and time. It’s now more about spending my precious time with a man who respects me and my thoughts. I find superheroes boring and utterly disappointing; I find men with conviction and knowledge more endearing. Frankly, I am so done with fairy tales and neck-deep in the realities of life. So, I naturally started looking for novels that are more rustic and closer to reality. People say reading a book is like traveling the world and experiencing life. And, there’s no doubt that I absolutely buy this idea. They have molded each and every aspect of my personality. However, I still feel incomplete, as I have yet to feel that I have read enough or know enough to lead my life. The daily grind of life no longer scares me; I rather get a kick out of people who deliberately step out of their comfort zones to do what they yearned for long despite all hardships and hurdles.
Sometime back, I happened to purchase the novel “Fools Die’ written by Mario Puzo from a local flea market. I had no idea about the novel, except that it was written by the author of the classic “The Godfather”. I gleefully bought it and unconsciously pushed it into one of the corners of my bookshelf. A few days back, when heat and loneliness started hitting me hard, I thought of reading this novel. And, trust me, I have loved it so far. As I quoted earlier, the novel is rustic and extraordinary, portraying reality as it exists. The protagonist, Merlyn, is not a superhero, though he loves calling himself a magician. It gives a detailed picture of the world of gambling thriving in Las Vegas and the travails of a writer born an orphan. The world of gambling is a world in itself, far beyond the law-abiding life that we lead. It’s a world beyond the purview of law, more powerful and fascinating than imagined. There are fixed denizens of this flashy and dangerous world, including rich tycoons ready to splurge money on women and gambling, prostitutes who are commonly known as sleeping pills, losers, people with broken hearts, and families trying to forget their personal tragedies, men who control the pit and manage casinos, among others. In this world, it’s not easy to cheat and far more difficult to escape after cheating. The person who cheats the casino of its money is more likely to be buried in a desert than left alive, as simple as that.
As I said before, since the characters are vulnerable and imperfect, it becomes far easier to accept them while reading the novel. There are women who are trading their bodies for money, and that’s the reality of life. The novel offers a glimpse into the lives of the filthy rich and their world of infidelity, greed, power, and control over the system. It’s quite eye-opening to read about the personal lives of the capitalists who control the majority of the world’s wealth. It also throws light upon the entire business of corruption and how it is conducted. The protagonist of the novel, who aims to earn his living through his writings, though hesitant at first, later does not mind indulging in small bribes in his own Robin Hood style. Rather than despising himself, he feels more powerful and happy about earning by bribing others to enlist their children in a short-term military programme to escape long-term active duty. Unlike before, he is able to fulfill his family’s desires and needs, purchase a house in a safer locality, and enhance his family’s lifestyle.
There’s so much to talk about this novel that I will have to post one more article to describe its other key themes. I am still reading the novel and am in the midst of discovering the beautiful relationship between the protagonist and his brother, Artie. Despite their differences, they are far more connected and understand each other very well. The novel is incomplete without talking about the relationship between Merlyn and Artie and other beautiful connections. The friendship between Merlyn and Cully, who rises to become the kingpin of the world of gambling, can also melt the hearts of readers. In the next post, I will try to cover the remaining elements of the novel in detail.
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