Title: The snake charmer
First published: 1998
Description: The Snake Charmer tells the story of Sonalal, middle-aged and unloved by his rapacious wife and disrespectful sons. He is indisputably the best snake charmer in all of India, for he has elevated his trade to a delicate art. One evening, while charming his beloved snake, Raju, Sonalal produces a music so extraordinary that he feels touched by the gods. But in a moment that will change his life forever, his rapture turns to rage, and Sonalal destroys the one creature who loves him.

Consumed by a despair so great that it threatens his very being - not to mention his masculinity - Sonalal embarks on an Odyssean journey in pursuit of redemption.
Subjects: Fiction, Snake charmers, New York Times reviewed, Fiction, general
Places: India
LC classification: PR9499.3.N48 S63 1998