The idea that life as a whole can change into something else in the next moment is a thought that is striking yet ordinary. The exploration of this idea in fiction is rare and probably least visited in past writings or contemporary literary topics of expression. Gopinath Lakshmanan, in his debut novel, “Bloody Dreams,” gives an interesting representation of human lives on the whole while remaining faithful to reality. This gives him a framework to swing the plot to cover major portions of the characters’ lives while also turning them on 360 degrees to explore an alternate view of life under changed circumstances. Along with this, the readers witness the author’s touch on varying themes in the midst of an exploration of characters that are the incarnations of people who are victims of their circumstances or bearing the consequences of their choices.
While “Bloody Dreams” begins at a point that bewilders and baffles the readers, the author takes up to construct a plot that is driven by life’s uncertainties that creep in at times that are unpredictable and out of anyone’s understanding. Patriarchy seems to be the ruling point of Lakshmanan’s novel, which is eventually overtaken by the feminist overtone that also shows the plotline from the viewpoint of a woman and the circumstances she faces through the multiple roles she plays in one lifetime. Rajeev and Rajee are characters who appear to be contrasting and strikingly different from each other and face circumstances that are far beyond similar. While Rajeev literally has the whole world at his disposal, Rajee on the other hand struggles with the bare minimum and even remains miserable in the limits that she has. Through Rajeev and Rajee, “Bloody Dreams” presents two sides of the same coin that are influenced by determining factors like societal constructs, stereotypes, and pre-determined roles, which have been decided even before the birth of a child.
In that sense, Gopinath Lakshmanan, in his “Bloody Dreams,” takes the readers into a zone that is based on present-day developments and modernity and is still rooted in the older thoughts and beliefs which show the present generation to be an equal victim or a beneficiary. This book is recommended to readers who like to read a work born through fiction and yet presents reality without any sugar coating while keeping the possibility of happy endings dependent on factors more than one. Moreover, “Bloody Dreams” as a title holds significance and meaning throughout the text, which makes true sense only when the readers go through the whole of the book.
The author’s skill in capturing the lives of multiple yet limited characters through different versions of alternate realities is what distinguishes “Bloody Dreams” from any book written in the same category. It not only mirrors the reality which would be ordinary in a household, it also shows the story from the other side, which comprises the same people but in a different life form. This book is recommended not only to fiction readers but also those who are interested in reading works inspired by reality.
