The Man Who Would Not See
The Man Who Would Not See was my sixth book and fifth novel, and was published in NZ and Australia by Penguin Random House in February 2018. It reached No 3 on the New Zealand Fiction Bestsellers List and was longlisted in the fiction section of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, 2019.
Cover Description:
When family suddenly becomes your greatest challenge, mystery, rediscovery.
As children in Calcutta, Ashim and Abhay made a small mistake that split their family forever. Thirty years later, Ashim has re-entered his brother's life, with blame and retribution on his mind. It seems nothing short of smashing Abhay's happy home will make good the damage from the past.
At least, this is what Abhay and his wife Lena are certain is happening. A brother has travelled all the way from small-town India to New Zealand bearing ancient — and false — grudges, and with the implacable objective of blowing up every part of his younger brother's life. Reconciliation was just a Trojan horse.
But is Ashim really the villain he appears to be, or is there a method to his havoc?
You can read the opening of The Man Who Would Not See, or order a copy, here
Reviews Of The Man Who Would Not See:
“In his fifth novel, Indian-born, New Zealand-based author Rajorshi Chakraborti skilfully amps up the tension, showing how easily fear can shove reason out the window, even in smart, seemingly self-aware people […] It's an absorbing, gripping read that is ultimately about the importance of family and the emotional labour required to create deep, honest connections.” – The Listener, NZ
“A sophisticated work that shows an acute awareness of changing psychological states and motivations” – Otago Daily Press, NZ
“Migrant New Zealand author Rajorshi Chakraborti's new novel, The Man Who Would Not See, beautifully examines [the] "unhealable rift" between the "self" separated from its home […] If this is a novel about dislocation from event and homeland, it's also a book which wonderfully synergises the disparate perspectives of its diverse cast. [...] Thematically, the narrative and its conflicting voices produce another rich element to The Man Who Would Not See. For these aspects expand concepts of migration beyond the physical and environmental to the philosophical, familial and spiritual. […] The Man Who Would Not See is a compelling book about the dislocation of belonging, geography, culture and, ultimately, memory.” – Dominion Post, NZ
“The resident expert liked this one: ‘Well-written, well-constructed, well-disguised. Always coherent. Emotions credible and carefully rendered.’ I finished the final page and felt pleasantly complete. Then I realised I'd finished, and felt a bit bereft. That's success for any author.” – New Zealand Books.
“I thoroughly enjoyed Chakraborti’s first-person narration [. . .] Chakraborti skilfully hinges his narrative on the central question: what does it mean to truly ‘see’? A startling question that, after reading The Man Who Would Not See, might find an answer.” – Booksellers NZ Blog
“This wise and moral novel offers plenty of valuable insights on personal conflict and resolution and, by extension perhaps, something towards peaceful resolution of political and institutional conflict. Chakraborti suggests that intelligence and hard work alone aren’t the key. The courage to reconsider foundational beliefs, along with a kind of familial love towards the other, are what’s required.” – Landfall Review Online, NZ
“His writing continues to provide haunting narratives that ask pressing moral questions about how perception affects the human condition and how past events can change people.” - Nelson Mail, NZ