Why Unni did what he did?

This question is at the heart of Manu Joseph’s Chacko family tale titled The Illicit Happiness of Other People. It traces lives of Chacko family members- the downward spiralling father Ousep, disturbed Mother Mariamma and perplexed teenage brother Toma.

True to his journalistic work and using the trick of tracking news from sources; Ousep puts all his energy into finding the secret behind his elder son’s terrible decision. All he has to go on are Unni’s few cartoons and questions answered by Unni’s friends. But still the riddle remains as-is even after 3 years of Unni’s departure. Then one day, he receives a parcel containing Unni’s last series of cartoons and it opens new stories, giving him glimpses into his elder child’s psyche in his final year.

But Mariamma is not watching from the sides; but she is waiting little too patiently to know what happened to her brilliant boy, why he took such a drastic step? Does she thinks that she should be responsible because what happened in her past? Has her past affected her family’s future and will this muddle her mind more than it already is? Too many things to think about for this once brilliant economics student, who is failing to solve her household budget issues as a housewife.

And then there is Toma- younger sibling of Unni and family’s remaining child. He always grew in the shadow of Unni; clearly seeing his mother’s affection for Unni and the sad effects on his mother after Unni’s decision. Toma’s simple wish to have a normal family just like other people living in Balaji Lane’s Block A, B, C, D – a father going to office on his scooter and returning with household goods in the evening, a mother who looks and cooks well waiting in the evening with jasmines in her pleated hair and an ever affectionate brother who is more mainstream than being a puzzle. Why other people can have normality in their lives but he has to live with a drunkard man and unstable minded woman as parents with his favourite brother missing?

So, on the surface it looks like a story of another dysfunctional family but it’s just not that. It looks well beyond the obvious clues of Unni’s ending such as his mental state, his friends, his peer group, his personality power and hold on his peer group, how his friends look back at him, his aspirations and his delusions. There is just a vivid detailing of neuroscience and psychological issues but they take the story forward instead of hindering the progress of the storyline. At least we can now see Somen from the eyes of a fatigued father who goes at length in understanding his son; a little too late and too little. May be the answer is obvious and it remains somewhere else.

This can be labelled as one of the nuance coming-of-age novel. It depicts its subject so vividly with an in-depth characterisation, making it a recommended read who wants to know why Unni did what he did.