“Madness is rare in individuals – but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
I recently read Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari’s debut novel, Chronicle of an Hour and a Half. Although my engagement with fiction has been limited recently, this novel’s premise has continued to linger in my mind long after I turned the final page.
Initially, I perceived the incidents depicted in this novel as having a universal appeal. However, upon further reflection, I am deeply troubled by the increasing frequency of such occurrences in my own state, Kerala, aptly known as “God’s Own Country.” This troubling trend demands extensive contemplation and discourse among the general public.
The novel starkly illustrates that a mob has no mind. It can act savagely, inflict terrible wounds, and claim lives. Set in a village in the Western Ghats of Kerala, the story revolves around an illicit affair between an older woman and a much younger man. It explores how frenzied messages on WhatsApp can trigger people and incite a riot.
Making a powerful political statement through his gripping narrative, Kannanari employs the metafiction style, a form where each chapter is narrated by a different character. This approach allows readers to experience the perspectives of a diverse range of characters, enhancing our understanding of their motivations, moralities, and actions.
Kannanari skillfully guides his readers through the eyes of a five-year-old child, a mother who loses her son in the riot, the mob perpetrator, and the protagonist who loses her lover to the violent crowd. He successfully depicts the skewed and repressed morality of humans and how individuals can exploit situations when free from scrutiny.
Although the events in the novel unfold over a very short span of time, the underlying cause of moral policing has deep roots. The novel cleverly underscores the principles of “social proof,” where the lines blur between perpetrators, transgressors, and those silently complicit in mob violence. It explores how humans satisfy their primal instincts for violence in certain situations.
A positive aspect of the novel is its portrayal of women. Despite the remote village setting, the female characters are neither demure nor submissive to patriarchy. They are independent, aware of their choices, and exercise their agency decisively. The novel sharply criticizes the double standards and hypocrisy of the male characters who pose as guardians of culture and monogamy.
The narrative reveals how mob mentality can evoke the worst in common folk, invoking a skewed sense of morality and fear of transgressing perceived cultural norms. Finishing this book leaves one with a profound sense of pain, reflecting on how carelessly and callously we, as a society, have forsaken our critical thinking.