The Taste of Water by Franky Dias
Celebrate the book launch of The Taste of Water by Franky Dias Sunday, December 2, 2012 in Toronto.
Exuberant and irreverent, The Taste of Water is about adventurous men whose morals are suspect and strong women who are the anchors of their homes.- F. Escalona, author of A Proposition
Victor and Shambu, two young boys mesmerized by a performing cyclist in their sleepy village of Uppal, South India, hatch a mischievous plan to prevent his macabre live burial finale - the first of many collaborations in their lifelong struggles with ambition and success, lust and love, power and impotence, and sin and redemption.
Victor achieves success as a telecom analyst in Toronto and New York City during the dot-com boom. His spectacular rise to fortune is matched only by his painful fall into excess and depravity. Shambu becomes a feared man in the underworld, selling cheap government booze. But his success, too, comes at a price.
Along the way we meet Rama Rao, a Brahmin storyteller and exorcist who plays chess with malevolent demons; Meena Rai, whose husband kills her lover then remains locked up in their house for decades until convinced to leave his room to murder again; the Alvares sisters, devout spinster twins who strip naked to scare away ghosts and later engage in nocturnal activities with one; Girija Bhandari, a young mother who cures inflamed eyes with jets of fresh milk from her breasts; and Zuao Manuel De Souza, famous for vanquishing a demon with the power of his rosary.
A different India, a surprising India, and a refreshing India. Utterly original. A rare and authentic slice of life in the villages around Mangalore - one that should be preserved in a time capsule. - Richard Crasta, author of The Revised Kama Sutra
By turns magical and mystical, tragic and triumphant, The Taste of Water tells an unforgettable tale weaving history, folklore, humour, irreverence and adventure on two continents in a sweeping story spanning three generations set against the backdrop of Indian mythology and Western philosophy.
Author Biography
Franky Dias grew up in a small village near Mangalore, India. At the age of twenty-one, he moved to Mumbai and worked as a bank officer. Later posted to Goa for five years, he wrote and produced a musical, then moved to Dubai where he worked in international banking and wrote a column for the local newspaper. He is fluent in Konkani, Kannada, Tulu, Hindi and English.
In 1990, he and his wife, along with their daughter and son, then three and six years old, moved to Toronto, Canada. Franky Dias spends his time composing music and writing, and lives between Canada, India and the south of France.
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