Navin, a 16-year old boy living with his parents and grandmother in Delhi, India, is in the grip of a compelling obsession with cleanliness, washing his hands incessantly to the point of making them raw and cracked. His mother is obsessed with cleaning the house, covering everything with clean cloths, and meticulously centering vases and objects. His grandmother in her senile delusion is obsessed with the idea that his mother’s sister comes to the house to steal her personal possessions.
He goes to therapy once a week but he doesn’t tell the therapist about the voices that constantly tell him about dirt and bacteria and grime. One day at the office of the therapist, he meets the daughter of the therapist, a year younger, and transfers his cleaning obsession to thoughts of the delightful young woman.
He learns that the girl has a secret. He learns that his father has a secret. And that his mother has a secret. And we readers learn that we all have our obsessions and secrets.
A strong story, nicely plotted, a little stilted in the dialog, but a compelling read nonetheless. We come to care very much for these troubled characters, as we come to see how pointless rituals and actions serve to keep fear at bay, and how difficult these thoughts and actions are to extinguish.
What Has Been Read Cannot Be Unread 