The Comeback: Annie Zaidi's novel on friendship and a strange betrayal, charms the readers

By Our Correpondent

NewsBits.in

'The Comeback' is Annie Zaidi's latest novel that focuses on a bond of friendship that gets broken all of a sudden, and its consequences that affect lives and test relationships.

The plot that takes the reader from a small town in North India to the metropolis--Mumbai, deals with the idea of getting a second chance in life and about a man's effort to redeem oneself.

It is a haunting tale, as the close friends fall apart after one of them inadvertently reveals a secret that throws the life of the other into  jeopardy. After the success of his first major film, actor Jaun who has now adopted the name, John K, gives away a piece of that devastates his friend Asghar Abbasi.

The words carelessly uttered by John, in a few seconds in an interview, throw Asghar back to streets. He loses his job. Plunged into a financial crisis from which he cannot hope to recover, Asghar's life is shattered. Instead of looking for jobs, he decides to return to his hometown and devote himself to his true calling.

He is determined to get the 'friend', who let out the secret, away from his life. Time passes and slowly Asghar’s reputation as grassroots theatre-maker grows. His marriage is also on the brink as his wife refuses to don the mantle of breadwinner.

On the other hand, John introspects and realises that he made a big mistake. He feels that he is a self-centred man and needs to make amends. But, he can neither get his friend to forgive him, nor can he make peace with a career that fails to give him the artistic satisfaction. 

He is surprised that Nazo, the cousin who loved him and whom he let down, has been working with Asghar’s drama company. Resigned to a series of predictable television gigs that pay the rent, John is sinking. He is, however, salvaged by the appearance of Asghar’s new protégé.

In Sameer, he sees his younger self, and through him, he has a chance to grow out of his self-centred behaviour. He even has another chance with Nazo. However, John must contend with his ego, struggle against social morality, and the false hierarchies of the arts, before he can fulfil his potential as an actor and as a man.

The author takes us through the world of art--contrast between life in Mumbai that has Bollywood film industry and theatre in a small town, as the novel moves ahead and the reader becomes a fellow traveller, becoming a witness to the emotional and professional struggles of the characters.

The Comeback tells us that relationships can be old and strong, yet, fragile. How a moment of weakness or carelessness can destroy lives. It deftly delves into the anxieties of people in the contemporary world and the issues that crop up with fame along with personal egos and social status.

Annie Zaidi is author of the novel, 'City of Incident and Prelude to a Riot' that won the Tata Literature Book of the Year award for fiction in 2020. She has also written Gulab, Love stories and edited, 'Unbound: 2,000 Years of Indian Women's Writing'. She has also won The Hindu Playwright Award for her play Untitled 1 and the Nine Dots prize for the essay 'Bread, Cement, Cactus'.

Aleph Book company has published it. The novel is available on Amazon.