Book Review| The Company Of Women

Author Name: Khushwant Singh

Book Description:

Meet Mohan Kumar. He is academically brilliant and quite a catch. Unfortunately though, his insane sex drive is the plague of his life. Of course, Mohan would disagree, but he enjoys every minute of satiating his libido. The Company of Women is the story of a man's sexual exploits, and how it defines his life. As a young academic, he is sent abroad to study, and thus begins his sexual experiments in the company of women. After losing his virginity to the seductive Jessica Browne, there is no stopping Mohan. His next tryst is with a Pakistani, Yasmeen Wanchoo, who teaches him the exhilaration of satisfying older women, who are known to be notorious for their heady lust for younger men. Coming back to India, he is forced to settle for a marriage and a woman he has absolutely no interest in. She is perpetually cranky, and it seems like she was born with a long face. Sure, the wife was ill-tempered, but Mohan wasn't exactly a loyal husband. From sexual relations with the maid Dhanno, to their baby's nurse, Mohan's carnal desires knows no bounds. Very soon, their marriage disintegrates. Thus, having found his single status again, he must overcome his loneliness, and thus begins a string of affairs. While this story may seem like the racy tale of a young man who just couldn't keep his hormones at bay, it does have a twist in the plot. Mohan's relationship with his father, and the change in his character after his death tweaks the image of the protagonist in the minds of the readers' as an otherwise immoral man. Coupled with humour and a compelling narration, Khushwant Singh takes us on a journey of what it means to succumb to the desires of the flesh. For anyone who is looking for some exceptional writing, without feeling offended at the sexual content, this book offers an interesting read. Published in the year 1999.

My Review: Train to Pakistan was the first book I read by Khushwant Singh and this was the second one. A sharp switch. I was totally unbiased while reading it as I didn't know the subject matter. From the title I assumed it to be about his relationship with his female family members. Lol.

I have mixed feelings regarding this book. When I read it for the first time, I couldn't complete it. I felt bad as I was so young and just couldn't allow myself to read such a book with so much of adult materials. It was awkward and vulgar for me at that time. After I grew up, I read it again with the eyes of an adult. It is thought to be an erotic story but I felt as if it is not all about intimacy and sexual relationships. It is much more than that. It is dark and complex. It shows the psychology of a single man yearning for love which he never gets.

Many instances proves that he was a simple ordinary man apart from all those things like the way he expresses his happiness while urinating in the garden and other things. He just had too much of sexual urge which wasn't healthy after all.

It is also a critique of the institution of marriage in our Indian society. The way marriages are finalized is gruesome and debatable. It has also been shown how we can never live a perfectly private life. People never leave us in peace even when our partner is a willing one.

What I didn't like at all is the fact that, when Mohan gets married, he never tries to love his wife. He doesn't even gives her a chance and hates her from the first day of their marriage. Never being able to get out of his past, his lustful nature gives in and he once again falls into the trap of his carnal desires.

I don't recommend this book to youngsters because of too much of adult stuffs. He even goes to the extent of discussing the size of his genitals.

Overall, I don't think I liked this book at all even after reading it for a second time.

Ratings: 2/5