I found the book quite compelling. Mr Niyogi is tormented by the imagined cries of a young boy stranded on a remote island. As I read that chapter, I questioned how a bedridden man could help the boy. His only resource is his auditing expertise. Given the extensive effort and financial resources required for a rescue operation, which Mr. Niyogi cannot afford, he devises a plan to use his auditing skills to help his parent company recover significant losses due to employee fraud, rather than seeking charity.

I admired the ingenuity behind Mr. Niyogi's strategy. The book does an excellent job of portraying his health struggles, discomfort, and embarrassment. Readers who encounter someone enduring similar hardships will find these aspects of the story particularly relatable.

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This quality of writing in this well-organized and gentle narrative perfectly represents Mr. Niyogi himself. A lesser writer might have presented a simple chronological narrative, but S.N. Rao shows readers, in a very engaging opening chapter, where Mr. Niyogi will arrive much later in the book-- working steadily on a challenging audit while undergoing experimental medical treatment. In the next chapter, we go back in time several months to the point where sick, bored, dependent Mr. Niyogi felt that he was no longer valued. It is this last audit that enables him to prove his worth again (more to himself than others because nobody else seems to have thought less of him for having Parkinson's Disease) and also to quietly arrange a great act of heroism. I've already recommended it to library patrons who just want to read a nice book that isn't overwrought with drama and isn't historical fiction. Given the author's sensitive immersion into the mind of Parkinson's patient, I expect that it will also appeal to readers who have experienced their own setbacks.

I figured that this would be sad, but it was also really endearing. I have family who struggle with Parkinson's and that part of it was difficult to read.
I will say it would be helpful to have a name over the switching POVs cause it was very confusing at times to figure out who each person speaking was.

Moving and also fascinating quiet heroics... in auditing.

Not exactly a thrilling prospect? Audits. But the premise sounded too intriguing to turn down. And in the end I was sobbing more than a little.

The structure of this book is slightly jarring at first but makes sense later. We start by seeing an old, clearly infirm man taking part in an also clearly large-scale company auditing process, with constant assistance both physically and mentally, to keep him focused and able to continue.

Why? we ask ourselves. This man is not well, not healthy, surely not in a position to be able to do this intense work.

Only later do we find out that the retired Mr Niyogi, with his medication, exercises, staff, is suffering from Parkinson's and despite this, determined to try and win a favour from a former employer for his expert help. He's heard of a group of people stranded on a remote island due to COVID restrictions, with no food or way off and hopes his intervention and help with a company-wide audit might mean the large airline agrees to pay him by transporting these people back to safety.

But he is unwell, infirm, and needing help to do this.

What a character. Mr Niyogi is so unassuming, modest and mild, yet so internally determined. It made for a powerfully quiet read, seeing his efforts and pain.

The ending really got me. Like its protagonist before it, it took me by surprise and made me both very sad and also proud.

This felt like a very true representation of the difficulties of Parkinson's and of ageing in general, we see his illness from the view of his family, former colleagues as well as Mr Nigoyi's own frustrations and increasing reliance on others, where before he was the one providing support.

Short but powerful. Slim but profound.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Mr. Niyogi is suffering heavily from Parkinson's disease when he starts being visited by the spirit (?) of a friend's son who has been abandoned on a remote island. The visions motivate him to push beyond his disease to help his former employer get ready to go public, hoping in response they will send a ship to save the stranded people. Got it! Except the timeline is really really long for a rescue mission. But, that aside, the writing and especially dialogue was a bit awkward. I try to give grace as I believe english is the author's second language, but I wish the editor had helped with the repetitive over detailed conversations or explanations. I did relate quite a bit with Mr. Niyogi's experience as my son is dealing with many of the same physical symptoms and limitations. Despite this, I did enjoy the story and felt the ending was pretty perfect.

e-ARC from NetGalley.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this novel. It's a beautiful, heartfelt story about a man who feels helpless but decides he must make a difference nonetheless. It explores themes of chronic illness, loneliness, hopelessness, and resilience. But I did struggle with the technicality of the writing.

While the story itself was one worth reading, the sheer amount of detailed, step-by-step description made it difficult to enjoy at times. More than once, Rao explains how the nurse helps Mr. Niyogi to the treatment table, moves him to his side, pulls up his shirt, applies the electrode jelly, attaches the electrodes, pulls his shirt back down, helps him roll back onto his back, etc. I feel like I could perform the treatment at this point.

The other struggle I faced was the pacing and switching perspectives. We start with Niyogi in the hotel, frantically working on the audit, but then we jump to months earlier and follow every step of his journey from finding out about the stranded miners to the conclusion, most of which was spent discussing fraud and business organizational structure in a van. But, often, we jump to other perspectives that seemed to do little more than increase the page count. A random man who knows a receptionist. The guy working on the emergency audits alongside Niyogi.

But, when I consider the writing style, I can't say that it is unprecedented. It was similar to Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor which has much critical acclaim but was definitely written in a similar style that I also struggled to fully connect with.

I did find this to be a beautiful story, but with writing that doesn't appeal to my flowery-prose-loving brain. I am, however, quite curious about what Rao will write next.