More Men on My Mind has a very glossy eye catching cover which appeals to the eye. So does the text. Radha Thomas has skilfully treaded the thin line between voyeuristic pleasure and a literary novel. I think she has stumbled upon something here. I haven’t read her previous book so no comparisons.
More Men on my Mind is a fun read, full of foreign exotic destinations including Pars and Bangkok. You can easily relate to it if you are a frequent traveller with nomadic tendencies. Descriptions of food, wine and delicacies also are abound which is described very artfully. What I would have liked more is some description of the scenic beauty, the surrounding but then the protagonist isn’t much into this sort of a thing, a woman given to materialism, she keeps her sex life separate from her real life.
The protagonist goes on a whirlwind journey of experimentation wherein she comes across very interesting characters. Her emotional journey is described indirectly through the many acts of sexual pleasure which also brings out the turbulence that every struggling soul faces at some point in their life. There are many interesting anecdotes such as the recounting of the modern version of Ramayana and the meeting with an ex. It even gets kinky at times and fetishes are also described but it is all done in a tasteful manner. And there are funny sexual undertones with a description of a cake shaped like the upper female anatomy.
You will also find comparisons between Indian culture and the various places visited in the book which makes for interesting reading.
The only drawback of the novel is that sometimes the exercise gets too repetitive, there are far too many men and one feels that the writer should also have taken time to describe the surroundings since she visits so many places but the book delivers on the fun quotient. It’s funny, sexy and unapologetic. The chapters tend to be a bit too short sometimes and leave you hanging midway just when you thought it was getting interesting.
It is not all just about the sex though and if you try and look deep, you realize how the protagonist struggles through her desires, her emotions and her journey to find the true love. It is the second part of a trilogy and once you have gone through the book, you do find yourself eagerly waiting for the next part.
Read the author’s interview here.