Penance by Ben Antao

a book review by Annabelle Colaço 

Canadian in theme, Goan in values

TGF comment: [TGF was quite surprised at the following comment from Fredrick Noronha who is known in Goa to be an accomplished journalist.  Mr. Noronha wrote on GoaNet July 18, 2006: "And, this novel is also published by the same Goan Observer group which has published the review .! It could be a conflict of  interest to publish a novel, and then call it " un-put-down-able until the very end". 

All Mr. Noronha had to do in order to determine the author of the Book Review was to call up the Goan Observer. It is right there in Goa. TGF was able to ascertain the name of the reviewer from several thousand miles west of Goa, and Fred Noronha could not do that from Goa? 

Strange for a journalist! 

This is quite apart from the illogical thought process by which Publishers of Books  are somehow judged as having a conflict of interest if they also carry a review of the book.

Is this Prejudice, Opinion or just a Prejudicial opinion on Mr. Noronha's part? ]

BEN Antao was born and bred in Goa, but now lives in Canada. Currently he is the President of the Canadian Authors Association, Toronto branch. He has written five novels and several short stories. Penance is his second novel to be published.

This book talks about two couples - James and Alice Kennedy, a conventional couple, and Karen McNulty and Donna Thistle in a radical relationship. The respective couples believe themselves to be madly and hopelessly in love; until, one fine day, when Karen and James find themselves attracted to one another overcome by a strange force. Each tries to fight it but to no avail. Things seem under control until they meet at the AGM - meant to be a rare celebration in honour of the teaching community. Donna forces Karen to go to the gathering. James, a teacher himself, is also present. Any second thoughts Karen might have about going to the meet vanish when she spots James, at the venue… without his wife. The book continues to talk about how a magnetic force allures them to each other as they end up having an affair. Ultimately, both of them, realizing they have no future together, work towards restoring their former relationships with their respective spouses - James with Alice and Donna with Karen.

The book focuses more on James and how he asks God to forgive him; it is not difficult to believe he is truly filled with sincere remorse about what he did, as he ardently prays, “You’re the only one who can help”, he reminds God. “Please help me. I’ll give up anything if you bring Alice home. Anything”. As we read about his struggle, we can easily empathize with him, now that with a cri de Coeur he confesses how much he wants his life back the way it once was. He almost seems to succeed, but the book concludes with an unpredictable climax.

Ben, from a prize-winning world-acclaimed serious writer, is turning out to be a leading romantic novel-writer. He crafts his stories with great mastery blending successfully the perfect amount of description with emotional detail. And his novels ever more absorb us in this part of the world because, a Goan by birth - and at heart -, he addresses problems in a unique way, against the backdrop of beliefs and conflicts of our Goan society, as it struggles in search of some meaning of life.

Penance is an amazing read and un-put-down-able until the very end. Here’s a novel for our times!

Annabelle Colaço
July 15, 2006

Penance, By Ben Antao, Rs. 200

[ The above review by Annabelle Colaço of Margao, appeared in the Goan Observer weekly of July 15-21, 2006, Panjim, Goa, India.  TGF has great pleasure in welcoming this script from Annabelle Colaço.  We hope to read more from her.  Her parents, Dr. & Mrs. Francisco Colaco, are good friends of TGF]

Read the Silviano Barbosa Review of this book

back to TGF front page