‘TECHNOLOGY MAKES THE YOUNG INSECURE’

Is immortality worth it? Can one escape the past? Can the generation gap make the younger generation envious of the old? This high-drama thriller, set in the future, addresses these issues and more, quite fascinatingly.

Author MG Vassanji’s latest novel, Nostalgia, is introduced as being set in “In an indeterminate future in Toronto, [where] people can live lives of two or three generations.” One can choose their ideal life and gain access to their personal history. Even with erasure and immortality at their disposal, there seems to be trouble.

And like in most works about the future, the future here seems dangerous, and the goings-on, sinister. “Such works tend to be bleak or pessimistic because they speak to the fear we have of the unknown. Such works also tend to provide high drama,” explains Vassanji.

The book asks pertinent questions about immortality – something many lust for – for instance, “Should we strive to live longer lives, and, in principle, forever? And in the book, I have characters who are against it, because it goes against the karmic cycle and against God, who determines when and how you will die,” says the bestselling author from Canada.

The book also addresses the much-talked-about generation gap, often blamed for the constant disagreement on ideas between generations. The gap is perceived to be in favour of the younger generation, and the older generation is forever rendered outdated because of advancement in technology and dissemination of information.

However, the book seems to turn the idea on its head – Immortality, thanks to technology, makes the younger generation insecure. “The older generation still have power and money. The young can play with technological toys because they are often supported by the old – parents, capitalists, governments, and so on. In my book, the older generation lives longer and has the wealth which they have hoarded over decades, and they hold on to their jobs — and this is a cause for resentment and rebellion,” he points out.

MG Vassanji’s novel, Nostalgia engages with ideas like time travel, generation gap, and immortality

MG Vassanji is an awardwinning novelist from Canada and the cover of his new book, Nostalgia