The better man

the long version

"In Anita Nair's novel, middle-aged bachelor Mukundan returns to his native Indian village and finds that he is haunted by his sense of failure, his guilt over abandoning his mother, who's now dead, and his inability to stand up to his domineering father, Achurhan Nair. Determined to conquer old ghosts, Mukundan decides to restore his childhood home and hires One-screw-loose Bhasi, an outcast painter, to oversee the renovations.". "A practitioner of a unique style of healing, Bhasi immediately senses the deep cracks in Mukundan's soul and sets about mending his troubled friend. He cajoles, manipulates, and shapes Mukudan's transformation into a better man, but the durability of that transformation is quickly called into question when an influential neighbor offers Mukundan what he's always dreamed of - recognition, status, and power. To get all of those things, he must sacrifice his friendship with Bhasi and his relationship with the woman in his life."--BOOK JACKET.