Title: The Tearoom
Author: Gretchen Haley
ISBN: 9781485904410
Publisher: Penguin
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This is a simple tale of a love-struck man, wanting out from what has become a tedious and unfulfilling life. In essence, it is a tragicomedy, a fated love story, a fable of our times.
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Tubby Reddy – full name, the mouthful Thirapatheegadu Ezekiel Reddy – runs a restaurant called The Tearoom in small-town Selendini – poignantly meaning “on the way” – in KwaZulu-Natal. Here, Tubby and his staff offer the delicacies of Indian cuisine to a local and loyal following. Tubby runs a tight ship, and his staff love him.
Tubby Reddy, I must admit, did not readily appeal to me as I started the novel. For too many years, it seems, Tubby has done little to foster a better relationship with his wife, Lynette. Although she is painted as devious and malicious, Tubby himself behaves dishonestly by skimming profits from the restaurant, and hiding the money in a wall safe of which his wife knows nothing, in order to fund a fantastical – and personal – dream. As gentle and as nurturing as Tubby seems, particularly to his two children, Nell and Benji, he has for many years been planning his escape from his wife, who, for reasons unstated, will never grant him a divorce. And so, near the start of the novel, he admits to having already accumulated over six million rand, every cent of savings accounted for in a small diary he keeps on his person, in his pocket, at all times.
I wished Tubby were braver, more courageous, that he were more open with Lynette, but clearly things have gone too far. His amassed wealth meant that I felt rather predisposed to be on his wife’s side, no matter how neurotic she was. Although I could fully understand Tubby’s frustrations of living with a needy, attention-seeking hypochondriac, I wished for some tenderness to be shown towards her from his side, and even exclaimed at one stage, “No wonder their marriage is on the rocks!”
However, I read on, seduced by the simple turn of phrase, the authentic character of the language – and, of course, Tubby grew on me as the South African Indian or “charou” narrator. As observer, he describes the personal issues of his staff, and, of course, the delightful cooking that happens at The Tearoom. Aunty Mother, Paulinah, Zama, Mafika and Yogi prepare, cook, clean, each adding to the glowing reputation of the homely restaurant to which patrons flock. Yogi, for instance, “excellent with flour”, makes rotis “light as a tissue in your hand”, and her samosas are “morsels of absolute joy”. Generally, Tubby’s staff show such genuine affection and respect towards him that I could not help but give him a second chance.
In essence, Tubby Reddy long ago fell in love with the alluring Yogi, a woman who had suffered great tragedy. She happened to settle in Selendini and began work at The Tearoom, and from that point Tubby began nurturing an infatuation. Over many years, the initial attraction grew to adulation, and so Yogi has unwittingly become part of Tubby’s plan – not only is he ferreting away funds to ensure a grand escape from his wife to Britain, but he plans to do so with Yogi at his side. Tubby, as a true romantic, does not consider his actions underhand – he sees his plan merely as a way to escape a situation in which he perceives himself to be terminally trapped, particularly as Lynette has taken up with, it appears, the local preacher, Kenny Gounden. The charlatan leader of the Ebenezer Full Gospel Church not only schemes in the background to con a trusting community willing to empty their pockets in favour of the church, but increasingly poisons Lynette against her husband. Personal matters deteriorate further when their daughter, Nell, discloses her pregnancy and her impending marriage to Tearoom chef, Makifa, “a Zulu boy”, resulting in the ever-widening chasm between judgmental and classist Lynette and Tubby.
At last, Tubby has the gumption to disclose to Yogi his plan, and she agrees to run off with him. So begins a tender but passionate affair, as the couple make love in secret in The Tearoom. When Lynette, the nasty wife (and the rumours abound that she has manipulated many in the past – she cruelly persecuted her daughter, Nell, and was implicated in an accident resulting in her own sister’s paralysis) stumbles onto the truth, the consequences play out. Life does not go according to Tubby’s expectations.
Tubby becomes increasingly reflective towards the end of the novel, acknowledging his part in the breakdown of relations with his wife, and seeing his life for what it has been and continues to be: a series of losses and gains – with his business, with his family, with himself.
This is a simple tale of a love-struck man, wanting out from what has become a tedious and unfulfilling life. In essence, it is a tragicomedy, a fated love story, a fable of our times, in which Tubby Reddy is himself complicit. It’s an easy read, refreshingly simple, penned in a heart-felt style that doesn’t labour the main events with any complicated backdrop of South African history – and this is a relief. The Tearoom is indeed a charming, character-driven novel, with an ultimate focus on humanity and humility. Once I set my pique aside, I enjoyed Tubby for who he was: a middle-aged man perhaps a little too desirous of living the fantasy, perhaps rather naïve, but essentially a good man. By the closing pages of the novel, Tubby redeems himself as he comes to understand his role in a lacklustre marriage. By the end, Lynette, too, realises her failings.
A satisfying story, to be devoured at one sitting like a spicy curry roti, this one certainly has a sting in the tail.
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