All Stray Dogs Go to Heaven is a book that explores the power of love, friendship, family, and the elusive idea of home, and compels us to revisit our own ideas of truth, the self, and reality. All Stray Dogs Go to Heaven by Krishna Candeth is an astounding debut novel. Told from multiple perspectives and weaving past and present, dreams and reality, the book revolves around relatable themes and emotions. A collection of stories that happened a long time ago and will most certainly happen again, Candeth’s book has received brilliant praise from Amitav Ghosh, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, among others.
“Evocative and thoughtful, telling the stories of characters who will stay with you long after turning the final page, Krishna Candeth’s All Stray Dogs Go to Heaven is a moving novel by a gifted writer, richly coloured by the splendour of its setting,” said Dr Shashi Tharoor, Author and Member of Parliament.
“Krishna Candeth is a writer of remarkable talent and originality, with a unique voice and vision,” said Amitav Ghosh, Author. “The writing is always evocative and vivid. This is a world in which the Buddha and the goddess Bhagawati share the stage on equal terms with the whistling prowess of the Malabar thrush, with Nitya watching his father smoke while taking a shower, great rishis talking endlessly about insight, and Shammi Kapoor screaming “Ya-hoo!” in the snow.
The mirroring of outer and inner worlds is brilliantly handled—there is a cascade of phenomena, from solar systems to our innermost fears and desires, that are drawn together by the lilt and harmony of the phrasing,” said Dr Shomit Mitter, author and therapist. Nitya is haunted by the pronouncement that he has “forgotten to live.” He leaves Suvastu, his childhood home, and the obsessive, matriarchal world of the Ammalkans to embark on journeys that will bring him in contact with the mercurial Umi, whose life is vitalised by a strange discovery; Purusha, the revolutionary, who believes self-awareness must always be translated into action; the eccentric Govi, who dreams of the red clouds of Jupiter; Aniyathi, whose attempt to build a life of her own is overtaken by violence and grief; and, most crucially of all, Chinma, the charismatic “guru” who seeks siddhis or psychic powers.
A world of mango and biryani lovers, ghosts and philosophers, music and theyyams, and calamitous natural disasters. A world full of stories about the secret worlds we inhabit. Stories that happened a long time ago and will most certainly happen again. Krishna Candeth was born in Kerala.