An exciting novella-length ‘prose poem’ by Srikanth Reddy, Underworld Lit is a delightful mix of ramblings adjacent to academia, underworld mythology, and the spaces between family and mortality. I was drawn to this book by the frequent interruptions of ‘quizzes’, which were presumably provided by the main character, a literary professor, to his students. The narrative is told as a mix of the professor’s story and that of the ‘weird or strange’ Chinese text that he is translating, a surreal adventure that happens to a certain time-and-space-traveling administrative functionary named Chen.

It is safe to say that this is unlike anything else I have read. And yet it managed to charm and hook me completely into finishing it over the course of two afternoons. The characters and the plot aren’t necessarily that strong; since it’s a poem, there is a lot more in the way of atmosphere and ambiance than there is in character development or narrative progression. At its core, its an examination of the feelings that surround you when something akin to the events in the book happen—that is to say, the nature of mortality, grief, and struggling to find your place, with a dash of cosmic justice in for good measure.

I am glad I was able to get this with interlibrary loan. I don’t think the experience of reading the ebook provides quite the same experience, because of the nature of the mixed materials involved. There were several images of an old French translation or the original Chinese text displayed alongside the standard English accompaniment (not necessarily its translation). I am impressed by how much I was able to get the sense of dread and reluctant acceptance that one finds so often in academia and those who are suffused with it. Moreover, the elements of underworld mythology were at the same time familiar and excitingly new—I did not know much about (indigenous) American underworld stories, for example. This is one of those books that is a rare mix of all the right things that appeal to me as an individual, so I can’t say if this will work for everyone—but if any of the aspects of the blurb call to you, give it a try.