Saint Richard Parker

This searching comic travelogue from Franco (author of A Dowryless Wedding) sends its hapless narrator, the sacked and disgraced journalist Richard Parker, on boisterous journeys, both physical and spiritual, with comic flair and incisive satire. Fired from his job at the Indian Republic after his self-interested expose of a beef-exporting operation implicated his own boss, Parker—who considers himself “the greatest investigative journalist, businessman, and writer India has ever produced”—returns to his tiny hometown in India’s south, where he’s torn between two imperatives: the spiritual and the sensual. Amid a backdrop of a contemporary subcontinent riven by religious, class, and cultural conflict, Parker undergoes a series of pilgrimages in search of moksha, or enlightenment, either through study with masters of various traditions or, he hopes, the “sexually liberating, tantric way.”

What ensues, over this epic-length travel tale, is a series of comic misadventures across Southeast Asia, as Parker, born a Christian, faces growing Hindu nationalism in India and a host of surprises abroad, in Malaysia and Thailand, with sharply drawn women he meets on Tinder, a CouchSurfing app, and elsewhere. He works with a woman to establish safe places for cows and street dogs; falls under the spell of social-media religious leaders who make pitches like “Pay only $4,999 US dollars, and liberate your soul”; seeks spiritual breakthroughs in the wrong kind of Bangkok spa; visits a hunter-gatherer tribe in the Malaysian highlands, where he’s mistaken for child-thieving police.

Franco’s prose and perspective are continually arresting, and the novel bursts with amusing incident and food for thought, especially on the subjects of commodified enlightenment, the exploitation of women and the global poor, and the (hilarious, troubling) flexibility of its narrator’s ideas. But the novel’s length, its anecdotal naif’s-progress structure, and general low stakes mean that it often feels long, lacking a compelling narrative drive. Still, as Parker ducks bees, endures misunderstandings, and encounters (but doesn’t quite suss out) the hypocrisies of rulers and faith leaders, Franco stirs serious, often pained laughs.

Self-proclaimed “celebrity businessman” and “world-renowned” investigative journalist Richard Parker finally has the scoop of a lifetime—until it all comes crashing down around him.

After realizing his boss is the two-timing beef distributor he’s been chasing, Parker loses his job, his business is dissolved before his eyes, and his life starts spiraling out of his control. In an effort to kickstart his recovery, he returns from his big city life to his remote hometown, where he decides his calling is to seek Enlightenment, one way or another.

Parker is not sure what he truly needs, or even truly wants, but he knows his most basic desires, and those (along with the guru he mentally invokes) guide his chaotic escapades through portions of Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Meeting new friends and/or possible romantic interests and hopping between countries, he follows any leads he’s given, as quickly as he experiences new and contrasting religious and political views.

“Everything he says is new to me. But something about it sounds so familiar, like a passive knowledge I had always known before. I want this liberation, this boundless love!”

This novel is witty and sharp, and it’s comically and intentionally reminiscent of Eat, Pray, Love. Parker does not want to let any “sign,” cosmic or not, pass him by. To him, the congregation of creative and exceedingly human characters he meets are merely stepping stones along his path, yet each still has their own lesson to teach, be it new foods to try, etymology, or humility. Parker’s journey is somewhat predictable, but entertaining all the same, as his naïvety leads to many sticky situations.

“The more I reach for her soul, the more I connect with mine.”

It’s a pleasure to learn new information on the countries and cultures represented through Parker’s lens. As he travels, he imagines different, glowing scenarios of what may happen when he arrives, only to be shocked how little he knows about his surroundings. His expectations are regularly subverted by locals, customs, and even history he hadn’t considered, forcing him to alter his worldview (and his itinerary) to better suit the environment he actually encounters.

“It’s as if the gods had dispatched them to balance the yin and the yang, the hot and the cold.”

This novel shines in a first-person perspective—the reader is roped into Parker’s trip and is swept away as fast as he is, but at times, just like Parker, the story can feel a little lost. Parker’s trials, Tinder matches, humorous miscommunications, and internal monologue do fill the pages wonderfully, yet all of these at once occasionally overwhelm or obscure the important lessons he seeks, clouding both the readers’ and his own vision for his journey, and leaving Parker a tad directionless as episodes somewhat blend together.

Despite this, the reader is allowed to laugh at themselves through Richard Parker’s misfortunes and can thoroughly enjoy the novel’s vivid scenery and constant, animated dialogue. Parker’s unique, albeit naïve and self-centered, personality is entertaining to follow as he struggles to keep up in fast-paced situations, but these struggles capture a brief message for the reader: An answer may be hiding where you least expect it; follow it if you choose, but do not be afraid to let it pass.

“‘There you are, Saint Richard Parker—the first monk to travel with a bag on wheels."