The Cauliflower® by Nicola Barker

Who is Sri Ramakrishna? 'Is he man or child? Leader or follower? Idiot or genius? A god, a god-man, or just too, too human?' In a world where spirituality seems to lie forgotten, Man Booker-shortlisted, IMPAC Award-winning author Nicola Barker discloses the secrets behind the life of the mythical figure of 'the guru' in her own unconventional way.

From the innocent voice of Sri Ramkrishna's most faithful follower – his nephew, for whom he will always be Uncle – the tale of an extraordinary man is unveiled. His unique development, singularity and contradictions. However, The Cauliflower® grows into something far beyond the fictionalised biographical novel it first appears to be. Moving from the form of narrative text to political pamphlet, then through religious paper, movie script and a collection of poetic fragments, this book is a wisely combined cocktail of style, genre and format.

The author proves to have a bubbly, humorous and versatile voice with the ability to switch smoothly from clear, objective disquisitions to comically loud satirical comedy. The reference to Kali described as an 'all-singing, dervish-dancing, ecstatically stomping, bloody-sword-wielding Beyonce Knowles' proves an interesting literary attempt to merge tradition and modernity, misticysm and pop culture – one small example contained within this bold and fascinating work.