The Days Toppled Over by Vidya Madabushi
“This Malli believes to be true: her voice operates according to a set of rules of which she herself is only partially aware. When these rules are met, she is certain it will unlock itself, and once again, she’ll be able to speak to her brother.”
The Days Toppled Over (2023) is the Australian debut novel from Vidya Madabushi, an Indian author based in Sydney. It introduces us to Malli (pronounced Muh-lii) and her brother Surya as they navigate the distance between them and the rifts that develop due to their separate experiences.
Malli is selectively mute: unable to speak out loud and only using her voice when safely hidden away in her apartment. While we’re never really told why Malli is mute or what might have caused it, we do know that in the past she was able to speak to her parents and brother before her parent's tragic death following a car accident.
“Her voice constantly tugs at its leash when she’s home alone. As a child, Malli was talkative at home, and her mother often complained that all the words Malli held back during the day at school broke the dam as she crossed the threshold of her home and rushed unbridled to her.”
Despite the challenges her mutism brings into her life, Malli has tackled most of these well, securing an apartment in a retirement village and a job as a remote transcriber of medical documents. She fills her days with work and helping the other residents in her building with various errands and domestic tasks.
Surya has left India to begin a new life studying in Sydney, Australia. Initially filled with hope and the promise of opportunity he will be granted as a student, he quickly learns that the challenge of starting life as a migrant is not as straightforward as he has been led to believe. His student visa only allows him to work limited hours per week, hardly enough to get by on, and plenty of opportunistic employers are willing to take advantage and bend the rules to suit their gains. While I have no personal experiences myself, my husband came to Australia much like Surya to study and start a new life – he’s often shared his experiences and the pressures migrant students experience and the dissonance between what life here is promoted as versus the reality. Madabushi has done well to highlight the disparities in these experiences – something I think many white Australian’s will not be aware of.
Surya takes a job as a delivery driver for an Indian restaurant, working alongside a handful of other students. The role comes with a bed in (illegal) shared dorms above the restaurant, where they work well above the hours their student visas allow to cover their rent. Their employer lords the potential opportunity to apply for the coveted 457 visa over them; this visa – which has been replaced by the current 482 – would allow migrants to work in Australia with a designated employer for three years, providing a pathway to permanent residency.
“It is easy to have misgivings, Surya thinks when looking at the kitchen in this state. He’s had daily misgivings about this entire arrangement – living in the cramped tenement above the restaurant, both tenant and employee of a man he neither likes nor trusts, and leaving in this man’s hands all his hopes of remaining in this country.”
An unfortunate interaction with a drunk, racist patron at the restaurant sends Surya down a path where he uncovers the full extent of his employer’s deceptiveness, creating a catalyst that unravels everything he has worked hard to build and hold onto. Unmoored from the full-on schedule of the restaurant and struggling without a home or income, Surya’s predicament quickly turns dire.
Amongst Surya’s desperate situation, Malli becomes increasingly concerned. Since moving to Australia, they have had a standing phone date every Sunday evening. When Surya fails to make their usual call for the first time in three years, Malli naturally becomes worried. Venturing online to explore her options, she discovers a website, Missing Junctions, and meets Nayan, an intriguing young man who offers to help her track down Surya. But without a voice, how will Malli take the steps needed to find her brother?
“She has been putting this off. She’s afraid to open the browser and search for answers. Malli knows the internet is full of unreasonable answers, and they may come tumbling down on her.”
This richly developed narrative brings together a wonderful selection of themes. From familial bonds to friendships that can – quite literally – save a life, Madabushi explores the impact of mental health and the precarious situations international students experience that have for the most part remained untold. The subplot of Nayan and his reincarnation narrative is a little odd, but speaks to the wider beliefs of the author that are worth exploring. I did find the ending of this one a little rushed and too tidy. After spending a significant amount of time learning about how meticulously Malli has coordinated her days, I was left with questions about how she would cope with the final outcome.
The Days Toppled Over is an emotional rollercoaster, illuminating an essential narrative on migration and the struggle of international students who are so often invited with open arms to study in Australia, only to face a very different reality once they arrive.
Madabushi’s debut offers a much-needed opportunity for some readers to feel seen and for others to have their perspectives challenged.
Elaine Chennatt is a writer, educator and psychology student currently residing in nipaluna. She has a special interest in bibliotherapy (how we use literature to make sense of our lives) and is endlessly curious about the creative philosophies of others. She lives with her husband and two bossy dachshunds on the not-so-sunny side of the river (IYKYK). Find her online at wordswithelaine.com
