This book describes the relationship between Nataraj, the owner of a printing press in Malgudi, and Vasu, a taxidermist who arrives in Malgudi unannounced and becomes an unwanted house-guest in Nataraj's home. It reveals both the character's strengths and weaknesses in a tragi-comic way. 'The Man Eater' pictures of all evil you can think of in a human being. The influence of Indian myths is on show here. The setting of the old Indian village when we were fresh out of becoming an independent nation is interesting to read. The writing by Narayan is as always the same, each sentence adds to the next and its always visual, like watching a film in words.
