The excerpt you shared is from The D’Costa Family, a novel by Rochelle Potkar (sometimes spelled Rachelle in references). This scene appears to be a key chapter or section titled something like “Someone’s Always Dying,” featuring Inspector Gaitonde investigating in a rain-soaked graveyard managed by the eccentric Jason D’Costa.This is a darkly comedic, satirical crime/family drama set in what seems like a Goan or coastal Indian context (given names like D’Costa, Rodrigues, Burgundy House, and the mix of Catholic graveyard elements with local flavor).
The story revolves around the dysfunctional D’Costa family real estate schemes, power struggles after a patriarch’s death, hidden secrets (literally buried), manipulation, affairs, shootings, and Inspector Gaitonde (a reluctant, chai-craving cop allergic to family drama) uncovering absurd truths beneath Jason’s “manicured” graveyard.Review/Thoughts on This Scene and the Book’s Style (Based on the Excerpt)
This passage is strong in atmosphere and character. Potkar nails a moody, almost noir-ish rain-drenched setting that feels cinematic drizzle, elevated graveyard on a hill (“to respect the dead… on a pedestal”), the logwood shack, muck underfoot. It builds suspense naturally through Gaitonde’s methodical questioning and Jason’s cheerfully morbid philosophizing.Strengths:Jason as a character He’s wonderfully quirky and memorable: a gravedigger who loves his job too much, treats corpses like art projects (massaging limbs, sewing jaws for “eternal smiles,” applying cosmetics), spouts pseudo-profound lines (“We are all half dead and half alive,” “life after death and only more death in life”), and gets genuinely excited about digging up graves to prove his innocence. His joy in death contrasts sharply with the “business of living,” making him both funny and unsettling in a philosophical-black-humor way.
Dialogue Sharp, witty, and revealing. Lines like “If we only eat and eat who will defecate and die?” or the makeup-artist tangent feel authentic and darkly humorous. Gaitonde’s dry, no-nonsense responses (“OK, OK,” “I don’t trust papers, real evidence only”) ground the eccentricity.
Themes Touches on death acceptance, the absurdity of life/family, corruption (implied cover-ups with bodies), and cultural blends (Christian graveyard + Indian inspector + local slang).
Pacing & tension Builds to the exhumation reveal smoothly, with Jason’s enthusiasm turning to dread. The ending line (“Have you come across anyone who loves death in a funny way more than life…”) cleverly breaks the fourth wall, inviting reader anecdotes fitting for a video reading or promo.
Possible weaknesses (from just this excerpt):Some descriptions get a bit overwritten or quirky for quirk’s sake (e.g., the chemical “white energy” list, cobbler/slipper analogy for a bullet wound) it risks tipping into overly mannered prose, though it suits the eccentric tone.
The philosophical musings from Jason can feel a tad forced or “nonsensical sense” (as Gaitonde himself thinks), but that’s likely intentional to show his odd worldview.
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