The Freezies by Farrukh Dhondy, illustrated by Sheena Debian. Published in 2025 by Duckbill Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House India Pvt. Ltd., 4th Floor, Capital Tower 1, M. G. Road, Gurgaon 122002. Pp: 176. Price: Rs 299.
Farrukh Dhondy’s latest novel, The Freezies, has been advertised as a book for readers of 9+ years. Thankfully, he has not placed an upper age limit, as the novel can be enjoyed by people of all ages. This book is yet another achievement for a writer who has scripted screenplays, published fiction for adults and children, short stories, translated the works of poets Rumi and Hafiz, written his autobiography, composed a sonnet sequence of his growing up years in Poona and writes regular columns for The Asian Age and the Deccan Chronicle.
Farrukh Dhondy: crafting characters
The Freezies are a group of three children: Kai, Leonard (also called Leo) and Suleikha (pet name Sully). Kai belonged to a group called the Hotshots but was edged out because he scored more goals than another member of the group on Sports Day. Suleikha was invited to join a girls’ group called the Celebeauties on condition that she cut her hair, abandon her Indian garments and wear only jeans and T-shirts, which she refuses to do and is given the cold shoulder. Leo was ever the "individualist.” The three youngsters got together and formed their own group called the Freezies.
They live in a small English village, Jolyton, within a closed community which does not take kindly to outsiders; so one can imagine the atmosphere of fear and suspicion when the inhabitants wake up one morning to find "a battered old American school bus with a trailer attached that had driven off the road and parked in the middle of the Mead.” Most of the townsfolk are up in arms and want the owner of the vehicle, Christaki, to be evicted. To make matters worse, some months later, he goes off to London and returns with a four-year-old girl named Miriam.
Christaki is actually a harmless, non-interfering man; Kai hears him playing the violin while he is on his way to school and finds him repairing a harpsichord when he visits him on his way home. Christaki earns a living by buying old and dilapidated musical instruments and repairing them for resale.
Leo’s parents permit Christaki to park his trailer on their private land and he in turn undertakes to teach Leo and Kai the violin and Sully the flute. He is a consummate musician and is soon requested to form the school orchestra.
Dhondy creates a vivid and amusing portrait of the town and its inhabitants. The families of Kai, Leo and Sully are sympathetically portrayed. Rao, Sully’s father, loses his job when the post office in Jolyton closes down. Even though he is unable to find employment he goes out every day pretending he is going to work. When his secret is revealed, his wife claims she has landed a more remunerative job at a dry cleaning plant as a supervisor, though she was actually working on the steam irons in the laundry section, a fact which came to light only when the machine burst and she got badly burnt.
There are myriad other relatively minor characters whom Dhondy invests with distinct characteristics. Katrina, the Croatian maid who works for Leo’s family, knows very limited English. Dhondy gently jokes about this but is never unkind; in fact, he creates a loveable and earnest character. She "loffs” Leo and his sister Gabby, but has to return to Croatia when her aunt dies leaving her a house. If she does not claim it, she says "so much money to put in the drains” and "the house will go to racket.”
Callista Barr is another brilliantly portrayed character. The children call her a witch probably because she drives an old Morgan convertible car and is very unconventional. She is unmarried and lives in a cottage though she owns a dilapidated house across the river. But she is generous of heart and allows Christaki to live there free of cost if he repairs the building. This ingratiates her with the Freezies who shed their prejudices when they discover she is really a lonely but warm and loving person.
Miss Honey teaches drama at the school. We witness the love for Christaki which awakens in her heart. Dhondy does this very subtly, first dropping hints and later developing the relationship in a gradual, subdued manner.
The author’s portrayal of the Hamilton family shows that he can create despicable characters as well. The son, Jason, was responsible for Kai’s ouster from the Hotshots. His mother was instrumental in convening the meeting to evict Christaki. The father, editor of the Salton Weekly, wrote an editorial stating that the post office in Jolyton should be closed, which cost Sully’s father his job. He instigates people to threaten Christaki, thump on the sides of his trailer and tell him he has no right to be there. He uses the newspaper to spout venom against Christaki, writing anonymous articles about the "unprecedented number of break-ins” which have occurred on account of "do-gooders helping outsiders to take up residence in a village that until recently was free from crime and criminals.” He even suggests that Christaki is a member of the extremist organization ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). For Hamilton, winning a prize for growing the largest pumpkin is worthy of a front page article.
But who is Christaki? How does Miriam actually fit into the picture? Why are the police after him? Why is he on the run? Dhondy builds up tension as the plot advances. Despite all that takes place, the support and the love of the Freezies and their parents never wavers. They may call themselves the Freezies but their hearts are filled with genuine warmth and affection. F. G.