Review of The Nine-Chambered Heart By Janice Pariat

Book: The Nine-Chambered Heart
Author: Janice Pariat
Link: Flipkart

This book will stay with you for quite a long time even after you have closed the last page and kept the book in your dusty book-shelf. I got this book as part of the Flipkart Book Review Program. 

The hauntingly beautiful ethos of the story of a woman told by the people who have loved her once upon a time and then lost her as well is anything but traditional. It is a journey, an experience and the actual part of the woman in question is missing in this giant jigsaw puzzle, which only adds to the charm of the book. 

It is said that the book is an autobiographical account of the author herself and the story is how the others view her, love her and lost her. The book has 9 chapters and each chapter is by a different character and the reader has to paint the central key character themselves with the 9 different versions. It is interesting, it is mysterious and it piques your interest immensely.

The writing is layered and it is structured in such a way that it keeps you engaged. Each and every character is etched in such a way that they hold your attention while talking about this mysterious young woman.

All in all, quite a good and engaging book.

Review of Murder in Paharganj by Kulpreet Yadav

Book: Murder in Paharganj

Author: Kulpreet Yadav

Available at: Flipkart

The mystery opens on a very crisp note, bang with a murder, of course. An out of work journalist Vicks Menon is informed by the hotel authorities and he dives head-first into the case reaching the murder scene even before the police. The plot starts on a very intriguing note and it starts to hook the reader.

There are numerous side characters, which have been developed quite nicely by the author. The book takes you on a tour of Udaipur, Delhi, Bangkok and even Sikkim. Each and side character has some important part to play in the plot and that is where the book loses out because there are just so many characters and so many roles that they play. The storyline meanders a bit and starts to confuse the reader slowly and towards the end, the ending seems like a Plan B.

Vicks Menon is out to prove himself with this case and also get his job back. And that is where the plot meanders a bit and becomes rushed. The intriguing starting of the book starts to fizzle out a bit and the ending is even more rushed. 

In having so many characters and events, the author has managed to left out a few unexplained events, which of course do not sit well with any discerning reader. All in all, a decent effort by the author but the book did need the services of a good editor, who could have crisply edited it to make it more relevant and thrilling. 

Review of Toppers by Aayush

Book: Toppers
Author: Aayush
Available at: Flipkart

Toppers is a young adult fiction book, which is a thriller to boot but surprisingly it is set in a school in a fictional town Woodsville. I got this book as part of the Flipkart Book Review Program. Generally, the school tales that we read are the innocent and naive Enid Blytons or the Archie and Jughead cartoons, which give us a romanticised view of the school life. However, this could not be further from reality, as it is illustrated in Toppers.

Toppers portrays the tales of students in Woodsville where the buzz word is competition. The stress, the adrenaline rush, the agony and the tension of school life is the constant factor throughout the book. It makes you revisit your school days and while you are reminiscing over nostalgia, it gives you a jolt of the blue as the tale is peppered with competition references and the burning desire to succeed at all costs.

All the major protagonists in the book have their own belief system and philosophies, which they safe guard at all costs. The characters are well-etched and they have their own personality, which carries the book forward. Vishakha, Dev Bhushan, Ramanujam, Himanshu and Rikhhe Rajput will seem like your cronies while you are reading the book and you will sometimes nod in agreement when you will find the traits of your own school friends in them.

The writing is taut, the plot is good and as i am always partial to thrillers, i would recommend it to anyone who wants to know how life is in the current day schools and the competition that is buzzing through the whole educational system.

Review of Exile by Taslima Nasreen

Book: Exile

Author: Taslima Nasreen

Available at: Flipkart

Exile is the poignant story of the fire-brand author Taslima Nasreen, who does not shy away from calling a spade a spade, despite the risk of repercussions. I got this book as part of the Flipkart Book Review Program.

The very first words and sentences of the book will hook you and reel you in as you read this surreal book, which chronicles the life and times that Taslima Nasreen led as a result of speaking or rather writing her mind. She has been on the run for more than 20 years and hence, Exile is the apt name for her memoirs.

She lived in India for just 7 months and this book is about the dark and sometimes unrealistic times that she saw during that period. The political factions wanted to oust her and silence her and drive her out of Kolkata.Taslima Nasreen paints a poignant, surreal and sad picture with her powerful words and horrifying experiences at the hands of the political-public who don't have the intellectual capacity to appreciate her mind, words and liberated thoughts.

She is called names, she is insulted, she is driven out of her home in Kolkata, but she just can't be silenced. And that is proven with this powerful book, which opens a Pandora's box of those harrowing seven months.

The writing is taut, crisp and will always keep the reader on the edge as to what is about to happen next. Some of the words will distress the reader and some will make them hang their head in shame because of the treatment meted out to the fiery author is inhumane, at the least. But one thing is sure, this book will remain with the reader for a long long time, in their minds and in their spirit, even after they put it down after reading the last page.

Review of "Fables from India" by Uday Mane

Book: Fables from India

Writer: Uday Mane

Available at: Flipkart

"Fables from India" by Uday Mane is a book, which will get you nostalgic to boot. I got this book as part of the "Flipkart Book Review Program."

The book will single-handedly remind you of your childhood days and the various bedtime stories of Kings, Princes and Castles that you read as a child in the night, till you were forced to switch off the light by the parents and admonished for being up so late. All the kings and their various kingdoms with their own eccentric characters will come alive in your world again.

This book is a collection of 22 short stories and it begins with a poem, which showcases the creative talent of the author, to boot. All in all, it is a good book for teenagers and for nostalgic adults. 

Each story is simple and the plot is quite straight-forward, many times. It is not at all for all those readers who are looking for a twist in the tale or for a more complex plot. Each story has a simple message, which would appeal to all those readers who are interested in mythology and want a trip to their lovely and innocent childhood.

It is a good gifting option for pre-teens and teens who are mostly unaware of the Indian mythology and want to learn more about the traditional times, instead of the Harry Potters to which they are accustomed to. The writing is simple and has clarity, which benefits their target audience immensely.

Review of Skyfire by Aroon Raman

Book: Skyfire
Author: Aroon Raman
Available At: Flipkart

Skyfire is a fictional thriller, which talks about using the weather as the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. It is a decent effort from Aroon Raman and written in a lucid style. I got this book as part of the Flipkart Book Review Program.

The most redeeming quality of a thriller ought to be that the real culprit should only be revealed in the final pages of the book. There should be enough deviants and false clues for the reader to keep thinking about the actual culprit, whose identity should only be revealed in the climax of the book.

However, this is where Skyfire actually misses out totally. The identity of the actual culprit can easily be predicted in the early stages of the book quite easily as there is no other actual suspect. Despite this obvious flaw, you may want to keep reading the book just to know how the whole scheme comes to an obvious end.

The writing is easy and breezy. What the book lacks is "Tautness" and a more tighter plot to make it a thriller worth remembering. It is typically a one-time read and maybe that was the aim of this book.

The plot revolves around a journalist, a professor and a corporate head honcho who are all trying to solve the mystery of a missing child along with some unexplainable weather phenomenons, which are wrecking havoc in numerous cities. The bizarre weather technology is explained over and over again, which makes the reader want to skip those portions. But apart from that, the writing is easy though the characters could be better etched out.

Review of "What Lies Between Us" By Nayomi Munaweera

Book: "What Lies Between Us"

Author: Nayomi Munaweera

Available At: Flipkart

"What Lies Between Us" is a poignant tale of a Sri Lankan girl who grows up in an idyllic world surrounded by natural beauty and innocence. Her life, as she knew it, is turned topsy-turvy in a matter of moments and it has far-reaching repercussions, which haunt her for life. I got this book as part of the "Flipkart Book Review Program."

Childhood trauma plays a pivotal role in our being and in our soul, so much so that the mind tries to block it completely and in doing so, concocts a completely different reality, which we realize, oh so late! "What Lies Between Us" is a tale, which is told in a hauntingly beautiful tone by Nayomi Munaweera. Even though it is not a thriller per-se and i am a hard-core thriller-buff, yet i finished the 304-pages book in a single-sitting, turning page after page in anticipation of what is about to happen next.

It is also a sad story about mothers and daughters and how far they go to protect each other and how strongly they love each other. Perhaps the ending will leave you sad, depressed and disappointed and wanting a little bit more, but it speaks volumes about the way a mother perceives the danger to her child and the lengths she would go to protect them.

The writing is crisp, the descriptions are beautiful and the plot is intriguing. The characterizations of the main pillars of the story are done with precision and with clarity and they come alive in the pages and they you abroad the tale, which spans Sri Lanka and then the USA.

The racial discrimination and the racial bias that one faces in USA, being born of brown skin is also dealt with a deft hand and shown in its true colors, without any kind of remorse and preachy monologues.

All in all, a book, which will keep you hooked to the edge of your seat, till the very end.