Love in the Time of Quarantine-Siddharth Gigoo

Book: Love in the Time of Quarantine

Author: Siddharth Gigoo

Publisher: Amazon Kindle

While the world battles a pandemic and has gone into a virtual shutdown, what happens to the common people?

Love in the Time of Quarantine by Siddharth Gigoo is told from multiple points of view and spans 30 days and nights in the lives of two lovers and a homeless family during a nation’s lockdown and quarantine.

The book opens on 22^nd March 2020 when the lockdown was announced, and we plunge into the world of 2 families, whose stories are told parallelly. The lovers talk in couplets, and we see just one line describing the day, and another the night. As the days pass, their relationship goes through different phases, and we see them fight, making up, sharing memories, discovering each other and just being in love. On the other hand, we see a homeless family, from a child’s perspective as he looks at everything around him in awe. The people clapping in the balconies, the exodus pf people, the running after the buss, presumably to a safer place, and pain of leaving their dog behind. The family describes a prickly rain, possibly being a sanitizing spray and the conditions of the places where they are quarantined, where the food is irregular, boxes are made and yet we see a family staying together with love.

Siddharth has taken love as the central character and shown how love changes from one end of the society to the other. While the romantic couple was busy trying to enjoy life, for the family it was a matter of survival. While the couple made merry, the family was thinking of their next meal. I loved the way the story was told and the manner in which the social difference was brought out. The beginning of the book was a bit shaky, but it balances fairly early. The writing is interesting, but the substance in the story of the couple could have been a bit more.

Overall, this one scores a 3.25/5 for me.

P.S. The proceeds from this book will be spent on the welfare of strays in Delhi.

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The Me in I-Diptendu Roy

Book: The Me in I

Author: Diptendu Roy

Publisher: White Falcon Publishing

The Me in I by Diptendu Roy is a collection of 13 poems that are emotional and vary across themes from love, to self-realization to spirituality. The poems are written in the first person and vary in the meter from poem to poem and sometimes within the stanzas as well. I liked the poems An Ode to the Four! ,  Why I write and Tell her tattletale!. While these poems were good, the length of the poems is a put off as the theme gets lost while you are reading the poem. Some of the poems are just prose written in a meter, which takes away the overall charm of the book. The language is good, but at times the words seem to have been forced into the lines and do not do justice to their location.

Overall, a decent book that scores a 3/5 for me.

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The Vault of Vishnu-Ashwin Sanghi

Book: The Vault of Vishnu

Author: Ashwin Sanghi

Publisher: Westland Books

Myths always have their foundation in reality, and India, being a land of storytelling, always has a new perspective to things if you go looking for it.

The Vault of Vishnu by Ashwin Sanghi is the sixth book in his acclaimed Bharat Series, and I for one, wait for the next one to come out. A Pallava prince who travels to Cambodia to be crowned as a King, carries with him secrets that would wage wars centuries later, A Buddhist Monk in Ancient China treks to India, making an arduous journey, in search for something that could make the emperor powerful than ever, A pre-Neolithic tribe that fights to preserve their knowledge, and a scientist in Kanchipuram deciphers ancient texts, and the one thing that connects them all is an ancient secret, one that everyone wants a pie of, but is the young investigator the key who can maintain the balance of the new world?

Call him a storyteller or a master of shadows, each one of Ashwin’s books is a complete revelation in the manner it is written. Delicately balancing the past and the present, the story is engaging, and it is a magnet that can pull the reader into the book till the last page has been turned. True to his style, the plot of The Vault of Vishnu traces a story from the pages of History, and a story in the present time in which the end wraps up everything like a bow. While the plot is fictional, the realistic way of blending facts is interesting and what keeps the reader engaged. With a myriad of sub-plots, the climax is difficult to decipher, though a careful reader might just make logical connections, but definitely not till at least 3/4^th of the book is done. The climax has a bittersweet taste, as it ended very suddenly, but at the same time, created a need to take a step back and think back to the message of the book.

Characters are what lend this book its true aura. While our Chinese traveler is someone most of us would have met in our History textbooks, and some nerds like me would remember him, the account of his journey, and the peeling away of the meaning of his journey was superb in the end. As for other characters, I liked the Rao family and they way they were visualized and realized. Mark’s character is something like of a signature of Ashwin, and I would like the reader to discover that.

Overall, The Vault of Vishnu is a recommendation for all who love reading mythological fiction, and I am guaranteeing you that you’ll walk away with a ton of reading material for further research.

I would really commend Ashwin for providing with the list of references at the end of the book, because till the time I had reached the end, I had multiple tabs open looking for more information.

The book gets a 4.70/5 from me.

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Short, Not So Sweet-Jatin Khandelwal

Book: Short, Not So Sweet: A Collection of Short Stories

Author: Jatin Khandelwal

Publisher: Notion Press

Short, Not So Sweet by Jatin Khandelwal is a collection of 14 short stories that cover a myriad of stories, ranging from bone-chilling thriller to plain old crime fiction.

Biryani is the story of how a man falls in love with a girl’s Biryani, and every birthday, she makes the same Biryani for him, with a twist. Time’s Up tells the story of Majid, a person for whom life itself is a fight, how things that seem normal, rarely are. Chitrakaar let is meet Akash, a wannabe painter who is dejected and is a complete failure in life, until one accident changes his life, forever. Every Valentine’s day, a lot of couples break up and a lot of couples take vows to stay together forever, which way does Neha’s story goes we find out in Together Forever. The Other Half is a cryptic story tells the story of Amar and his Other Half and how situation separates them. Birthday is a conventional story of a hopeless romantic who gets a call from his crush the day of his birthday and she tells him that she has news for him. Hopeful that he finally had his chance. He goes to her house, only to find out a surprise waiting for him. They say that love is magic, and so tells the story Abracadabra, love that transcends time and age. They say all relationships are Imperfectly Perfect, and so is the story of Rohan, Mark and Debbie, and how Mark’s death opens up old wounds. Metro is a story about a conversation between 2 people, and how positivity is infectious. Everything happens for a reason, and despite the actors doing their part, Merry Christmas is the story of hoe destiny gets realized for 2 people, by the actions of one. Sometimes you take a vacation and everything changes, Lost and Found is the story of how a person who was lost on her way back from a fort, finds her way back and in turn helps a lost soul find his way as well. The Invisible Lines is a story drawn from the politics of hate and how a line drawn hundreds of years ago, present only on paper, can divide people and spew blood. With the difference of class, two children, who couldn’t have been poles apart, meet on the Middle Ground, and truly somethings are bigger than social classes. Technology, while being a boon, can be a cruel Mistress. Sarah is a story that deals with human interaction with technology and how that is affecting our lives.

Short, Not So Sweet by Jatin Khandelwal is an interesting read, with the plot twists at unexpected points and story taking a completely new turn at every step. Each of the story was amazing in the way it was told and executed. While I loved the story Biryani, The Invisible Line, and Middle Ground, the stories that didn’t work for me were Sarah, The Other Half and Birthday, just because the twist in the plot wasn’t engaging enough and the initial stories had set the bars quite high.

The stories have good characters, one that are relatable, and one would have seen around them.

Overall, the book scores a 3.75/5 for me.

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The Rickshaw Reveries-Ipshita Nath

Book: The Rickshaw Reveries-Dark Dazzling Delhi Stories

Author: Ipshita Nath

Publisher: Simon & Schuster India

Silently plying on the road, inconspicuous by nature, have you ever thought a humble cycle rickshaw can have a story behind it, the rickshawwallah whom we tend to forget have an interesting anecdote?

The Rickshaw Reveries- Dark Dazzling Delhi Stories by Ipshita Nath is a collection of 12 short stories, across the length and breadth of the city called as Delhi, or more popularly, Dilli. With stories that are both terrifying and enticing, the book takes us into the underbelly of the shiny city into the world of the people that move it, exploring Delhi’s many subterranean truths. From drug peddlers to Khan Market diplomats, some very unique elements form a part of these stories of madness, delinquency and delirium.

The Rickshaw Reveries- Dark Dazzling Delhi Stories by Ipshita Nath has a very rustic touch to it, a primal language that oozes the charm of Delhi. With very local language used in it, the book manages to transport the reader into the part of the city where it is taking place. Be it the bylanes of Chandni Chowk or Mayur Vihar Extension Metro Station, or the upmarket areas of Khan Market, if you have been in Delhi, you’ll visualize the stories. The storytelling is engrossing and each of the 12 tales has a twist in the end that you’ll never see coming, even in the 12^th story by when a reader would have gotten used to the style of stories. Personally, I loved the story “A Metamorphosis on the Northern Ridge” where Ipshita has given a background to an urban myth. “Kabootarbaazi” is another favorite of mine from the collection because it had a very emotional touch to it. The way the story of Bhishan Singh and Nawab unfolds is a sight to behold. The story “Dream Girl” deserves a special mention because it was very contemporary with the way it was set and the entire concept of the story gave me the chills, specially the climax because it was relatable to a certain extent. With a mix of folklore, a touch of magic, family traditions and some good old crime stories, Ipshita has managed to bottle the essence of the city of Dilli just like The Attarwala of Gulabi Gali.

With 12 short stories, talking about characters is a dead giveaway, but I would like to mention the central character that features in all 12 stories-the humble cycle rickshaw. It was a stroke of genius to include it in all the stories as a common thread, almost like the one that holds a necklace together. It might seem like an insignificant factor, but for the book, it is the protagonist. It is where the stories originate, it is where the stories end. Maybe this book might just change the way we look at our three-wheeled rides.

Overall, my mind was blown, 12 times over, and the book cycles away with 4.75/5 from me.

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That is how I became a Sanyasi-Khemlata Negi

Book: That is how I became a Sanyasi

Author: Khemlata Negi

Publisher: White Falcon Publishing

Have you ever had an experience that has changed your life?

That is how I became a Sanyasi by Khemlata Negi is the story of Diksha and Gautam, both separated years apart, yet find each other in Rishikesh. Gautam is a career-oriented person, with a goal in his mind to succeed, irrespective of the cost one has to pay. He changes his life, but his life is a living nightmare that he takes a resolve to end. Diksha is a young and a headstrong person, who, in the pursuit of her career, loses out on the smaller moments of life, and after losing her parents, derails her. When both of them lose hope, they meet a person that changes their lives and sets them on a path to Sanyas. What happens next, or rather, what happens before is the story of the book.

That is how I became a Sanyasi by Khemlata Negi works on a straightforward storyline. We are first introduced to Diksha and we go through her life’s story, her ups and downs and her reason for the Sanyas. Once she reaches Rishikesh and is almost about to finish her stay there, when she hears about the Shehri Sanyasi and decides to pay him a visit. Once there, the story of Gautam Thakkar begins, and we see his story and the reason why he became a Sanyasi. The storytelling is quite plain and simple. The book is poorly edited with words such as “trans” used in place of “trance” and “wander” in place of “vendor”. The climax was not very effective could have been better.

Coming to the characters, there is a single track that plays at any given time, be it Diksha or Gautam. The two storylines are very much similar and while I expected a contrast study, Diksha and Gautam, both are created as career oriented, divorced and confused after they lose their loved ones. The differences are not very critical, and this was a huge turn off for me. The character development is good. Characters like Steve and Shruti could have played more important roles and that would have added a lot of substance to the story.

The book is decent and scores a 2.75/5 for me.

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The Backbenchers (Unusual Fellows)-Sachin Garg

Book: The Backbenchers (Unusual Fellows)

Author: Sachin Garg

Publisher: Grapevine India

What is the most drastic step you can take to advance towards your goals?

The Backbenchers (Unusual Fellows) by Sachin Garg is a story of Jigyaasu Lele, a teenager, about to join a new school in 11^th standard, in New Delhi, along with his childhood friend, Radhika. A person with big dreams, he wants to become the Head Boy of this new school and has a set agenda. His only rule, all rules are sacred. Laasya Khurana, however, couldn’t have cared less about rules. All that mattered to her was rights and her freedom. How these people coexist in Pragati Vidyalaya, Rohini is the story of the book.

The Backbenchers (Unusual Fellows) by Sachin Garg has a very fresh take on school life, its challenges and the rules that schools have. Sachin has taken up some very typical Indian teenagers who have lofty dreams, but their fiefdom is their school. Jigyaasu’s journey as a newcomer in the school, his struggles and information peddling, the bootlicking and the haughtiness of being a topper is the highlight of the book. On the other hand, Laasya Khurana is a known figure in the school because of her antics and the way he has worked on that storyline is interesting as well. I loved the treatment of the plot, simplistic yet brilliant. The ending makes the reader wanting for more and I, for one, want to see how things unfold in Pragati Vidyalaya.

The characters in the book are interesting and each of them has a unique vibe. Jigyaasu is a studious, ambitious and clever guy, who’s friends with Radhika, a simple backbencher who likes to enjoy life. Laasya is a girl who believes in standing up for what is right, no matter the price, and we have Noel, a character who’s a recent addition to Laasya’s life, but becomes her anchor, her moral support for her beliefs.

Overall, I loved the book and The Unusual Fellows of The Backbenchers walk away with 4.13/5 marks.

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Victims for Sale-Nish Amarnath

Book: Victims for Sale

Author: Nish Amarnath

Publisher: Harper Black (An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Would you endanger your life, for a person you just met, in pursuit of justice?

Victims for Sale by Nish Amarnath is the story of Sandy Raman, who’s a student at the London School of Economics, who works for BBC part-time. As a precondition imposed by her father and brother to move from India to London, she lives with the Sawants, a quiet family in London, an acquaintance of her brother, Sri. She notices something amiss in this house when she wakes up, late in the night, only to encounter a woman with a knife. Things take a turn, when as a part of her assignment with the BBC she runs a sting operation on a home for the differently abled.  She realizes that there is a connection between this home and the family she’s living with. Things turn murkier when a spate of murders take place in London and she’s in the centre of it. With a race against time, she can save herself, or expose the thriving sex racket in the city.

Victims for Sale by Nish Amarnath is an engaging thriller that works up your appetite and then dishes out the most flavorful climax. The storytelling is good and the way the plot is treated is excellent as well. The author took her time in establishing the facts, which according to me, stretched out a little bit which may cause the readers to slow down in the beginning, but the later parts make up for it with its pace. The single plot approach works very well in this case and she has expertly navigated the story so that the true nature of the characters doesn’t come out till the end. The book has a couple of grammatical errors here and there, nothing that cannot be fixed in an edit in the subsequent prints. The climax was good with the story coming to a close with a neat little bow. 

Coming to the characters, Sandy is shown as a GenZ Indian woman in the UK, with a focus on her studies, with a flair for journalism. The book revolves around her and the entire story is seen as she narrates it. Her introduction as a crime reporter, who suffered a loss in the attack she was covering was an evidence to her nerves of steel and her resolve to be a journalist. As her character develops across the story, we see different shades of her that come out, a concerned friend, passionate lover, caring sister and a protective colleague. Another character whose arc interested me was that of Nimmy, the son of the family that took her in in London, his mood swings and his interested yet aloof approach was an interesting development in the story, that could have gone either way. Ritchie was one character whose arc I could not have guessed at all. It was a surprise package that was cherry atop the cake. Apart from these 3, the entire Sawant family, with their quirks was a good package that Nish has created.

Overall, Victims of Sale drew my interest and is a recommended read in this genre.

The book scores a 4/5 for me.

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Planet of Troy (The Unknown Lands of Magneta Book 1)- DG Bonnie

Book: Planet of Troy (The Unknown Lands of Magneta Book 1)

Author: DG Bonnie

Publisher: BecomeShakespeare.com

Motivation is a factor that can drive you to go places, and do something you would never do, and if that motivation relates to the honor of one’s family, then there’s no force in the world to match that.

Planet of Troy (The Unknown Lands of Magneta, Book 1) chronicles the journey of Amiel Sander, a sixteen-year boy, living on the planet Troy in a universe with its star being Magneta. Amiel’s father, Derek Sander was an Army Prodigy, until the Holo War, when he went missing and aspersions were cast on his character. Amiel takes up the charge to discover the truth about his father, and stumbles upon some designs that his father started, but couldn’t finish, and takes a vow to complete them. On another planet in the same Universe, Cursia, General Henry and Scientist George Watkins have a dream to have an equal society but to achieve that goal, they would have to experience some turbulence and thus they prepare for Extra-Terrestrial Clashes. To achieve this aim, they plan to start with a dialogue with Troy. Would Amiel succeed in his mission and reclaim his father’s lost pride? Would General Henry be successful in uniting the planets around Magneta and have one common society? Travel across the planets as Amiel begins his journey towards his destiny.

The story explores these 2 storylines parallelly and we live through the life on Troy and Cursia, respectively, as things unfold on both the planets. While we journey with Amiel through his personal life, his equations with his mother, Endora, his friends, Ethel, Arlyn, Roger and Daniel and his intelligence and grit as he battles on to uncover the truth about his father, no matter what the price. The storytelling is vivid and imaginative and as a reader you can see yourself on the respective planet while the story moves on and feel as if you are one of the inhabitants of the Universe of Magneta. The descriptions are very detailed, and they help you create a picture of the location that part of the story is based in. Bonnie has also changed the language the way the book is written so that it blends they way the characters speak and reading that as a grammatical error would be a very wrong thing to do. The links between the two plotlines are very subtle, yet perfect. They way the story unfolds, and the two lines intersect is one of the major highlights of the book. The climax of this book, specially the last parts of it, were surprising and helped me close the book with a smile.

Talking about the characters, this being the first book in the series, has set the tone very beautifully. Each of the characters have taken their own arc to develop and they way the author has given each of them their own quirks is commendable. Amiel, for example, has been shown to be sensitive yet he is stubborn but is dedicated towards his goal. Arlyn, on the other hand, is sensitive to a fault, and introverted but caring. Her feelings towards Amiel are evident to everyone, except to him and we see the impact of his actions on her, which is a very good character development method. Endora is created as a typical mother, caring, sensitive, protective, but the character that stands out is her perceptiveness and the way she reads situations, that is evident at multiple points in the book. Coming to the planet of Cursia, while the focus was mainly on General Henry and George Watkins, I would like to commend the way the character of General Henry is treated and the manner in which his development occurs as the story progresses. The development towards the climax was unimaginable and it totally changed my perception of the storyline.

One element of the story that was not very detailed in this book, but I feel will be critical in the upcoming books is the conversation between Monk Narad and Lord Vishnu and I am really interested to read the next book to find out how this third track merges onto the running plot.

I loved this book and I am eager to see the next book come out really soon. For now, Planet of Troy gets 4.13 stars out of 5 from me. 

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