The Death of Me-Chitrangada

Book: The Death of Me
Author: Chitrangada
Publisher: Self Published

Do you think love can drive you to take extreme steps?

The Death of Me by Chitrangada is the story of Sukanya Swaminathan who committed suicide by jumping off the terrace of her apartment, while her son was asleep in his room and her husband was at the office. All signs point to a suicide, except for one; her face was burnt with acid. As SI Nair and Inspector Raman investigate the case, things start unravelling, the complexity of the case startles them. Was it a suicide as it looks, or is it something more than what meets the eye?

The book is a short novella that explores the human nature and the basic human emotion of love and jealousy. The plot is tightly knit, and the storytelling is quite powerful. Narrated in parallel timelines of past and present, the suspense is maintained till the very end. The concept of the story is very well thought of and the execution is good. I liked the conversations that Nair and Raman have, making it an interesting aspect in the plot. I would have like a bit more suspense in the plot and the unravelling could have been delayed for a bit. I also would have liked to see a bit more of the story of Sukanya and Sangeetha as well. The climax is good and well executed.

Coming to the characters, Sukanya as a character has been sketched nicely, with some very unique elements of her character inbuilt which add the edge to the plot. The parallels between Sukanya and Sangeetha were quite eerie, and I loved how that culminates into the plot. Nair and Raman each have their own quirks that add a flavor to the story with a little dance that they do while investigating.

Overall, a well-crafted thriller, that is a recommendation for me if you like the genre. The book scores a 4/5 from me.

Grab a copy of the book here.