Author: Naveen Kundra
Publisher: Notion Press
What is the one thing that inspires
innovation?
Nightwatchman Pvt Ltd by Naveen Kundra opens on the 24th
of May when Dhan Nagri wakes up to the news that a shocking incident has taken
place, and a killer is on the loose, putting the lives of the citizens at risk.
As the pressure mounts on the CM Yudhisthir Sanghvi to find a solution, the
city comes to a grinding halt. In one part of the city, Sanjay Dhingra is
preparing for his imminent arrest as his brainchild Nightwatchman Pvt Ltd is
the centre of a larger-than-life drama and he now left to face the music. In
another part of the city, his rival Khsirsagar is planning something sinister,
and the love of his life has shacked up with someone powerful. This is the
story of a rum-drinking entrepreneur that delves deep into the innards of
power, seduction, espionage, and forgery. Can Sanjay, who has nothing to lose,
gain everything?
The idea of the book to introduce and discuss
the problems an entrepreneur faces is quite innovative. Naveen has taken up the
concept and placed it in an imaginary world, where locations are recognizable,
yet it is completely fictional. The storytelling has a parallel track, and that
adds to the mystery element in the book, but that is also the thing that goes
against it. The storytelling is quite slow, and the premise of the plot gets
clear well after the second half and that could deter readers from moving
ahead. One thing that didn’t work for me were the editing and proofreading
errors that led to a lot of spelling and grammar issues which reduced the
reading experience further. The story is extremely detailed, and the intentions
of the characters do make sense in the way they were doing what they were doing,
but that takes up quite a bit of time. Another thing that didn’t work for me
was that the innovation and its subsequent revelation did not live up to its
hype and I expected it to be a bit better. The climax could have been executed
well and compared to the story, did not live up to the expectations.
Coming to the characters, Naveen has created
an interesting set of characters for the story. Sanjay’s character is well plotted,
and his character arc is well sketched. I loved the fact his spontaneous
decision making and the fact that he did what he did to make his venture a
success. His presence of mind is well articulated and well presented. Chandra
and Ruhi are two characters I found quite complex and the way in which each of
their arcs goes makes the plot interesting and readable. Other characters such
as Khsirsagar, Yudhisthir etc. are relatable as well and people like them can
be seen around us.
Overall, a good book that can improve with a
second round of editing and proofreading. It scores a 3.5/5 for me.
Grab a copy of the book from Amazon here.
(This is an Amazon Associates Link)
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