The Branded Criminal: Yakub Totanawala

Book: The Branded Criminal: In Search of Liberation
Author: Yakub Totanawala
Publisher: Self Published

Do know about the abolished “Criminal Tribes Act”?

The Branded Criminal by Yakub Totanawala is the story of Vikram Chhara, who is born in the Chharanagar locality in Ahmedabad, a man of the Chhara tribe who is manipulated by the political forces to commit atrocious crimes. The realization of his crimes incites him to kill his manipulators and escape to Bangalore and amass wealth and become influential. As the story moves from oppression, exploitation, and crime, Vikram gets trapped until he meets a young ragpicker, and thus begins his tale of redemption, forgiveness, and liberation. With his life, family, business, and the oppressed communities at stake, Vikram must stand against the political heavyweights and the cruel society.

The plot of the book is based on an interesting premise that aims to bring focus to a part of our society that we have ignored and how our past still influences our present. The storyline, for the most part, moves between the present and the past, and the author has used the 2002 riots as a base to explore Vicky’s story. The first half of the book is primarily conversational, and the second part moves towards the present. The concept is well explored, and the author has tried to get into the details, however this is also the part that goes towards the negative as well. The narrative becomes a bit repetitive and lengthy which reduces the experience of reading. The description in some parts is too detailed, leading to longer scenes that distract the reader. Another issue with the book is the editing and there are grammatical issues that need to be looked into once to improve the same. The climax is good, but seems overstretched at certain points.

The book basically has two primary characters and both of them enjoy a good presence in the plot as the author explores their lives and how their paths cross. The character arcs are well sketched. I liked the way the story of Vicky moves and how it comes a complete circle. The characters represent transformation, and that aspect is something that runs through the entire plot line.

Overall, a book with a good concept which could have been executed better. The book scores a 3.63/5 for me.

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Murder at Daisy Apartments-Shabnam Minwalla

Book: Murder at Daisy Apartments
Author: Shabnam Minwalla
Publisher: Speaking Tiger

Has the lockdown made you more observant of things around you?

Murder at Daisy Apartments by Shabnam Minwalla takes place in May 2020 in Colaba where on the 46^th day of the lockdown, Baman Marker, the chairperson of Daisy and Lily Apartments is found dead in his home, poisoned. As the two apartments are sealed  due to the pandemic, the murderer has to be one of the residents. The news shakes the fifteen-year-old Nandini Venkat, a resident of Lily Apartment and has a passion for murder mysteries. She realizes she saw some movement in Daisy Apartments on the night of the murder, and along with Shanaya, her best friend and her twin brother Ved, she decides to investigate. The question is, who was the person who veered off the ledge and committed the crime?

The setting of a murder mystery in the middle of a pandemic-induced national lockdown is an interesting one as it limits the scope of the story, and the characters are confined to a space. This have the plot a very authentic look as I could relate to the feelings of the residents as the buildings were sealed and the general emotion running through the residents of Daisy and Lily Apartments. Being a Young-Adult novel, the protagonist is a fifteen-year-old girl and looking at the world through her eyes was a wonderful perspective. I loved how Shabnam took her time establishing Baman’s identity and his relationship with the other residents. The plot moves with a comfortable pace with it being fast enough to keep the reader engaged and slow enough to connect the dots. The storytelling is very intricate, with subtle details being mentioned in the plot that come to bind the story in the climax. The language is good, and Shabnam has put some local words here and there to keep the flavor alive. The climax of the story is worthy of a mention, and I can say it was one of the best revelations in a murder  mystery and Shabnam does a wonderful job of keeping the identity of the murderer a secret.

Coming to the characters, I would commend Shabnam on creating a very Christie-like motley of characters. It was as if a move was playing out when the characters were introduced. Making people across professions, religions, and age groups a part of the story, it is a wonderful whodunnit that succeeds because of the strong character base. The descriptions are vivid and at a certain point of time, almost all people look guilty of the murder. Personally, the character of Nandini was a wonderful one, along with her mother.

Overall, the book is a recommendation if you like reading a well-cooked murder mystery for this one has all the ingredients and also has a dash of tadka in the climax. The book gets a 4.88/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.

As Death Stared Back-Ajinkya Bhasme

Book: As Death Stared Back
Author: Ajinkya Bhasme
Publisher: Self Published

What would you do if someone came back from the dead?

As Death Stared Back by Ajinkya Bhasme is a  bone trembling psychological horror based on absolute reality. Sanjana starts having nightmares of her husband trying to kill their son, after Punit’s death. As she rushes to comfort him, she realizes he has had the same nightmare. Things stabilize for 10 years until Punit turns up at their door. While he looks like him, behaves like him and knows the minute details but she still doubts the fact that he is Punit. As the evidence of Punit's death starts disappearing, will Sanjana be able to save her son from this imposter and prove her husband's death before her sanity collapses? When your eyes are the sole proof of reality, would you dare to believe that there are times when they lie?

The plot of the book is intriguing and the idea of meshing horror into a psychological thriller is very well executed. The first part of the book is a spine chilling horror story that is almost guaranteed to send chills through you. The transition into the thriller part is excellent and seamless. I loved the detailed research that might have gone into the book as Ajinkya talks about some psychological aspects of human psyche. The thing that stands out in the book is the level of detail that Ajinkya puts in to tell the story. The book opens with a scene that conditions our mind to look at the story from Sanjana’s POV all through the way, tuning us into the fact that what she sees and believes is the truth. Apart from just words, he tries to entice the other senses to make the reader imagine the scenes as they unfold. One thing that didn’t work for me is the shifting timelines and at times it became difficult to comprehend the exact time the story as taking place in, and a mention of the year could have helped that part a bit. The climax is set up beautifully and the revelations are something I did not expect.

The characters are very well crafted and the author has given due attention to detail to establish them. The character of Sanjana is set up so that the reader is very well attuned to her POV and is able to visualize the story Ajinkya set up, including the truth and the untruths. Punit’s character adds gravitas to the plot, and his appearances maintain the gory narrative of the plot. True to the characters, one scene in the book is pretty gory, one that flips the narrative. The character arcs are pretty flat and a switch in the aforementioned scene makes the characters’ actions understandable in hindsight.

Overall, a book well done and a definite recommendation for anyone who loves reading a well written thriller. The book scores a 4.64/5 for me.

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Legal Fiction-Chandan Pandey (Translated by Bharatbhooshan Tiwari)

Book: Legal Fiction
Author: Chandan Pandey
Translator: Bharatbhooshan Tiwari
Publisher: HarperCollins India

What do you think the term “Legal Fiction” means?

Legal Fiction by Chandan Pandey is the story of writer Anuj Kumar who receives a late-night call from his ex-girlfriend Anusuya, which forces him to leave his wife in Delhi and travel to Noma, a mofussil town on the UP-Bihar border. The reason for the call was that Anusuya’s husband, Rafique Neel, a theatre director and a college professor had mysteriously gone missing. As Arjun gets into the depth of things, he realizes that things in the settlement are not what they seem. Everyone has their own version of events, and each one of the people Arjun comes across seems to have their own agenda. Janaki, Rafique’s student, has also disappeared, and the locals are determined to turn it into a case of 'love jihad'. Inspired by true events from today's India, Legal Fiction is a brilliant existential thriller and a chilling parable of our times.

There are certain stories that make you contemplate the situation around you. Legal Fiction is a story that does exactly that. It is a short and fast-paced read, but the depth that it explores is quite high. The idea of the story is to showcase that there are always multiple perspectives to a situation, and there are times when what we see might not be the truth. The storytelling is powerful and makes the reader pause and contemplate the theme he is exploring in the story. The emotions that Anuj feels are very real, and they are portrayed beautifully, both when he is speaking aloud and when he is thinking. I loved that the story is set in the inner mofussil town that provides a gravitas to it. The devil lies in the details, and Chandan details the plot just enough for the reader to make the connections. The book does not provide a specific ending, but the cliffhanger makes the story even more real, almost as if a life like incident unfolding.

Being a story that relies on its characters, Chandan has done a wonderful job creating relatable and realistic people, one that we would probably meet and interact in our daily lives. Anuj is not created as a knight in a shining armor, but a person with his share of faults which make him human. I loved how his beliefs change as the story progresses and his mind absorbs the gravity of the situation he has been put up in. Another character that I would like to mention, who impacted the story for me, was Archana, even though a major part of her is present only through an occasional message or call, but for me that played a crucial role in letting the story go the way it did. Rafique’s diary, for me, was as good as a character and deserves a mention here.

For the people who love reading a book cover to cover, do not miss out on the disclaimer, for it is something that explains the very idea of the book, and the emotions that the author felt while penning it.

The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here from Amazon India.

Midnight’s Star (Shades of Night #1)-Shilpa Suraj

Book: Midnight’s Star (Shades of Night #1)
Author: Shilpa Suraj
Publisher: Self Published

What if you have to choose between your dream and the person you love?

Midnight’s Star by Shilpa Suraj is the story of Dev Arya, a visually impaired author, and the current heartthrob of the readers. He has not just overcome the odds in his life, he's got fame, fortune, and floozies in abundance, and Avni Desai, café owner and the only child to her dependent father, who is broke and heartbroken. Their paths cross when Dev walks into her café and they realize that life wouldn’t be the same for them.  From excellent tiramisu to ear shattering singing, from dramatic friends to accident prone sexcapades, they embark on the ride of a lifetime.  Will it all be worth it though? Will two broken souls find a way to heal each other? Or do the fractures go so deep that there is no way for either of them to find the love they so deeply crave and yet can't seem to have?

The idea of the book is interesting in the manner it is put across. Shilpa has portrayed physical disabilities in a manner which becomes a key plot point in ways more than one. The storytelling is very natural, and the plot moves at a comfortable pace. The romantic tension between Dev and Avni is palpable, and I loved the cat-and-mouse game that forms the bulk of the story. I also loved how the parallel track becomes an interesting aspect in the end. Apart from the concept of love, romance, and friendship, Shilpa touches upon the delicate topic of disabilities and how it impacts the person as well as those around him. I loved how she has dealt with this aspect and included it seamlessly into the plot. There are moments in the story which are pure bliss, and one would roll over laughing in those, especially the scenes between Dev and Avni. The climax is cliché, but I loved the way it was executed and how it completes the story nicely.

Coming to the characters, Avni’s character is beautifully created with its share of positives and negatives. I loved how different shades of her are shown at different parts of the story, yet she never loses the air of independence that she exhibits from page 1. Dev, on the other hand, as a character was interesting because of the way he presents himself, specially in the second half of the book. Another aspect that stands about the characters is the way the supporting characters have been detailed, especially the arc of a particular character, who shall remain unnamed to avoid spoilers.

I would like to highlight one point is that whenever we explore the story through the perspective of Dev, Shilpa has used extensive olfactory, haptic, and auditory cues to drive the point home. The book scores a 4.75/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.

This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program

The Six Levels of Theory of Marriage-Rachit Sehgal

Book: The Six Levels of Theory of Marriage
Author: Rachit Sehgal
Publisher: Self Published

What is the weirdest date you have been on?

The Six Levels of Theory of Marriage by Rachit Sehgal explores the story of Rishabh, who is bombarded with a series of weird people in the search of a potential wife. As he juggles his search along with his stand-up comedy, his life and career graph, both move like a yoyo. He has an interesting theory about marriage, but unfortunately finding a taker for it is difficult. Shreya is a banker by profession, all set to marry her childhood sweetheart Gaurav, until a trip changes her life forever. The book traces the very relatable journey of two unconnected individuals, Rishabh and Shreya, woven around the peculiar and often hilarious world of the Indian marriage system.

The book has an interesting plot in the way it is narrated. In the initial part, I couldn’t connect the two parallel storylines, but as the second half starts, the two plots merge seamlessly. The storytelling is engaging and there are some very great moments as we navigate through Rishabh’s and Shreya’s life. I loved how Rachit takes his time to set the context. Rishabh’s dates are well explained, and I loved a few of them, specially in the way he explains them. Rachit has grabbed the pulse of the Indian marriage process very succinctly and his take on it through the characters is a very good attempt. I would have loved a bit more connect among the scenes, particularly in the first half as the reader’s interest starts waning off due to the disconnect. Another thing I would have wanted improved is a second round of proofreading for the second half. The climax is quite predictable but executed well.

Coming to the characters, Rishabh and Shreya, both have been created well and the first half of the book sets a good tone for the actions of both the protagonists of the story. The level of detail that he has put in into not just the lead characters, but also the supporting characters is commendable. The character arc of Shreya was something I was impressed with, considering all that happened, but I would have loved a bit more of substance into Rishabh’s character.

Overall, a good book that I would recommend if you like to read a romantic story with a different perspective. The book scores a 4/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.

Falling-T J Newman

Book: Falling
Author: T J Newman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

What is the one experience of flying that you remember vividly?

Falling by T J Newman traces the journey of Flight 416 to New York with almost 150 souls on board. Imagine you being on that flight. You can see that there are 143 other passengers taking the flight. What you don’t know is the fact that the Pilot’s family was kidnapped 30 minutes before the flight. The demands are simple: for the family to survive, everyone onboard has to die. The question is what would the captain’s choice be? Save his family and crash the plane, or make sure that the plan lands safely and he loses his family.

The crux of a thriller is its ability to surprise the reader, and keep the readers guessing till the last moment. Newman achieves that with ease. Falling as a story holds very well throughout the 300+ pages and there is never a dull moment. The storyline is robust and despite the fact that almost a half of it takes place onboard an aircraft, it uses its strength to move around. Another thing that I loved about was the book was the fact that it paid attention to detail, and with due credit to Newman who used familiar territory to set her story in which gave it the extra push to be detailed and exact. The storytelling is excellent and keeps the reader on the edge of their seats till the last page. The language is simple, easy to understand which helps the reader keep their focus on the plot. I loved how the twists are introduced just at the right moment as the guess of the reader becomes a bit stronger. While disclosing the one I connected with could be a possible spoiler, it was a moment that somehow elevated the thrill in the story to an entirely new level. The climax is well written and provides a wonderful closure to the plot.

The characters in the story are a revelation in themselves. Bill Hoffman as the pilot literally pilots the story from the first page to the last and I love how his character has been crafted. He is shown to be a professional, following the ethics of the profession, yet Newman manages to showcase his softer side, the human side at certain points. While he maintains the statement that he would not do what the captors want, and also save his family, there are moments where I thought that he would take a leap of faith. Jo as a character impressed me with the grit and determination that oozed out of her character throughout the story. Carrie was another part of the story who came across as a surprise and I was amazed by the way her character arc turned out. Overall, the characters are given their due space and time to grow and develop so much that the story moves on Autopilot after a certain point of time.

Falling is a complete package that has excellent writing and a set of well-created characters that make it a definite recommendation. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book from Amazon India here.