Review of “The Assassinations: A Novel of 1984” -
Vikram Kapur
There have been plenty of novels set in the backdrop
of war and violence. What makes this one distinct is the fact that it is not
merely a love story centered on the boy and the girl. It takes the spotlight
around to each member of their respective families, their inner turmoil and
their coping mechanisms. At first, it is like any other love story, boy meets
girl, they fall in love, etc. But later, when the tragedy strikes their city,
each character portrays themselves as different people.
The story starts with stolen glances between Prem and
Deepa, followed by uncertain parents leading to an engagement with both parties
going home with smiles. The growing insurgency in Punjab was followed by the Operation
Blue Star in 1984. Suddenly, Deepa became a Hindu and Prem a Sikh. But, love
conquers the religious divide and their relationship remains intact. As the
political and religious scenarios overlap, Prem sees his religion in a new
light and struggles to find his true identity in the chaos. The final straw
being the assassination of the then PM, Prem gets wrapped in the web of the
protesters of Anti-Sikh riots and takes an unforeseen step towards the end.
The writing and language is simple and easy to grasp. The
author depicts the tragedies which befell on the Sikhs in Anti-Sikh riots with the
graphic scenes that are moving. The story does not offer any major twists and
turn which usually are the thriving points of romantic tragedies, but the
narration is smooth and compliments the complexity main storyline making it
stand apart in the crowd of fiction. In all, the book is commendable and a recommended
read for all.
Book courtesy: WritersMelon
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