4. Review of "The Dark Side of Light" - Sanil Sachar

Review of "The Dark Side of Light" - Sanil Sachar

I was not an avid reader of short stories and poetry but the name intrigued me. I wanted to read something new and refreshing this time and this book came as a pleasant surprise. It talks about emotions, love and passage of time. The stories take you through tender love (From Start to Finish), cute love (Member’s Only), parental love (Slam Dunk), one-sided love (One-Sided), lack of love (Tamanna), revengeful love (Painted Red), hateful love (The Secret), creepy love (One for All, All for One), and longing for love (Distant Closeness). The characters in the stories are very realistic and relatable except for a few creepy ones (thought they too might be real!!). The poems largely focus on the passage of time and the changes it brings. Some poems are a direct peek at Sanil’s mind at work as the words struggle to come out, be born and ripen on the pages of this book. They gave me a feeling that the poems are closer to his heart than the stories, which are all fiction.

‘Dinner with the Turners’ is a light-hearted situational comedy and my personal favorite (both story and the play). A shout-out for ‘The Everlasting Traveler, Never Ending Journey’ as it takes you through the beaches with clear waters and you can almost feel the cool breeze blow through your hair. And last-but-not-the-least ‘The Other Man’ was sure a great pick.

My take: This book is not a page turner. It is something that needs to be read at a leisurely pace so as to feel each and every word. Each piece is to be cherished like a fine wine. It is an emotional roller-coaster with ups and downs and in-betweens. The detailing is picture-perfect and you find yourself living in the stories and poems.

Note: Do not rush through it an read everything in one go. Keep a book-mark handy lest you forget where you need to pick up next.

My favorite picks:

Short Story - Airport Encounter, Slam Dunk

Poetry - No quitting, Greatest Feat, Seconds turn to Years

Story/Play - Dinner with the Turners

Special Thanks: Vivek Tujeja (Flipkart)

3. Review of "Raakshas" - Piyush Jha

Review of Piyush Jha's "Raakshas".

***Might contain Spoilers***

From the very first page, very first paragraph, very first line, this was creepy in the most haunting way. The introductory chapters are very disturbing, but as the story spans, I got more clarity as to what was happening and how it backs the transformation of a child to a murderer. From empathizing with the kid, to hating him the next moment and wanting him to die, the book takes you through the intricacies of the killer's thoughts as he goes through the different stages of life. There was one moment when I didn't really want the killer to be caught this soon because that would have been belittling the mastermind. Piyush takes us through the lives of the villain (Raakshas) and the hero (Maithili). Maithili leaves no stone unturned to unearth the next step of the killer, but as he says, he is always two steps ahead. The sole purpose of her existence seems to be catching the culprit. She, on the other hand is none the better than the one she is after. Turns out that she too has ghosts of the past that come to haunt her and make her go an extra mile in her efforts.

Grown up on a diet of murders in an almost amicable way as those solved by Sherlock or Poirot, this was something I wasn’t quite eager to read. But, having feasted upon this piece, I think I can rightly say that my hunger (no, not the hunger for murder!!) has altered from reading about murders to reading about murderers.

The bonus section at the end about real-life serial killers was an eye-opener to the current state of crime and its understanding in India. Its sad to say that the position is heart-rending.

My take: Take my word for it and go for it, even if you are not a fan of gore. If you don’t like it, don’t blame the author (he is gooood!), blame you weak digestion!

PS: I warn you not to keep the book on your bedside table; it might give you twisted nightmares. Not that I dreamed of someone cutting my mundi off!!

PPS: Raakshas has made reach for a copy of ‘Compass box killer’ and it might seem strange, but I am looking forward to it.

Special Thanks to:

Writersmelon and Westland