9. Review of “Destiny of Shattered Dreams” – Nilesh Rathod

Review of “Destiny of Shattered Dreams” – Nilesh Rathod

With his debut in the field of fiction writing, Nilesh Rathod takes you inside the inner workings of the boardroom. With a forced backing of political black money, Atul Malhotra, the budding entrepreneur, along with his team of equally able friends, works to make a mark of with the exponential expansion of his telecom business. Caught between personal responsibilities, a marriage going down the drain, expanding business, funding issues, political pressure, incognito mediators, CBI raids, unintended but unavoidable murders, and the likes, Atul strives to make ends meet. Aarti, a management fresher brings a breath of fresh air to his otherwise unstable relationship with his wife. He falls for her while she, who idolizes her boss, too succumbs to his charms and intellect. What follows is a risky affair both in corporate and personal life leading Atul to heartbreak and jail term, which is where the story starts. He recalls his life to his cell mates and in retrospect revisits his actions and devils from his past to find out that he too has become one.

The best thing about the book is that emotions like love and hate are touched upon very finely but with a profound impact. In between the boardroom mumbo-jumbo, it is essentially the story of a man’s rise to glory and his fall due to choices he made to attain that glory. Personally, I’ve read many authors writing tomes on love as an emotion, but in this book, I especially like a few paragraphs written on hate, its meaning and its impact on Atul’s life as told to him by his father figure and lawyer Qazi. The icing on the cake is that the state of mind of the protagonist is beautifully described using Hindi poems along with their equally exquisite translations.

The writing is smooth and makes you drift away easily between the pages. I am thankful to the author for not using Hinglish in dialogs (as it is very popular among writers these days) because that just makes it seem forceful upon the reader. Using one language, I think, makes it easier to maintain the flow and avoid unnecessary repetitions. After having read my share of a few corporate sagas, this brings out a point that when faced with a dilemma, if you take an alternative route, it doesn’t mean the end of the journey, because in your quest to reach the sky you will again reach an impasse and will again need to make a choice. It is rightly said by the author, “Itne unche ude ke wapas na aa sakey, aasmaan chhune ke aibh mein wapas na ja sakey…”

8. Review of “The Sialkot Saga” – Ashwin Sanghi

Review of “The Sialkot Saga” – Ashwin Sanghi

Though set in the backdrop of political and economic clashes in India post-Independence, this tome is a story which started way back in 250 BCE when Ashoka reined most of the Indian subcontinent. Ashwin Sanghi, the Dan Brown of India, weaves a saga where secrets are passed on from then till the present day India. The front story is that of Arvind and Arbaaz, different religions, different upbringings, different people altogether; but with a single aim of making money. Arvind, a true blue Marwari, in the aftermath of breaking up with his childhood sweetheart, delves into business and uses his acumen to conning people into parting from their money. Arbaaz on the other hand, uses his intelligence to reach to the very top of a mafia and diversifying into high profile politics. Both of them are however at loggerheads with each other throughout but manage to be together at the end.

The Good: The relationship shown between the past and the present is commendable and that is exactly what the author is known for. Comparing him to Dan Brown may be a bit if a stretch, but he is definitely on the right track there. We have seen better works than this one before, so the expectations were obviously sky high. The fact that the book ended where it began was remarkable. The story is paced well and major events are incorporated to support the timeline.

The Bad: A few minor plots seem to be stale and lifted off motion pictures or literature. There is one too many clichés, specially used as punchlines while ending little sequences. The ending could have been a little more dramatic than mere stating of facts. There were portions which I feel could have been done without and were there just to add to the volume.

The Ugly: It is disheartening to find little big mistakes in a work of this stature. The direct/indirect involvement of the protagonists in each and every disaster in history gets on your nerves.

Verdict: Read it for the sake of curiosity. Till you reach the last 50 pages or so, you’

Book Courtesy: Vivek Tejuja (Flipkart)

7. Review of "Half a Shadow" - Anurag Shourie

Review of "Half a Shadow" - Anurag Shourie

My first thought after reading about this book was, how can Science and Spirituality find common ground; but, hats-off to Anurag for this "Mytho-Medical Thriller" which in his words is a Medical Thriller with a Mythological bend to it. As interesting as it may sound, you truly have to delve into the pages to get the drift of it. I've read my share of medical thrillers, but this mytho-medic angle is just brilliant. Kudos to the author for delving into the uncharted waters.

The story revolves around (no prizes for guessing) a doctor, Aditya, who is working as anesthetist in a cancer hospital. He thinks that at the age of 35 has lived his life. He has serious drinking issues and in one of his inebriated stupors, he reads a wrong file for young patient which causes her demise. In his bid to find out more about it, he chances upon some clues which point towards the recent series of deaths (read murders) in which the hospital staff might be involved. He is violently attacked while saving Dr. Ketaki, his lover, but somehow survives. In his PTSD state he is haunted by Sumitra (The Charioteer of Abhimanyu, son of the Pandava Arjun) who says that he is in purgatory to atone for his own sins of letting Abhimanyu die in the Chakravyuha.

Sumitra guides Aditya, who is still trying to find out about the killings and sends the ghost of Sapna, the girl who he inadvertently killed, as motivation. Our hero here falls for the ghost, is unable to express and waiting for Sumitra finally puts life back into her when all of this to get over. Meanwhile, his uncle Vijay, a hard but caring police officer, assists his progress. His attempts bear fruit and hidden secrets fall out from locked closets involving unethical practices, carcinogens, radioactive elements, bio-hazards etc.

My take: The story keeps you riveted between the pages. This is one of those books where every piece falls into place and you get full closure. It was very satisfying to read till the end. Apart from tiny errors here and there, the book is very well written and the plots are framed superbly. The characters are described such that you can actually visualize everything in your mind. The medical jargon won’t be hurdle for non-medics since most of it is explained alongside. For medics, this might prove to be tiresome and a bit like textbook reading though.

I am generally not a fan of bilingual books, but this one was an exception. The Sanskrit Shlokas are found in perfect harmony with the workings of a doctor’s mind. The mythical elements are not parallel to the story-line but are entwined with it. The research put into letting this happen needs a resounding applause as well.

Verdict: If you miss it…. Oh no, you dare not do that, you just cannot.

Book Courtesy: Writersmelon 

6. Review of “The Wedding Photographer” – Sakshama Puri Dhariwal

Review of “The Wedding Photographer” – Sakshama Puri Dhariwal

First thing first, the book reads like a straight-on Bollywood movie. As it says on the blurb, it is a rom-com with the right amount of wit woven into a lot of chocolate coated mush. It starts off with the usual girl-meets-boy accidentally and sparks fly off. They part ways only to meet-up again. She (Risha aka Ms. Kohli) is indirectly working for him (Arjun urf Mr. Khanna) as she is the candid photographer at his sister’s wedding. This could have made a good plot as all girls grow up gorging on bossy-man romances, but it remains untouched. No bossiness in the guy though the girl is snarky for sure. The rest of the story carries on with the usual dose of casual/accidental intimacies, confessions, misunderstandings, remorse and patching up.

Now, the best part! The story has been set-up in Delhi NCR region. Being a Delhi-ite, I could relate completely with the references made. The backdrop is that of a big-fat-Punjabi-wedding with the common occurrences of chipku-type relatives and everyone who is hell-bent on fixing an ‘X’ with a ‘Y’ and finalizing the dates for the next wedding of the season. The ‘just most bestest’ and wittiest character is ‘thee Naani’. She personifies a Patiala lady (complete with a Patiala peg) is like. She adores her grandson and sees through his feelings better than he does himself. She is an excellent cocktail of pride, compassion, seriousness and straight-face-joke-cracker. The other characters in the story aptly fit in. From the journo best friend to her cricketer husband, all are well placed within the story-line and contribute their best to keep the page turning.

The book is divided into three parts, just like a play. There are plots which could have been avoided completely and some which needed more clarity. The story itself is fast-paced without any dull moments. The description of events and the continuity could have been more fluid. The ending though could have extended a few more pages for a happily-ever-after epilogue. On the whole it’s a good quick read and yes, the fact that the hero of the book is described as Fawad Khan does make a girl drift off to dreamland (with him, of course!) between the pages. ;)

Buy “The Wedding Photographer” here – http://bit.ly/1WTQUD0

Book courtesy: Flipkart Blogger Review Program

5. Review of "Hedon" - Priyanka

Review of "Hedon" – Priyanka

The book doesn’t require a review. It is already there between the pages. As Priyanka puts it “her cheeky inclusion of a self-penned book review is interwoven into the narrative”. Adding on to that, the book is a story (if I dare call it that), of a young Tara who crawls, flies, dunks, rolls and stands tall in her life. She falls in love (infatuation?!) with Jay who is 7-8 years her senior and is much like her, understands her and shares her crazy tendencies. From there on, life moves them apart only to grant them a few exchanges (as both of them are pretty damn awesome with words) via email, texts and phone calls during which they stand by each other’s dramatic happenings in life.

Tara moves from Calcutta to America to pursue higher education. She makes many friends and each one of them leaves a mark on her life. Her friends are interesting and form a variety in her life except for the fact that they are all always drinking, dancing, snorting, drinking, puffing, roaming, chatting, drinking, etc. The narrative is encrusted with colourful smoky language which depicts the haziness that passes through her life during her college years and the illusions she lives in flows in between the chapters of her life.

Upon her return to India she tries her hand at working for a publishing house much to the irritation of her hedonistic self. But chance takes her back to Jay for another shot at a life.

The words are woven into jingly bells which keep on resonating along. The language is fresh and lively. There is one too many pop culture references which will make you feel like time is standing still and you are the one who wants to just overtake it. Priyanka’s attention to details puts the picture in your mind without any effort. While her proses are still better than the poetry, there is a good smattering of it all through, which makes the story even dreamier. The ending is stifling which makes you wish for more, but the parallel running epilogue makes up for it.

Verdict:

Read it for freshness,

Cram it for writing skills,

But do not pick it up,

If you have hedonistic tendencies!

I would definitely gobble up any subsequent books by this author.

PS: I love the cover. The book is going to be highlighted on my shelf are a good amount of time.

PPS: Whoever did the formatting (dark pages and all!!) deserves a pat on the back, but I still can’t figure out why 3 page were left blank in the middle of the book. Pondering!!!

Special Thanks to Vivek Tejuja for giving me this rare gem :)

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