Book Review on Preeti Singh’s FLIRTING WITH FATE

FLIRTING WITH FATE
By
PREETI SINGH

The novel falls into the crime fiction category and the plotline revolves around the protagonist, Anand, an orphan who has been leading a very insecure life right from his childhood, which also drives him to go for wrong and easy ways to achieve anything that he desires.

The novel though portrays him as a dark character but it also offers a humane aspect to his character and tries to delve into the fact that life is but a circle and we are accountable for our deeds in this very life. In other words, if or not, as they say karma returns to haunt one’s life sooner or later.

The novel indeed is a daring venture into the realm of crime fiction by a debutante, Preeti Singh. There are a few grammatical errors in the narrative but they can be overlooked as all the time while reading the novel, one finds oneself trying to delve deeper and deeper into Anand’s psyche rather than trying to fish for grammatical errors in the text.

The plotline is such that it lingers even after you put down the book and one is compelled to evaluate all those deeds (both good and bad) committed in one’s lifetime to have things turn out the way we want them to. And don’t we all do that every day of our lives? But what if all the wrong deeds come back to haunt your present? Would you call the suffering that entails the inevitable consequence of your deeds or would you think that you have been wronged by destiny gravely?

Well, before you sit down to ponder over this, get the book and read it to know what Anand thinks about it!

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

~Overview~

To what extent can we go to get love to be accepted to be happy? Can we commit any crime anywhere, anytime and get away with it? 

Well... Anand does...

A beautiful looking boy is adopted but deprived of love and acceptance. In search of love, acceptance, status, Anand takes the easy path of crime, & bloodshed. From his mother figure to his sexy teacher to his first love, Anand does just about anything possible to get love, acceptance, and happiness.

Book Review on Ritu Lalit’s HILAWI

HILAWI

By

RITU LALIT

Indian fantasy books indubitably carry an essence of the huge repository of mythology which we have in our country. However, the main problem is that most of them ultimately shape-up as a mere re-telling of those mythological legends with a tincture of twist here and there but nevertheless none of them offer a new take. And then, Ritu Lalit comes in with her first fantasy novel Hilawi and thankfully, brings some fresh air into the scene.

Hilawi has been churned out of our rich mythological history but Ritu delivers it in her own style which is at its best. A strong imagination is no doubt a must for being an author or a poet but for being a fantasy story-teller, one must have a fecund imagination for no fantasy can succeed without making the readers fly in the blue skies. And Ritu does it with the dexterity of a magician, absolutely effortlessly!

The novel revolves around the lives of a pair of twins, Yaduvir and Gargi Tamang who are suddenly jolted out of their mundane lives and are thrown right into the face of an adventure which they are utterly unprepared for. Imagine what would happen if you come to know that all the myths, fairytales, legends etc which you listened/read while growing up have become a part of your real life? Won’t you feel excited, scared, perplexed, and baffled all at the same time?

Well, that is exactly what the novel offers to you, a mysterious mix of emotions while you witness the twins take a plunge into an adventure which requires them to claim and protect a shield which is wanted and feared at once by their clansmen. This shield, Hilawi has been churned out from the heart of the ocean (quite like the samudra manthan in our mythological tales) and must be primed by the DNA of its guardian, which transpire to be the twins.

The novel is a strange mixture of ancient legends and myths and science and technology, all in the same cauldron. While flipping through the pages of the novel, one truly gets the feeling that one is flying on the wings of imagination from one incident to the next with the blinking of eyes.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2

~Overview~

When the chants rise up, Gigi or Gargi Tamang finds that she has to gravitate to the strange object that they seem to emanate from a disc made of a metal that no one can identify. Could the myths that we've heard from time immemorial, actually be true? 

Yaduvir and Gargi Tamang, twins are nothing like each other; he, a mild-mannered and scholarly youth, and she, a feisty young woman, full of energy. A telephone call from India suddenly changes their lives. They find that they are the designated guardians and protectors of a strange shield that is both co-vetted and feared by their own clansmen. They are completely unprepared for the adventure they are rocked into, where no one around them seem to be who they are, where they are constantly on the sun and where they have been summoned for a task they cant even accept as true.

Book Review on Nandita Bose’s TREAD SOFTLY

TREAD SOFTLY

By

NANDITA BOSE

At the heart of this story lies a woman, Paroma who is stuck in a marriage that has been in a crumbling state right from the time it found its existence. Readers come to know that the girl had already been rejected by a man earlier and was then married off to his older step-brother, Abhinn.

To Paroma, the issue of marrying the younger brother or the elder one doesn’t matter at all because she is well aware of the degree of control she exercises on her life’s decisions. She always knew that she had been reared for this day and when that day comes she would have to marry a stranger and no matter how bad or worse the relationship turns out to be, she would be the sole person responsible for making it a success.

Therefore, she gives the best she could to the relationship only to find that she cannot and will not succeed in her endeavours. Well, no matter how badly I am tempted to reveal the entire story to you, I don’t want to be a spoiler. Readers must read the book themselves to find out what lies in store for them.

The entire journey with Paroma and Nandita Bose can be best described as insightful. You must not expect to meet a woman who outlives readers’ expectations, develops into a power-oriented character and breaks free of the conventional societal brackets that have been imposed on her by the patriarchal setup. Paroma is a lovely character because of her innocence and simplicity and these are the very virtues by means of which she succeeds in making a dent in her readers’ hearts.

Overall, the author has taken a very realistic and insightful dig into her characters’ lives in her novel. ‘Tread Softly’ is infused with a magic that leaves the readers aghast with its simplicity, be it the choice of words, the characters, or the story itself.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2

~Overview~

Paroma had always known that she would have to submit to her family's choice of a suitable groom. It really ought not have mattered which brother she eventually ended up marrying. As the replacement groom, the older stepbrother, Abhinn, was a curt stranger on whom was thrust an onerous duty — the wedding and Paroma, herself.

Witnessing his lifestyle first-hand, she found their lives irreconcilable. Mamun, his aunt, was voluble in her utter disapproval of their match. If anything had compelled Paroma's acceptance of the situation, it was an implicit understanding of her background: of the societal pressures on her parents and the prodding small-mindedness of Manoharpur. Ultimately these considerations defeated her and she returned to her household in Kolkata temporarily, in her Quest for an alternative foothold.

As her fledgling bookstore grew, so did Abhinn's unmistakable romance with Geetika. These are the facts. And beyond bare facts are the lives touched by the magic of proximities and their infinite contradictions.

Book Review on Vikrant Dutta's ODE TO DIGNITY

ODE TO DIGNITY
By VIKRANT DUTTA

Second of its kind, the novel in ballads by Vikrant Dutta indeed is a commendable and daring act by an Indian author. The novel consists of 1645 rhymed ballads and narrates the tale of a lieutenant who goes to break the news of his Major’s death to his wife.

The theme of the novel at first appears to be woebegone but beware readers, do not be misled by it as amidst all the mayhem and chaos, the author does succeed in bringing a smile on the reader’s face. 

The novel does not endeavour to highlight the despair, anguish and loneliness that is usually associated with death but instead focuses on the indisputable fact that in spite of everything, life goes on.

When one hears the term ‘ballads’, one is inevitably lead to think of the old times when ballad was a popular narrative form however, for contemporary readers, that would not be a constraint in reading Dutta’s novel as he presents a story that can be savoured by the contemporary reader as much as it will be by any reader who has a knack for classic literary styles.

The bond that thrives between the lieutenant and the major’s wife after both acquiesce to share each other’s emotional burden is something that every reader would be able to relate to.

The art of telling a story within the tight limits of a rhyme scheme in itself speaks a zillion words for the uniqueness of the book. The words chosen by the author are intense and sober at the same time and just the apt concoction for a rhymed story.

Rated: ☆☆☆☆

~overview~
A young Lieutenant goes to break the tragic news of his seniors demise alongside him at war to his wife. Over the course of two days they share their thoughts and forge a bond of compassion and discovery.