Black River - Nilanjana S Roy

Fiction

Verdict: Read It (4/5)

Overview:

It seems I haven't been diligent about writing reviews since I returned from the US some 4 months back. Shame shame and all that jazz. Now I have a stack of books to complete and this was on the top.  Ahem. Anyhow.

Black River is a novel that I picked up from my fav bookstore, Bookworm. This is the first book I've read by Nilanjana Roy.

 The novel opens with a pastoral scene that quickly devolves into a very unfortunate murder of a young girl, Munia.  What ensues is a murder mystery that doesn't follow the typical Sherlock Holmes/Police Detective template. The details are slowly revealed whilst wandering around in memories. 

What I Enjoyed:

A very simple read in terms of language and plot, the book still delights in that it is well-written and well-planned. The murder mystery is like the end of a ball of yarn that takes the entire novel to unravel. A host of characters, tied together by odd relationships, bring us through present and historical side plots. The characters were simple and easy to identify with, yet not shallow. I know I didn't mention much here, but the beauty of this novel is how it unravels and  I don't like spoilers.

What I Disliked:

There wasn't much I disliked about this novel. 

Summary:

A light read, this mystery is a great companion for a rainy afternoon. It won't take long to read, and the characters and plot are simple and enjoyable. Read it!

~Becky~

The Lost Man of Bombay - Vaseem Khan

 

Fiction

Read it!

This novel focuses on a strange chain of events that a forensic department unravels. A body is found with very small clues and is eventually tied to current events and people. I won't unravel the whole story for you as that would steal the joy of reading it, but it's worth the effort that a larger book and a longer story bring. 

I haven't read anyhting else by Vaseem Khan but I'd like to explore more of his work if there is anything. The novel embraces a old timey, gothic Bombay with some modern themes. The main love interest is white. Which surprised me a great deal. In a land still aching from British pillage, it's understandable why this wouldn't be embraced. 

The story telling and pacing are excellent. It's rare to not see the outcome before the end of the novel, but Vaseem Khan has achieved it. He leaves clues, but not tons and not obvious ones. He also ends on a practical note without resorting to extraordinary circumstances. Spoiler - it's never the butler in the pantry with an icepick. It's a good read but a large book.

Read it.

~Becky~

No Trespassing - Brinda Narayan

Fiction

Verdict: Meh

This is the first book I've ready by Brinda Narayan.  The book follows the upward shooting trajectory of a middle class family aiming to fit in with the hoi polloi of Bangalore. They move into a weird, super exclusive, gated community. They never quite fit in and eventually start noticing weird neurological symptoms in their children. Vedika, the main character, brings this up in the community and is quickly hushed as no one wants to admit anything is wrong with their children. Vedika's son dies in mysterious circumstances and she sets out to untangle why. She ends up on a wild chase far into the past, including her own parents and weird clowns. The novel winds up with a disappointing reveal that the neurological symptoms were caused by lead and it was actually a bizarre plot from a tragic incident happening in Vedika's childhood far away.  

While there are breadcrumbs dropped through the book about the past, it seems like a stretch when the author finally reveals, with great relish, the revenge plot. Vedika's main characteristic is neurosis and the rest of the characters fall flat as well. I believe the dynamics between Vedika and her husband are meant to make them seem relateable, but they just end up being irritating because they are so common place. Death of a child makes couple fight, the husband always believes his wife is reading more into everything than she should, we don't have much to connect over anymore because he works so much. It's trope city. 

There's also a weird obsession about social status, being middle class, and how glamourous and dangerous climbing the social ladder can be. The author insists upon obsessively comparing middle class upbringing with being rich. At the end of the novel, I couldn't help but have this super weird feeling that the ultimate point of the novel was a moral lesson about not reaching above your grasp....which again is an overused concept and disappointing.

It's a decently written novel and to be honest, I didn't see the revenge plot coming. Unfortunately, this is ruined by generic writing and a heavy reliance on too many tropes. Read it if you need a time pass for a Saturday afternoon and can deal with what I mentioned.

~Becky~

Bhendi Bazaar - Vish Dhamija

Fiction

Meh

I picked up this book because I saw the movie adaptation of Bhendi Bazaar. I think that with very few exceptions, novels are better than movies.  I'm not quite sure if that is the case here. 

Let me clarify a bit. The story is good. Dhamija was able to keep the pace and mask the resolution right until the end - which was brilliant. However, his use of English is awkward to the point of being humorous. Perhaps it's just a language/translation problem - but from other data points in how he writes, I suspect not.  I'm not trying to discourage people from reading his work, but a good editor would have helped him out a lot. 

Bhendi Bazaar is a murder mystery. A serial killer who mutilates men to be specific. The story follows the DCP on the case - a woman to Dhamija's credit - as she fights to match wits and catch the killer. This is unusual on a few fronts. I'm not going to do a spoiler here, because the end is brilliant, but you won't see it coming, I guarantee that. And I love when an author is able to drop just enough hints to keep you restless for a resolution, but not enough that he or she assumes the reader is dumb and does too much forshadowing, leading to an easy guess.

As Dhamija himself writes in the forward, his main character is a good one. She has personality, flaws, and people can relate to her.  I wouldn't mind reading more of Dhamija's work with this character. One point I didn't much care for - and this is a common trap that writers fall for in order for their work to be accessible - is over explaining. There were way too many asides about India, police, and Mumbai. I get it - those points were important, but it would have been better if Dhamija worked them into the story in other ways. I also was left unimpressed by the romance. Sure, profilers/psychologists are useful in a case like this, but I didn't really get into the connection and transition. I think he could have either developed this or left it out all together,

Read it if you are in the mood for a Mumbai serial killer mystery and can get around the awkward writing - the story is good.

~Becky~

The Crows of Agra - Sharath Komarraju

Fiction

Verdict: If you like this sort of thing

There's a certain genre in India where people take historical figures and build fictional stories around them with just enough facts (or many facts) to make them plausible. In fact, I think this happens everywhere. I happen to enjoy them. They make history come more alive for me and make it accessible, not to mention interesting.

The Crows of Agra is a murder mystery. A pretty well done one at that. The novel starts with a very immature Akbar ruling with a regent. As he grows, and court intrigues prevail, it looks as though the regent is gunning for power and the throne. When he gets murdered, a random Brahmin (who isn't actually a Brahmin at all) who saved the king's life is called upon to unravel the mystery. And he does just that. 

There's not too much surprising that happens, though the author does manage to preserve the solution right to the very end. The only nice twist (Spoiler alert) that I found was the culprit's explanation at the end. I won't say more than that because it's no fun if you already know who dun it. 

This is a relatively short book and is an easy read. It drags a little in some places, but is overall well done. If this is your cup of tea, enjoy.

~Becky~