Book Review of “The Newsroom Mafia” by Oswald Periera

It’s true…and proven time and again – men opt for a “crime-thriller-suspense” novel when it comes to writing. And rightly so. They have a knack to capture and portray the precise feelings associated with the genre. And Oswald Periera does complete justice to his debut novel- The Newsroom Mafia that offers more than just the thrill of being a media-related-crime story.

The story is about how the Mumbai police commissioner Donald Fernandez puts all his efforts in nabbing the don, Narayan Swamy, with the help of Oscar Pinto, a young crime reporter with “The Newsroom”, one of India’s most venerable newspapers. But we see how Swamy’s ties in the media are stronger, and more effective than Fernandez can think of. How some of the “exclusive” stories were planted and how most police officials, reporters and politicians were mere pawns controlled by the don, is scripted quite brilliantly by the author.
The battle of power, and wits, played with dirty tactics by both, the law breakers and the law abiders raises a lot many questions in the mind of the reader, regarding the authenticity and the truthfulness of the media and the people attached to it.
Rightfully the book description says, “The Newsroom Mafia captures the unholy alliance between the fourth estate, the underworld and the government”.
The narrative is riveting. The language is simple and lucid; the pace perfect to keep you turning page-after-page without a break; and the description of places/situations/events and the people so meticulous and faithful that it breathes life in to the words.
The story is more of an eye-opener about things that happen in the media industry and how people (read: cops, politicians, the underworld and media) work their ways around situations and their counter-parts. What happens behind the curtains and the camera is only known to the insiders. Oswald bares the truth, and how!
Who says money can’t buy everything. In today’s world, the media is offered a more-than-handsome-amount to not print/publish/uncover stories that are critical and important for the public.

To say that not everyone is as corrupt or dishonest is true. But the number (or percentage) of such honest folks is minuscule.

The author’s background as a crime reporter gives him the leverage to churn out such a fantastic piece of crime-thriller. With such in depth research and insight, the book feels more real than just “a piece of fiction”.

MUST MUST MUST READ!

Book Review of “The Mine” by Arnab Ray

The Mine scores as a riveting thriller that will linger in your mind for days, after you finish reading the book.
The plot revolves around five experts who are brought to a hi-tech mining facility sensing strange, unexplainable occurrences. What connects them all is their murky past and a hideous truth that has been long under the wraps. And so begins their perilous journey of confronting their fate and facing their destined end.
This fast-paced, dark psychological thriller is divided in to three sections: The Beginning, The Middle and The End; though the prologue sets the stage for the deep rooted mysteries and fears that surface on each page.
You will find references of real life incidents that made news around the country; the crux of it all is a reflection of our own fears.
The interlinked stories that make up the novel have an overpowering sinister effect. Various characters, various settings and the sly intervening of links that leave room for mixed interpretation and open ended questions, will make you retrace your thoughts and flip back a few pages to gasp in awe and wonder, as the author skillfully spins the web of mystery and thrill.
Given our experience with Hollywood/Bollywood flicks, you will end up visualizing the scenes as you read the story. Karma has its own way of getting back. And you might recollect “Death’s List” from the “Final Destination” series. (And many such references will emerge in your mind if you are a movie buff/avid reader.)
The narratives (and the scenes) are racy and breathtaking. The narrative is fresh and rather intriguing. Philosophical at places, the book shakes you with the insights. A diligent mix of Science and Karma, the suspense and the thrill in the book will give you goose bumps with every new page. And you will not deny that “the greatest evil lies deep inside.”

 

Book Review of “A Godly Blunder” by Parimal Kalikar

A lazy weekday evening saw me trying to pick one of the many half-read books piled on my desk. As I wondered about which one to pick and definitely finish it that evening, a new book arrived for me.

My initial reaction- “Yayy!” followed by the grave “Dharm Sankat” kind of look.

I couldn’t wait to open the package and the minute I saw the cover I knew I had to finish my previous pile ASAP before I begin this one –for the simple reason that if I started reading “A Godly Blunder” before finishing my pending books, chances were that I might never return to them.
And boy was I right or Right!!!

I managed to finish 3 books within the next 5 days (with extensive breaks of course) and finally picked up Parimal’s debut offering – A Godly Blunder.

I held the book for a good five minutes before opening it. Pinaki De certainly should be praised for the cover design and illustrations. Very catchy. And funny.
The author’s thoughtful gesture of sending a signed bookmark with a special note on it made me smile.
He even wrote a personalized message thanking me on accepting the book for a review. (At this point, I’d accept a simultaneous “Awww….”from everyone reading this. Thank you.)

And so the journey to read the Godly blunder began.

The story is about a young German man, Oliver, who dies in an accident while at work. He is a quality control manager in a premium car company in West Germany. He finds himself in Heaven, along with his colleague Maik.

Now Heaven is described as a plush hotel (Hotel Paradise) with executive suites for all. The majestic decor of the place and the serenity make for enviable scenes, and you wish to be there than read about it in a book.

Oliver is living a dream it seems. Every day is a Sunday. Sumptuous food, tasteful liquor, splendid wardrobe, premium cars –oh the works! (All this with no “cost” or “fat” factor attached! Truly Blissful!!! Wish I were dead and there.)

Oliver is granted five minutes with the Almighty and the conversation hooks you on.

Twenty five years later (in God’s time) Oliver is called by God for an “assignment”. There seems to be a technical snag in the Soul Management System (SMS) of Swarg and until that is resolved Oliver is required to fill in for a soul (on Earth) who has been wrongly captured. No brownie points for guessing where Oliver is being sent- yes, India! That too Maharashtra!!!

Oliver is to take the place of a middle-class man Siddhesh and thus begins a roller coaster ride for the readers and for Oliver of course!

The corruption, the dishonesty, the “sab chalta hai” attitude, the meaning of “load-shedding”, “ghoos”, “Kharra” and many more things that hit Oliver make for a highly entertaining read.
He is cheated by his relatives, kidnapped by goons, meets a “babaji”, understands the mentality of people around him, and realizes how life in India functions- all in the span of a few months before he is called back.

And you know what – don’t miss out the last page. The crux of the story lies there. It will make you introspect. Even if for a minute.

 

You just know you’ve found a good book when you can’t wait to know what’s in store on the next page.
Parimal’s writing skills are superb. The plot and ideation are gripping. The pace is quite decent and the language is simply effective. The characters are strong and relatable to. Oliver is shown as a brave but sensitive man. You develop genuine concern for him as you read about his kidnapping and distraught state. This shows that the author has managed to establish a connect with his readers.

There are quips of wisdom, and spurts of humor; spears of sarcasm and witty arrows.
Do not miss Oliver’s conversation with the babaji (Chapter: You Don’t Need A God -Pg 131 onwards).

I barely found any flaws –be it in the editing of the book, or the grammar, or the language. Yes, no slangs to make it funny or gross.

Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful experience reading it.

Oh and I finished the book in about 5 hours! (I just got lazy to write the review earlier.)

Interview with Judy Balan

 

As I walked in to the bookstore for the launch of Judy Balan’s debut novel, Two Fates: The Story of my Divorce, I was greeted with a sweet smile and a hint of a rollicking time!
I managed to get Judy’s time and attention before the launch and indulged in a candid interview.
On enquiring about the ideation of the story, she was quick to respond, “I happened to be in a store   and noticed Drink, Play, F@ck, the parody of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. The author of the    parody had managed to sell film rights to his book and I thought, “Wow! You can simply rip off a  best seller and do wonders!” I was reading Chetan Bhagat’s “Two States: The Story of my Marriage”,  and I thought of doing a parody of the book.
I went home, and posted this incident on my blog and asked my readers if they thought it was a good idea. And most of them reverted with a “yes”. Would you believe it only took me about less than three months to wrap up the book!” smiled the author. Continuing her part of the story, she said, “And it was a wonderful experience. I was surprised as to how quickly I even found publishers willing to launch my book. It truly felt like a Cinderella moment…”

So do we see glimpses of her life in this book? “No no! This is definitely not the story of my divorce,” Judy responded quickly. “In fact the only thing common between me and the character of Deepika is the job (as a copywriter).”
“Oh and the aunties of course! The ones who keep coming up to me or my parents enquiring about my age, and they seem to be obsessing about my marriage and my divorce more than my folks. It’s hilarious (now) but it is so true!”
Digging a bit in to her professional background I enquired about her decision to be a “full time parent”.
“Well, even after those five and a half years in the advertising agency as a copywriter I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t satisfied doing what I was doing. I was scared to quit initially as I did not know what I would do next. Quitting was not an option but when my divorce came through I knew I had to dedicate time to my girl. The ups and downs of divorce were terrible. I took up freelance writing and of course started blogging ardently.”
So how was life at home? “Very different. It was mundane, yes. It took me about a bit to adopt the sedentary lifestyle. There was a drastic change in momentum. But it gave me time to spend with my daughter and write. It was the best thing that happened to me.”
Ask her if she would plunge in to a marriage (or love) again and she chirps, “Why not! I’m a die-hard romantic. A million times bitten and still not shy sort of a person. Divorce hasn’t made me cynical. I’m the incurable optimistic who still writes letter to “the one”. If life gives me a chance to fall in love, I’d dive!”
As the focus shifted to her writing and her blog, she confessed “Blog writing gives you almost instant gratification. Your readers revert real quick. Writing a book, a fiction, needs commitment. It is hard work.”
For those who don’t know, Judy also writes scripts for plays. Her shyness prevents her from being on stage, but off-stage she seems to be the “queen of the written word”. “I would love to have a column someday, though my blog sometimes serves more like a column,” smiled Judy. “But writing an epic adventure series (like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series) is one thing I look forward to. I know it’s a long long way yet, and for now I will focus on light fiction about relationships and break-ups.”
Humor and comedy is one key ingredient Judy feels that she cannot do without in the books she reads and pens. “If you’ve read Two States, you’d get all the jokes in my book”, confessed the author sheepishly.
“I do love romantic comedies. Nothing can quite beat Erich Segal’s Love Story and Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult’s works. I also like reading books by Candace Bushnell and Marian Keyes and Elizabeth Gilbert.”
Getting to the juicy part of the conversation, we asked Judy to share an exclusive detail about her as a writer and she confessed, “My writing will always precede the love of my life. I think I devote more time to my writing than anything else.”
And Judy as a mother? She quickly said, “I’m forever obsessing over the fact that I’m not good enough. Trust me, all that art and craft and wonderful things parents do for their kids, I’m bad at all that.”

Over more smiles and jokes I enquired about her next book and she said, “It’s wonderful how I’ve already signed the deal for my next book. It is again a light fiction. But I can’t give out much on it. You’ll have to wait a bit!”
For sure we would look forward to her next book, since her first one has definitely got us hooked!
It’s true all good things definitely come in small packages. And this package is amongst the best!
I’m sure she captured more hearts and readers with her smile and her book that evening.

 

Grab a copy of her book before the stores run out of copies! You will definitely enjoy the read.

Book Review of “Two Fates: The Story of My Divorce” by Judy Balan

No matter how “modern” we become in our thinking, some things will never change in the Indian society. I’m hinting at one of our most primary concerns, or should I say arrangement – marriage. People still have a lot of trouble convincing their folks to approve of their love/marriage, when they fall in love with a person outside their “community”. A “love marriage” sometimes is still looked down at, in most clans.
Let’s say you face all the music and convince your parents to get you married to the person you love and think it’s going to be a “happily ever after” sort of a life, only to realize that things are not really all that fine. And you (mutually) think of a divorce. Bhamm!
How do you think you’ll convince your parents for that!??!

 

Judy Balan’s debut novel “Two Fates: The Story of My Divorce” revolves around this very plot.
We have a cute couple, Deepika Sundar (a chirpy Tamilian girl) and Rishab Khanna (a handsome Punjabi boy) who after a lot of trials and tribulations convince their parents and get married, and within a couple of years think of getting divorced! On mutual grounds, of course. The trouble they majorly face here is: their parents have developed a fondness for them as well as their respective families. They now look up to Deepika and Rishab as the ideal couple and wish for the other children of their community to follow suit. Oh, and did I mention, how desperately both the families look forward to the couple having a baby!?! It’s true when they say, in India you don’t just marry a person, you marry the entire clan!
The crux of the story definitely is way different from any that I’ve heard/read in a long while. And let me confess, the writing got me hooked from the very first page – the acknowledgement and the prologue had me giggling and laughing and smiling and loving it all the way till the end.

The scenes (almost all of them) are funny and rightly over-dramatic. I could absolutely relate to each and every situation since I share a similar background (professionally and personally).
Imagine the roller coaster ride that the readers are put on, when a money conscious, traditional Tamil family blends in with the forever-partying-and-drowning-in-whiskey Punjabi family!
There is not a single page in here that will not crack you up. If you think the portrayal of Punjabi’s is overtly dramatic and “louder than the drums”, well…it is so! There’s a reason we are “fun-jabis”!

 

Judy has done justice to the plot and the story. It is simply interesting, humorous, entertaining, intriguing, and yes captivating! (Yes, that’s how impressed I was!)
The sweet quibble of the couple; the randomness of the forever-after-your-life- aunties; the pseudo-sophisticated behavior of the so-called NRIs; the typical struggle with boss/colleagues; and the understanding and love that the couple share will stay in your mind even after you put the book down.
For a debut novel, Judy has done wonders. The book makes up for a light read over a relaxed weekend.
Let’s give truly fictional scenes a pass, after all this is just a parody of “you-know-which-book”.

 

I recommend this to every person reading the review. Go pick it up!

Book Review of “Navarasa by Lotus” by Rajiv

 

The author sent me a review copy and I was quite thrilled with the synopsis – 9 interlined stories based on the nine “rasas”. With interlinked characters, the author spins a web of captivating tales spanning different genres – love, fantasy, sci-fi, drama, all of course fictional.

Seed tell the story of a fading movie star (Rajan) – being the first story it got me really hooked. Very articulately drafted.

Rat is the story of a youth accidently taking form of a masked vigilante and brings out very human emotions.

Mutiny was like a surprise. Truly. I did not expect this to be a story of mosquitoes! I liked the names given to the characters (Hz , Ghz, Hag, etc.),who gang up to fight human domination.
One thing that stood out quite visibly was the poor edits in Rat and Mutiny. The author (or the editor) seems to have ignored major errors in the stories. Or did someone else fill up the author’s shoes momentarily?  The narrative / writing style hampered the reading pace. The flaws overshadow the novel plots.

T 20 talks about a couple, living in, facing hardships in their relationship. This story of Teja and Manoj has a different narrative then the rest of the stories in the book. I did not understand the usage of such a title for this story. It seemed unrelated.

Then we have Loop- a story where a girl (Lucky) is entangled in a loop that keeps her entangled on a particular day in a particular loop. Intriguing!

Wish tells the tale of a young school kid struggling to vent his anger.

Office and N.H. are linked and they spin around Rajiv and his love for Rashmi. This sci-fictional story glances at our society post 2012.

And finally, Redemption links them (stories) all.

The ideation and the thoughts behind each story are commendable. The cleverness in interlinking the stories brings out a unique story-writing capability. The editing flaws are barely any (apart from Rat and Mutiny) and the style is quite riveting. I did not mind reading the book twice only to notice the connects more prominently the second time.
Definitely a must read. Highly recommended!

Book Review of “Taming The Restless Mind” By Rashmi Singh

 

This book, I believe, is Rashmi Singh’s first non-fictional offering. A freelance Personality Development Trainer and Counselor, Rashmi has compiled small pearls of wisdom for her readers.
Pitching the book to be a guide, to tame your mind, Rashmi has put together about 20, quite prominent, topics that indeed are the factors that lead to unrest in the mind.

I would suggest young adults to give it a read. It is sure to help them as they walk the path of life- in college and in the corporate world.

But for most folks like me, these are topics that we are familiar with and know the nitty-gritty of the consequences they bring. The book seemed very interesting to me initially, but within a few pages it was too predictable. There was no novelty for me.

Also, I did not quite understand the usage of all caps words/sentences in between. If a point needs to be stressed up on highly, making the text “bold” could’ve worked just as fine. The usage of caps in between did not go well with my reading process. I did find many grammatical and other flaws but since the flow was soft and easy, I guess I shall by-pass them for now.

People dealing with confidence and self development issues must give it a read. There are many winning tricks highlighted in the book that are bound to help readers gather and uplift their self-esteem and decision making skills.

I will suggest this book to youngsters definitely so that they are at least aware of the things that they are doing wrong (yes, already) and how they can improve their communication and interpersonal skills, as they stand on the brink of the transition (from a youngster to an adult).

 

Book Review of “Love’s Journey” by Rashmi Singh

Love’s Journey

By Rashmi Singh

 

In this world, where nothing works, faith and hope keeps us moving. This forms the crux of Rashmi Sing’s debut novel- Love’s Journey.
An endearing journey of a girl seeking love, Love’s Journey shows the struggle that Jennifer Sebastian undergoes to attain the love and affection she truly deserves.
Jennifer Sebastian loses her family to a communal riot at a tender age of fifteen. Facing hardships and orphanages to end up in Mumbai was not the kind of life she had expected or deserved. But once in Mumbai, working as an “extra” in Bollywood, Jenni lives in poverty, with her infant son, making all compromises in life that she could to give him a decent living.
The author seamlessly knits the emotions and hardships faced by Jenni who is trying to make a place for herself in a city of big bad wolves.
Jenni is mothering an illegitimate child, stuck in a web of lust, fear, poverty, corruption, greed and the endless upheavals one could imagine. Life’s miseries do come to an end but not easily. Crushing some dreams, braving some realities, facing the evil, only to provide a decent life to her child, Jenni decides to walk the path of compromises (with her body) and what happens thereafter is what makes the story a readable one.
The tale projects the true colors of life. And each color with its varied hues. Faith, distrust, anger, love, lust, sex, emotions and so many emotions blend seamlessly to spin a yarn of a capturing tale that engrosses you till the very end.
Living in the slums, bearing lewd remarks and lusty advances, living a dark depressing life, Jenni eventually gets her place in the sun, professionally as well as in her personal life.
Readers would at a point connect with the characters, esp. Jenni. Her innocence, her naivety, her strengths, her fears…her love, all make her one of the most loveable of all characters.
People in and around her life portray real (dark) streaks- Jay Kumar, Shambhu Vasan, Shantanu Arora, Deepak, etc. Kudos to the author for bringing out such finer traits.

Just a few hiccups:
The writing has a certain flow but at places, I feel, I could’ve been edited or written more crisply.
Stressing on certain details (one too many times) doesn’t make it any more important.
Bits and parts of the tale seemed very predictable.

But overall, it was an entertaining and enjoyable read.

Book Review of “Prey by the Ganges” by Hemant Kumar

Prey By The Ganges

By Hemant Kumar

A gripping tale of friendship, resistance, endurance, power, corruption, and the courage to beat it all, Prey By The Ganges is the debut attempt of Hemant Kumar. And what a debut!

This clearly is among the most captivating books I’ve read in a long time.

Set around the Independence era, the book offers a very real and earthy image of India (esp. Bihar) back then.

This book certainly has it all. From a very invigorating book cover, to the heart-felt and wondrous acknowledgement that got me hooked to the author’s narrative skill, to the story of course.

The taut and gripping plot makes this book “unputdownable”! So, the story opens with the gruesome death of Ravi, Vaidya Shambhu Nanadan’s best friend (in fact the only friend) near the banks of the holy Ganges. Shambhu, accompanied by a very loyal and trust-worthy servant Hariya see Ravi brutally beaten by dacoits. Ravi breathes his last in Shambu’s lap.

The story traces their backgrounds and the reason of Ravi, Shambhu and Hariya being near the river on a full-moon night. Shambhu sets out to complete Ravi’s initial set plan, and to seek answers from the murderer and yes, to avenge the death of his friend. You witness the story of the feudal lords – the two brothers – Thakur Gajanan Singh of Narainpur and Thakur Suraj Singh of Janak Ganj, who thrive on power and lust and emotions that rule the head not the heart; the glamorous thakurain catching the fancy of most men; the mystery of the diamond…and oh so much more!

I do not plan on giving out any details. It is for you to pick up and read and find out. With its language so rich and lucid that it makes you read without a break; a plot so thick that it engulfs you in its depth; suspense and thrill so mesmerizing that keep you at the edge of your seat as you turn the pages; and the characters so real that one could almost see them around you; the book delivers the satisfaction (of reading a thriller) to the tee!

It was a pleasure reading this book. And I, for one, look forward to the sequel.

Book Review of “Sybil” By Flora Rheta Schreiber

Sybil

By Flora Rheta Schreiber

I don’t know where to begin from and what to write. What shocked me most was the ideation of the novel. The issue of child abuse, put in one of the most horrifying ways, makes this a difficult book to “just read” through.
The book is about split personalities (MPD- Multiple Personality Disorder) that is a by-product of child abuse essentially.

 

 

Sybil is said to be a true story based on one of the most severe cases of MPD and child abuse in history. It portrays sexual, physical and emotional abuse by the hands of a mentally disturbed mother. It reveals the different personalities living within one woman (Sybil), in the course of (about) twenty years of her life that the book spans. As clichéd as it may sound, the pain and horrid incidents reflected in the book are sure to send a chill down your spine.

In 1954, New York psychiatrist Cornelia Wilbur has a new client –a thin, nervous young woman complaining of unusual back outs. She speaks of losing time, fading in and out of consciousness over erratic time frames (sometimes hours, sometimes days). She speaks of finding herself in new cities and town, in clothes she never remembered buying. Dr. Wilbur takes her through a routine course of treatment until the day she meets “Vicky”- another personality inhabiting Sybil’s body. Dr. Wilbur realizes that Sybil is a case of MPD (an almost unheard of disorder back then) and she would have to dig deeper in to the case. Slowly about 16 personalities rise from within Sybil (including two male alters, Mike and Sid). The sophisticated Vicky was the “record keeper” of the selves, holding back the memories too painful for Sybil and the others to know. Peggy Lou was the repository of Sybil’s anger–defiant, belligerent, contemptuous of Sybil and terrified of breaking glass; Vanessa, a redhead with impressive musical talent. Some, like Ruthie, were barely more than toddlers mentally. It was the beginning of an emotionally exhausting eleven-year journey to make a fractured human being whole again.

The agony of a six (or seven) year old suffering from rape, and inexplicable, unnecessary forced enemas, and other forms of physical and sexual abuse compose the chilling tale. The torture ended only with Sybil’s death.

This by far is one of the most nerve wrenching reads of all time, for me. But a must have!

(Book Review by Sanjana Kapoor)