Book Review: Karma by Kevin Missal

Karma

Author: Kevin Missal

Publisher: Kalamos Literary Services LLP

Rating: 2/5

Targeting the social evils like inter-caste marriages and questioning the judicial system, ‘Karma’ turns out to be a quick short read. The story begins in the flash back when a woman is raped and killed and the murderers escape, leaving the body hidden. 8 years later, Urvi, the protagonist’s wife makes her appearance felt. The only unfortunate part is that she is no longer a human.

Crafted very precisely, this book will not take much of your time as it is not only fast paced but also comes with lucid narration. Since the main focus was only on the storyline, the character sketch did not come out beautifully.  The cover of the book is catchy and resembles more to a horror genre.

The major drawback is the poor editing and proofreading. I had read the author’s previous work and it comes as a disappointment that yet again, the author has ignored the importance of good language. Use of words like ‘babe’ spoilt the horror for me.

The book could have been better.

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Book Review: Window Seat by Yashluv Virvani

Window Seat

Author: Yashluv Virwani

Publisher: Half Baked Beans

Rating: 3.5/5

“Be genuinely interested in everyone you meet and everyone you meet will be genuinely interested in you.”

~Rasheed Ogunlaru

Life is unpredictable, yet it is possible to connect the threads together and form an opinion. ‘Window Seat’ is an anthology of short stories that are inspired from our day to day lives. It is the minute things that matter the most and if we focus on them instead of making a mountain of a molehill, we can understand life better. With an apt title, ‘Window Seat’ is a book that touches your heart. I cannot refrain from praising the title; it is so relatable. A window seat is the first choice of many as people see life pass by in different forms. The entire concept of watching and penning down the various stories belonging to random people is commendable.

The author has done a fabulous job of narrating stories and keeping them different from each other. None of the stories are related. But still, a common thought that hovered in my mind was the exemplary skills of observation and narration.

The real pleasure lies in reading each story that is not only fast-paced but also gripping. The cover is pleasant, the blurb is apt and the content is perfect for a light mood. With fitted use of twists and turns in the tales, the book has the potential to leave an indelible impact on your mind. Though philosophical, yet the life lessons are worth giving a shot.

Barring few grammatical and punctuation errors, the book is a delightful read.

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Book Review: Rafflesia- The Banished Princess by Gautam

Rafflesia

Author: Gautam

Publisher: Frog Books

Rating: 3/5

Who doesn’t like to live in a cloud cuckoo land? Who doesn’t like the fairy tale endings? And why shouldn’t one like such stories? There are plenty reasons for liking the impractical and irrational life, for one cannot find the same contentment in reality!

‘Rafflesia’ revolves around a similar concept where the protagonist admires the life of Rafflesia (a banished princess’ story) and desires to become like her- live in a world like her's where there is no one to pierce the delicate bubble of happiness. But soon he is exposed to the flip side of the coin- the side characterized by the blasts of winter. Life isn’t a bowl of cherries and this realization comes down heavily on Appu, for his belief in fairytales lets him succumb to the facade of make belief.

The storyline is good; it portrays the bond of friendship between Appu and Rahul. But on the same lines, the desperate attempt to make the title look relatable to the plot is very evident. The author doesn’t refrain from mentioning the name of the book time and again in the chapters. The story oscillates between the past and the present life of Appu and the narration brings out essence beautifully. Barring the grammatical errors and incorrect vocabulary (for an instance: incorrect use of the word vowed), the setting and the atmosphere of the story are overwhelming.

The story lacks connection. The monotonous descriptive paragraphs could have easily been skipped and the page count could have been reduced. With a misleading blurb and cover, the story offers something that is not even remotely related to what the first impression might be. Nevertheless, the positive aspect of the book is that it makes the readers realize that every cloud has a silver lining and it is these fairy tales that come to our rescue. We have to learn to dream and believe. The book also stresses the importance of friends in life. ‘Blood is thicker than water’- the story proves this adage wrong as the relationship shared by Rahul and Appu surpasses all doubts.

Overall, I would like to congratulate the author for his debutant work.

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Book Courtesy: ARUDHA