Book Review: Peter Swanson's Every Vow You Break

 I had read three of Peter Swanson’s previous works (The Kind Worth Killing, Her Every Fear, All the Beautiful Lies and Nine Lives) and except for the last one, I found them to be fairly entertaining, fast paced reads. So, when I came across ‘Every Vow You Break’ in an online sale, I couldn’t resist buying it. The cover design was kind of attractive ( with something about a honey moon gone wrong mentioned as a tag line) and the title also was kind of promising!

So, we have our protagonist, Abigail Baskin who has married Bruce Lamb, a multi-millioniare . Her super rich husband is taking her to an idyllic island resort for their honeymoon and her life seems perfect . However there she stumbles upon a charming stranger , who seems to have some unfinished Bussiness with her. Pretty soon, she realises that nothing is what it seems and she has to take some really bold decisions to outrun the lies that is looming over he marriage!

Every Vow you Break is more of a domestic thriller and I must say that this one was a pretty quick read for me. The first 150 pages or so were really entertaining and eventful. However as soon as the mystery was getting revealed, the story started losing it’s steam and by the time the final revelation was made, I couldn’t help thinking how disappointed I was with this thriller. The whole ‘scheme’ about the ‘pay-back’ and the ‘cult’ was outright shoddy, I must say. The  climax was unconvincing , to say the least!

On the whole, though this one is a fast read, as a thriller this one disappoints because of the shoddy climax!

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: The Tenant by Freida Mcfadden

 I am a great fan of Freida Mcfadden and I have read almost everything written by her till date (including her kindle works). Though known for fast paced reads, I must confess that her last few works didn't impress me much. Crash was a crashing bore and the boy friend was an average fare. So I had kept my expectations on check when I picked up this one.

The Tenant is the story of a financially broke couple , Blake and Kate. To make good for their dire financial status, they decide to take in a paying guest. But pretty soon, they start to realise that their new 'Tenant' , might not be the person whom they initially thought to be and might have sinister plans behind her. The book is fast paced and has a fresh premise . Undoubtedly this one is Freida's recent best.

On the whole, this one is an above average read. One twist (which appears towards the end of the second half of the book ) is really good but the climax twist and the tail end ones are pretty unconvincing.

-nikhimenon

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ചുവന്ന കല്ലറ (റോബിൻ റോയ് )

 

മലയാളത്തിൽ ക്രൈം ഫിക്ഷൻ എഴുതാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുന്നയാളെന്ന നിലയിൽ ശ്രദ്ധയിൽപ്പെടുന്ന , പല ഭാഷകളിലായുള്ള ക്രൈം ഫിക്ഷൻ രചനകൾ തേടിപ്പിടിച്ച് വായിക്കാൻ ശ്രമിക്കാറുണ്ട് . ഇൻസ്റ്റാ റീലുകൾ കണ്ട് ശ്രദ്ധിച്ച , നവാഗതനായ റോബിൻ റോയ്  എഴുതിയ 'ചുവന്ന കല്ലറ ' എന്ന നോവൽ വായനയ്ക്കായി എത്തപ്പെട്ടത് അങ്ങനെയാണ് .

പുസ്തകത്തിന്റെ കവർ ചിത്രവും ടൈറ്റിലും സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നത് പോലെ ഇതൊരു പൾപ്പ് നോവലാണ് .('ജനപ്രിയം ' വായനയ്ക്കായി എടുത്തിട്ട് ഇതിൽ 'സാഹിത്യത്വം  ' ഇല്ലേ എന്ന് പരിഭവം തോന്നാനിടയുള്ളവർക്കായി മുൻകൂട്ടി സൂചിപ്പിച്ചു എന്നേയുള്ളൂ ). ഒന്ന് കൂടി വ്യക്തമായി പറഞ്ഞാൽ തൊണ്ണൂറുകളിലും , രണ്ടായിരങ്ങളുടെ ആദ്യ പാദങ്ങൾ വരേയും ജനപ്രിയ വാരികകളിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ചു പോന്നിരുന്ന പൾപ്പ് നോവലുകളുടെ 'വൈബ് ' പിന്തുടരുന്ന നോവലാണ് ഇത് . 

ഫെലിക്സ് എന്ന റിട്ടയേർഡ് പോലീസ് ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥൻ ഒരു സർവീസ് സ്റ്റോറി എഴുതാൻ തീരുമാനിക്കുന്നു . അതിനായി അയാളെ സമീപിക്കുന്ന രാമചന്ദ്രൻ എന്ന (പത്രപ്രവർത്തകൻ ) എഴുത്തുകാരനുമായി    തന്റെ സർവീസ് ജീവിതത്തിൽ, തന്നെ ഏറ്റവുമധികം വേട്ടയാടിയ 'ബെന്നറ്റ് ' എന്ന സഹപ്രവർത്തകന്റെ ദുരൂഹ മരണത്തെക്കുറിച്ചും  അതുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട് താൻ നടത്തിയ അന്വേഷണങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ചും   അയാൾ പങ്കു വെക്കുന്നു . തുടർന്ന് രാമചന്ദ്രൻ , പ്രസ്തുത അന്വേഷണത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് വിശദമായി എഴുതുന്നു . വർഷങ്ങൾക്ക് മുൻപ് നടന്ന ആ അന്വേഷണവും , രാമചന്ദ്രൻ ആ പുസ്തകത്തിൽ എഴുതാതെ വിട്ടു കളഞ്ഞ ഭാഗങ്ങളുമാണ് 'ചുവന്ന കല്ലറ ' എന്ന ഈ ചെറു ത്രില്ലർ നോവലിന്റെ ഇതിവൃത്തം.

ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള ഒരു നോവലിന് ഏറ്റവും വേണ്ട 'റീഡബിലിറ്റി ' എന്ന ഘടകം ഈ നോവലിന് നന്നായി ഉണ്ടെന്നത് തന്നെയാണ് ഇതിന്റെ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ മേന്മയായി എനിക്ക് തോന്നിയത് . കൃത്യമായ ഇടവേളകളിൽ സംഭവിക്കുന്ന ട്വിസ്റ്റുകളും , അനാവശ്യ ഉപകഥകളിലേക്ക് പോകാതെയുള്ള ചടുലമായ അവതരണവും genre fiction വായിക്കുവാൻ താല്പര്യമുള്ള വായനക്കാർക്ക് ഈ നോവൽ മോശമല്ലാത്ത ഒരു വായനാനുഭവം സമ്മാനിക്കും എന്ന് തന്നെയാണ് എനിക്ക് തോന്നുന്നത് . ഒരു സാധാരണ ക്രൈം നോവൽ ആയി മാറിപ്പോയേക്കാമായിരുന്ന ഈ കഥയെ മറ്റൊരു തലത്തിലേക്ക് ഉയർത്തുന്നത് , ഇതിന്റെ അവസാന ഭാഗങ്ങളാണ്  (ഫെലിക്സ് -രാമചന്ദ്രൻ final revelation ).

ഇത്തരത്തിലൊരു നോവൽ ആയത് കൊണ്ട് തന്നെ ഭാഷാപരമായി പുതുമകൾ തേടുന്നതിൽ അർത്ഥമില്ലെങ്കിലും അങ്ങിങ്ങായി കടന്നു വരുന്ന ചില നറേഷൻ പിശകുകളും (ചിലയിടങ്ങളിൽ ഫസ്റ്റ് പേഴ്സൺ ആഖ്യാനത്തിൽ നിന്നും തേർഡ് പേഴ്സൺ ആഖ്യാനത്തിലേക്ക് jump shift സംഭവിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്.  ആദ്യ ഭാഗങ്ങളിലെ ഡയറി പോർഷൻസ് ഒക്കെയും ഇക്കാരണത്താൽ ആശയക്കുഴപ്പം ഉളവാക്കുന്നുണ്ട്),  അക്ഷര തെറ്റുകളും ഒഴിവാക്കാമായിരുന്നു എന്ന് തോന്നി . പോസ്റ്റ് മോർട്ടം രംഗങ്ങളിലെ ചില സാങ്കേതികപ്പിഴവുകളും മറ്റും   (രാത്രി പോസ്റ്റ് മോർട്ടം ചെയ്യുന്ന ഡോക്ടർ / ചില്ലു ഭരണികളിലെ തലച്ചോറുകൾ / ടേബിളിലെ viscera തുറന്നു വെച്ച മൃത ശരീരങ്ങൾ ) പഴയ കാല പൾപ്പ് നോവലുകളെ അനുസ്മരിപ്പിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്  . നോവലിൽ ഉടനീളം ട്വിസ്റ്റുകൾ ഉണ്ടെങ്കിലും , അല്പം കൂടി വികസിപ്പിച്ചിരുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ അവയ്‌ക്കൊക്കെയും അല്പം കൂടി ഇമ്പാക്ട് സാധ്യമാവുമായിരുന്നു എന്ന് തോന്നി  (skeleton identity , ancy portions ). കഥ വേഗം പറഞ്ഞു തീർക്കാനുള്ള വ്യഗ്രത കൊണ്ടാവണം ചിലയിടങ്ങളിലെങ്കിലും ഒരു amateur feel ജനിപ്പിക്കുന്നുണ്ട് നോവൽ ( ഫെലിക്സിന്റെ character establishment , sunny -ancy episode ) ഫെലിക്സ് എന്ന കേന്ദ്ര കഥാപാത്ര നിർമ്മിതിയിലും ഒരൽപ്പം ക്ളീഷേ ഫീൽ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു . എങ്കിലും എഴുത്തുകാരന്റെ ആദ്യ നോവൽ എന്ന നിലയിൽ ഇവയെല്ലാം ഒരു പരിധി വരെ അവഗണിക്കാം എന്ന് തോന്നുന്നു . ലക്ഷണമൊത്ത ആദ്യ നോവൽ എഴുതുവാൻ ആർക്കാണ് സാധിക്കുക ?

നോവലിന്റെ ജനുസ്സ് മനസ്സിലാക്കിയാൽ വലിയ കല്ലുകടികൾ ഇല്ലാതെ, ഉദ്വെഗം ചോരാതെ  വളരെ വേഗത്തിൽ വായിച്ചു പൂർത്തിയാക്കാൻ പറ്റുന്ന ഒന്നാണ് 'ചുവന്ന കല്ലറ '. 

റോബിൻ റോയ് എന്ന എഴുത്തുകാരന് ഇനിയും മികച്ച രചനകൾ സാധ്യമാവും എന്ന് തന്നെയാണ് വിശ്വാസം , ആശംസകളോടെ

- നിഖിലേഷ്‌ മേനോൻ

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Book Review: Suicide Med by Freida Mcfadden

 

I am such a huge fan of Freida Mcfadden that I will read literally anything written by her.So

I couldn't resist picking it up when I stumbled across this one (which is her thriller debut and had first released almost a decade back only to get it a re-edit and release, with a different title (Dead Med) recently as she herself had felt the earlier version to be too long and too 'weird' ) in a used book store. 'Suicide Med' is no longer in print legitimately and at 500+ pages length, this one is Freida's longest novel till date!

Set in a fictional medical school named Southside Medschool, Suicide Med is the story of a few medical students, Heather, Abie, Ginny, Mason and Rachel and the equation they share with their Anatomy Professor, Dr Conlon. The medical school Itself has it's own grisly history of student suicides.

Mason, the brilliant first year medical student and new joinee, believes that their quirky but beloved Anatomy professor, Dr Conlon might have something to do with the student suicides and he starts investigating them, but little did he know about the box of secrets which he was about to unravel, in the process!

To give it's due, Suicide Med was Freida's first thriller and it got released much before she became a global sensation. Understandably, it's a poorly edited, over long work with a plot which is all over the place. At times, it reads like Dona Tartt's Secret History, sans the nuances and the craft of the same. Though the plot is all over the place, the brilliance of the author in making even this one an eminently readable fare is worth mentioning.The portions involving Rachel and Heather are really fast paced and entertaining.

On the downside, as I mentioned earlier, the plot is all over the place, and the version I read had a really weird plot line involving Abe and his congenital deformity. Those portions are really poorly written and never comes across as a convincing sub plot. The characters lack any kind of depth and I didn't really fathom the bit about Ginny drugging X (mild spoiler alert). The tail end portions involving the grown up Ginny was also meh!

On the whole, if you are a die hard fan of the author and have read everything else written by her, you can give this one a try, otherwise, you can give this one a miss!

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: ‘ഫ്രൈഡേ ഫോറെൻസിക് ക്ലബ്' (രജത് ആർ)

ഡോ രജത് ആർ എഴുതി ഇതിനോടകം തന്നെ വായനക്കാരുടെ പ്രിയപ്പെട്ടതായി തീർന്ന പുസ്തകമാണ് ‘ഫ്രൈഡേ ഫോറെൻസിക് ക്ലബ്’ . എഴുത്തുകാരന്റെ ആദ്യ നോവലായ ഒന്നാം ഫോറെൻസിക്ക് അദ്ധ്യായത്തിലെ പ്രധാന കഥാപാത്രമായ ഡോ അരുൺ ബാലൻ ഐ പി എസ് വീണ്ടും വരുന്ന നോവൽ എന്ന വിശേഷണവുമായി എത്തിയ നോവൽ മൂന്ന് ഫോറെൻസിക്ക് കേസ്സുകൾ കൃത്യമായി കോർത്തിണക്കിയ ഒരു 'കേസ് സീരീസ് ' നോവലാണ് .

ഒരുപാട് മെഡിക്കൽ / ടെക്‌നിക്കൽ കാര്യങ്ങൾ കടന്ന് വരുന്നുണ്ടെങ്കിലും അവയെല്ലാം വളരെ ലളിതമായി, മടുപ്പിക്കാത്ത രീതിയിൽ, മികച്ച ഭാഷയിൽ അവതരിപ്പിക്കുവാൻ സാധിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട് എന്നതാണ് ഈ പുസ്തകത്തിന്റെ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ മേന്മയായി എനിക്ക് തോന്നിയത് . നോവലിൽ കടന്ന് വരുന്ന മൂന്ന് കേസുകളും ആവർത്തന വിരസത തോന്നിക്കാത്തവയാണെന്നതും , കഥകളിലോ നോവലുകളിലോ അധികം കണ്ട് /കേട്ട് ശീലിച്ചിട്ടില്ലാത്ത മെഡിക്കൽ സാങ്കേതികത്വങ്ങൾ കൈകാര്യം ചെയ്യുന്നവയാണെന്നതും പുസ്തകത്തെ ഒരു മികച്ച വായനാനുഭവം ആക്കിത്തീർക്കുന്നുണ്ട് .

X ജംക്ഷൻ , Z ജനറേഷൻ , Y ജീൻ എന്നിങ്ങനെ മൂന്ന് കേസുകളും പിന്നെ പാതിയിൽ പറഞ്ഞവസാനിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ‘നിലാവലി കേസ്’ എന്നിങ്ങനെ നാല് കേസുകളാണ് ഈ നോവലിൽ ഉള്ളത് . (ഫോറെൻസിക്ക് ക്ലബ് എന്ന രചനാ സങ്കേതത്തിലൂടെ ഈ കേസുകളെ കൂട്ടിയിണക്കി നോവലിന്റെ രൂപത്തിലാക്കിയിട്ടുണ്ട് എഴുത്തുകാരൻ ).

ടോക്സിക്കോളജിയിലേയും മോഡേൺ മെഡിസിനിലേയും നിരവധി വിവരങ്ങൾ രചനാ സങ്കേതങ്ങളായി ഉപയോഗിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടെങ്കിലും നരേറ്റീവ് ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്ന നാടകീയതയും ,ക്ലിഫ് ഹാങ്ങർ എൻഡിങ്ങുകളും നോവലിൽ ഉൾക്കൊള്ളിച്ചിട്ടുള്ളത് genre ആരാധകരെ തൃപ്തിപ്പെടുത്തും എന്ന് തന്നെയാണ് എനിക്ക് തോന്നിയത് . രണ്ടാം കേസ്സിലെ സ്നേഹയുടെ മരണവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടുള്ള ചോദ്യത്തിന് "കാലന്റെ വാഹനത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള വിഷം " എന്ന മറുപടി നൽകുന്നതൊക്കെ ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള ശ്രമങ്ങളായാണ് തോന്നിയത് .

കൃത്യമായ തുടക്കവും , ഒടുക്കവുമുള്ള ഈ മൂന്ന് കേസ്സുകളിൽ ഏറ്റവും ഫ്രഷ് ആയിട്ടുള്ള ക്ലൈമാക്സ് റിവീൽ ഉള്ളത് ഒരു പക്ഷെ ഒടുവിലെ കഥയായ 'Y' ജീൻ നാവും .ഒരു ആശുപത്രിയുടെ ക്രിട്ടിക്കൽ ഐ സി യൂവിൽ പ്രവേശിപ്പിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന പഴയ കാല സിനിമാ താരത്തിന്റെ ജീവിതത്തിലെ ദുരൂഹതകളിൽ നിന്ന് തുടങ്ങി , disputed paternity സംഘർഷങ്ങളിലൂടെ സഞ്ചരിച്ച് അപ്രതീക്ഷിതമായ ക്ളൈമാക്സിൽ അവസാനിക്കുന്ന ഈ കേസ് തീർച്ചയായും മലയാള കുറ്റാന്വേഷണ നോവൽ ശ്രമങ്ങളിലെ ധീരമായ പരീക്ഷണം തന്നെയാണ് .

ഫോറൻസിക് ക്ലബിന്റെ ആരംഭത്തിൽ പരാമർശിക്കുന്ന നിലാവലി കേസുമായി അരുൺ ബാലൻ തിരിച്ചെത്തും എന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ചു കൊണ്ട് ..

-നിഖിലേഷ്‌ മേനോൻ

 

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Book Review: Do Not Disturb By Freida Mcfadden

 

It’s another Sunday and I am back with Yet another Freida Mcfadden. ‘Do Not Distrub’ is one of the earlier works of Freida which has got a Paperback version recently and I couldn’t help picking this one up as soon as it got released. This one is more of a fast paced Domestic Thriller which you can devour in one sitting and has that typical Freida Mcfadden signature all over it .

This one starts off with a Bang. Quinn Alexander has just killed her super-rich husband and she is on the run. But an unexpected snow storm forces her to take refuge at a broken down inn, the isolated Baxter hotel located in the outskirts of the City. But pretty sure, she figures out that the Baxter’s Motel might not be that safe place to be in and the handsome and kindly owner of the place, Nick Baxter might have sinister plans for her!

Told from Multiple Perspectives, (besides Quinn, we have Rosalie-the hotelier’s wife, Claudia (Quinn’s Sister), Rob (Claudia’s husband) narrating the story at different points), ‘Do Not Disturb’ is a  real page – turner. Though Freida has used this same narrative trope (of a young woman getting stranded in an isolated Home/Hotel due to poor weather) years later in ‘Crash’ , this one still feels fresh as some of  the twists are really good (that twist involving Claudia was really good) and the narrative really fast paced .

On the down side, I felt that a few of the climax reveals were a bit of a let down (especially the one involving ,Greta’) and some of the characters are not really worth sympathising for.  Neverthless,these minor flaws aside,  this one delivers as a really enjoyable pop-corn read!

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: ഛായാ മരണം

 നാലഞ്ച് വർഷങ്ങൾക്ക് മുൻപ് പുറത്തിറങ്ങുകയും പരിമിതമായ വായന ലഭിക്കുകയും ചെയ്ത ലിറ്ററെറി മിസ്റ്ററി നോവലാണ് ഛായാ മരണം.

ഒരു ഐ ടി കമ്പനിയിൽ സംഭവിക്കുന്ന ഒരു തിരോധനം /മരണവും അതിനെ ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റിയുള്ള അന്വേഷണവും ഒക്കെയാണ് പ്രധാന കഥാതന്തുവെങ്കിലും പ്രധാന കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളായ സിദ്ധാർത്ഥൻ, അരുണിമ, സിസിലി എന്നിവരുടെ relationship dynamics കൂടി പ്രധാന കഥയോളം തന്നെ പ്രാധാന്യത്തോടെ ഈ നോവലിൽ കടന്ന് വരുന്നുണ്ട്. ഗണിത ശാസ്ത്ര പ്രശ്നം /mathematical puzzle സോൾവ് ചെയ്യുന്നത് പോലുള്ള കുറ്റാന്വേഷണം ആണ് പുസ്തകത്തിലെങ്കിലും ഇതിലെ ഇൻവെസ്റ്റികഷൻ ഭാഗങ്ങളെക്കാളും എനിക്കിഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടത് ഈ നോവലിൻറെ ഭാഷയും ഇതിലെ character study യുമാണ്. The investigation portions and the climax revelations were a bit of a let down in my opinion.

മലയാളത്തിൽ 'literariness' ഉള്ള കുറ്റാന്വേഷണ നോവലുകൾ ഇറങ്ങുന്നില്ല /മലയാള സാഹുത്യത്തത്തെ പോപ്പുലർ ഫിക്ഷൻ കാർ എന്തോ ബലാൽ കാരം ചെയ്യുന്നു/ മലയാള ക്രൈം ഫിക്ഷൻ മുഴുവൻ വിദേശ കൃതികളുടെ അനുകരണം ആണ് എന്നൊക്കെ പരിഭവമുള്ളവർക്ക് തീർച്ചയായും വായിച്ചു നോക്കാവുന്ന പുസ്തകം.

-നിഖിലേഷ് മേനോൻ

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Book Review: Reels By Berly Thomas

 

 രണ്ടായിരങ്ങളുടെ ആദ്യ പാദം മുതലുള്ള ഒന്നര ദശാബ്ദത്തോളം കാലം ബ്ലോഗുലകത്തിലെ സൂപ്പർ സ്റ്റാറായിരുന്നു ബെർളി തോമസ്. പിൽകാലത്ത് അദ്ദേഹം ബ്ലോഗ് എഴുത്തു നിർത്തിയെങ്കിലും പത്ര പ്രവർത്തകൻ എന്ന നിലയിലും, നോവലിസ്റ്റ് എന്ന നിലയിലും അദ്ദേഹം സജീവമായിരുന്നു. അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ നാലാമത്തെയോ അഞ്ചാമത്തെയോ നോവലാണെങ്കിലും ഞാൻ ആദ്യമായി വായിക്കുന്ന നോവലാണ് മനോരമ ബുക്ക്സ് പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ച റീൽസ്.

വിക്ടറും സുഹൃത്തും ഒരു പുതിയ യൂട്യൂബ് ചാനൽ തുടങ്ങുന്നു. സിനിമാ സംബന്ധിയായ ഒരു ചാനൽ ആയത് കൊണ്ട് തന്നെ ചാനലിന്റെ റീച്ച് കൂട്ടുവാൻ വേണ്ടി ഒന്ന് രണ്ട് ചെറുകിട സിനിമാ നടന്മാരെയും നടിമാരെയും അഭിമുഖം ചെയ്‌താൽ നല്ലതാകുമെന്ന് വിക്ടറും സുഹൃത്തും തീരുമാനിക്കുകയും അവർ പ്രിയങ്ക എന്ന പുതുമുഖ നടിയിലേക്ക് എത്തുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. പ്രിയങ്ക സിനിമയിൽ എത്തണം എന്ന അതിയായ ആഗ്രഹത്തോടെ തന്റെ ആദ്യ സിനിമയിൽ അവസരം ലഭിച്ച സന്തോഷത്തിലാണ്. എന്നാൽ അവിചാരിതമായി അവൾക്ക് ഒരുപാട് പ്രതിസന്ധികൾ നേരിടേണ്ടി വരുന്നു. കുടുംബത്തിൽ നിന്ന് തന്നെയാണ് തന്റെ പ്രധാന ശത്രു എന്ന് മനസ്സിലാക്കുന്ന അവളുടെ രക്ഷകനായി അപരിചിതനായ വിക്ടർ മാറുന്നതും തുടർന്നുണ്ടാകുന്ന സംഭവവികാസങ്ങളുമാണ് നോവലിന്റെ കാതൽ.

ജനപ്രിയമെന്നും, പൈങ്കിളി യെന്നുമെല്ലാം കൺവെൻഷനലി വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന ജനുസ്സിൽപെട്ട നോവലാണ് റീൽസ് എന്ന് പറയുമ്പോഴും ഇപ്പോൾ ഇൻസ്റ്റാ ഫീഡുകളിൽ ട്രെൻഡിംഗ് ആയി ഓടിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന പലതിനേക്കാളും readability ഉള്ള നോവലാണിത് എന്നാണ് വ്യക്തിപരമായ അഭിപ്രായം. കഥാന്ത്യത്തോടുക്കുമ്പോൾ ക്‌ളീഷേകളുടെ കുത്തൊഴുക്കാണെങ്കിലും, എഴുപതുകൾ മുതൽ തന്നെ സിനിമയിലുള്ള കാസ്റ്റിങ് കൌച്ച് ഇപ്പോഴും നിർബാധം തുടരുന്നു എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞുവെക്കുന്നുണ്ട് ഈ നോവൽ.റീൽസ് എന്നാണ് ടൈറ്റിൽ എങ്കിലും ഒരു യൂട്യൂബ് ചാനൽ കടന്നു വരുന്നു ണ്ടെങ്കിലും ടൈറ്റിലുമായി വലിയ ബന്ധമൊന്നും നോവലിനില്ല.

ആകെത്തുകയിൽ ശരാശരി വായനാനുഭവം.

-നിഖിലേഷ് മേനോൻ.

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Book Review: The Perfect Son By Freida Mcfadden

 The Perfect Son is a generic thriller from Freida Mcfadden.

The book was originally released in kindle a few years back and is out on paperback now.

A mother trying to save her son who is accused for a murder is a pretty much generic thriller trope. Though a couple of recent best- sellers from T. M logan and Gillian Mc Allister T. M Logan have had the same theme, I still picked this one up as I am a die-hard fan of the author and I will read literally anything published by the author.

Erika Cass and Jason are living a quiet happy life with their teenage son, Liam and daughter Hannah. Liam is having some childhood issues and one day he is accused of murdering his girl friend Olivia, who has suddenly gone missing. What happens next is what this thriller is all about.

The basic problem with this thriller is that nothing much really happens for a larger part of the narrative. The false red herrings dont have much of an impact and that half baked back story about Erika's father only serves to add to the length of the book. The characters are hard to sympathise with and the big climax revelation also comes across as rushed and unconvincing.

The narrative is fast paced as any other Mcfadden thriller.

On the whole, this one is pretty average stuff!

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: Do You Remember by Freida Mcfadden

 'Do You Remember ?' is yet another generic thriller by Freida Mcfadden and after reading this one I can confidently say that there aren't many like Freida  who can consistently deliver fast paced pop- corn reads even from the most derivative plot lines!

Do You Remember is also one of the earlier kindle works of Freida which has got a paperback version recently.The core idea is almost similar to Gillian McAllister's 'Wrong Place Wrong Time' (which came a couple of years later to this book), 'Fifty First Dates' and 'Before I go to Sleep' where the main protagonist is having memory issues. Tess Strebel, our heroine is having short term memory loss and she can retain her recent memory only for a single day. So every day, she is waking up, next to her husband Gragam with no memory of the previous day and she has to solely rely on the letters which he has written for herself to make good for the patches in her memory. Her memory is stuck seven years back at a time she was about to get engaged to her long term boy friend, Harry Finch. 

If You have read 'Wrong Place Wrong Time' or seen any of the Movies which i have mentioned earlier, I hope you will get a hang of what i have tried to say and that exactly is how this fast paced thriller pan out.

This one (though pretty generic and has predictable tropes at it's disposal) moves at break-neck speed and I am pretty sure that if You have started reading this one , you won't keep it down without finishing it. This one has got one of the most stupid and implausible endings which you can ever imagine, but I kind of liked the 'newness' of it, it was so-bad-that-it was good- kind of twist, I must say!

On the whole, this one is a cheesy pop corn read which never takes itself too seriously!

-nikhimenon

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2024: The best Crime Fiction Reads of the Year

 

It's that time of the year where we reminisce about the best and the worst of the year gone by. This is my year ended list of the year's best thriller reads of the year gone by .(Some of the books in this list released in the previous years, it's just that I managed to read them only in 2024). So, here goes the list of thrillers which really impressed me in 2024.

1) Home before Dark (Riley Sager)- This genre bender mixes elements of mystery, crime and Horror in a Victorian setting. Like most of Riley Sager's previous works, this one is a real page turner. Told in two perspectives ( the past- Ewan Holt's 'House of Horrors ' bookand the present- Maggie's present day), this one builds up intrigue and tension and comes up with a twist that is sure to blow up your perceptions until then. Some of the jump scare moments are also nicely done.So , if you are looking for a page turning mystery with a little bit of horror elements thrown in, pick this one up!

2.The Teacher (Freida Mcfadden)- is an edge-of-the-seat popcorn thriller. Eve Bennett is the Maths teacher at the local high school, Caseham High. She has a beautiful house, a fulfilling career and a super handsome husband, Nathaniel Bennett. All is as it should be. But it’s then Caseham high is rocked by a scandal involving a student teacher affair, with one student, Addie Severson , at it’s centre. The teacher involved in the scandal is disgraced and leaves the school and Addie joins the class tutored by Eve. But Eve’s real problem starts when she realizes that the troubled kid is also assigned to her husband, Nat for teaching English.

Devoid of too many characters , ‘The Teacher’ is a really engaging thriller.

The twists are hard to predict and just as you believe that you have figured out the ending , Frieda pulls the rug out from under your feet with a really surprising plot twist making this one a really addictive thriller.

3) The Final Curtain (Kiego Higashino) -is a highly entertaining read. The typical Higashino style is unmissable in the plotting, twists and the slow unravel of the mystery. Though there are quite a number of characters , this one is primarily the story of Hiromi, a former actress and Director. Her exchanges with Detective Kaga are the high points of this book (this title is also incidentally the last one in Kigashino’s Detective Kaga series).The author’s attention to detail is pretty evident in most of the crucial scenes of the book and though there are multiple story arcs in the third act, the smooth narrative makes sure that there is no unnecessary cluttering playing the spoilsport for the unassuming reader. Japan’s nuclear history also has been deftly woven into the narrative and contributes as an important plot point.

Higashino is a master of suspense.This one is a solid police procedural which blends psychological realism and hitchcockian mystery.

4) Butter (Azako Yuzuki)- Perhaps, the odd one out in this list, Butter is not your conventional pop- corn thriller, but still it finds a place in this list for it's imaginative plotting and it's rich cultural flavour. Gourmet cook Manako Kajii is convicted of the serial murders of rich businessmen who she is said to have seduced through her culinary skills. The case captures the nation's imagination and journalists are queuing up to get an interview of her but she refuses to speak to any of them till the smart Rika Machida writes a letter to her asking for her recipe for beef stew which she can't resist to write. What follows is a strange connection between the two . More of a story about hunger, food and hunger than a thriller, this one is an interesting take on the complexities of human mind and behaviour .

5)Yellow Face ( R.F Kuang)- Yet another unconventional entrant in this list, this one is a satire which reads like a thriller in the backdrop of the publishing industry.Juniper Song(June Hayward), a white author steals and rewrites an unpublished Novel by her deceased Asian- American Author friend , to become a global best selling author.

The biggest strength of Yellow Face is that it manages to hook the reader from srtart to finish. There aren’t many characters in this Novel and the story is largely told from June’s point of view. Still,there is never a dull moment in the narrative. H.Kang offers an insider’s view on the publishing industry and also manages to be a social commentary on racial stereotyping. The anxieties and insecurities of new age authors and the futility of social media discourses are also well etched out. Though the book reads like a thriller , I prefer calling this one a satire- (a ruthless and a savage one at that!) .From June’s attempts at sounding ‘more Asian’( her ‘rechristening’ as Juniper Song) to the altercation scene at the Asian writer’s workshop , the critique is unmissable, but at the same time, not all over the place.

So, this my list of the best thrillers of the year gone by.

Among the Malayalam Crime Fiction reads, though I read almost two dozens of them, there weren't many which impressed me. The ones that came close were Dejavu (Maya Kiran), Suspense Gene (Rajad R), B.C 361 (Lijin John and Ranju Kilimanoor), Mystery@Mamangalam (Amith Kumar), Memory Files (Sreeni Ilayoor), Thalaash (Lijin John)

-Nikhilesh Menon R

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Book Review : My Lovely Wife, Samantha Downing

 

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing was a best seller when it released a couple of years back. This one is supposed to be a domestic suspense thriller with a twist (if the endorsement on it's cover is anything to go by!).

Millicent and her husband are married for almost a decade now. They have two kids, Jenna and Rory. They are living their quiet boring life in the suburbs and their marriage is not really going anywhere.But there is a catch - they share a very dark secret!

The story is told in Millicent 's point of view and I must say that this one didn't really work for me. The chapters are really short and the language is pretty simple. Though tauted as a psychological thriller, I found this one to be a boring drama for it's most part.

Why should you waste your time reading pages and pages of really boring everyday chores after picking up a 'thriller', in the first place? Nothing much really happens for almost three fourth of the book and the proceedings get interesting only towards the climax portions. The climax also leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions and the tail end twists ends up as nothing but an over used trope. The unreliable narrator trope also doesnt work that much.

On the whole, I found this one to be a barely passable thriller.

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: Yellow Face by R.F Kuang

 

Yellow Face by R.F Kuang, the latest international best-seller is an interesting novel which tells the story of Juniper Song(June Hayward), a white author who steals and rewrites an unpublished Novel by her deceased Asian- American Author friend , to become a global best selling author.

June Hayward is a struggling, failed white author who is a close acquaintance of Athena Liu, the latest literary sensation. Both of them are celebrating Athena’s recent literary success (a Netflix deal) in a bar . In a bizarre twist of fate, Athena chokes on a pancake and dies instantaneously. Juniper chances upon a nearly finished manuscript which Athena had been working on till then. Though initially clueless about what to do with it, June soon realizes that her deceased friend’s  manuscript might be her ticket to redemption. She steals it , works around a bit and publishes it as her own work. The book becomes an instant best seller, June’s  life takes an upward turn ,but she also makes a few enemies on her way.

The biggest strength of Yellow Face is that it manages to hook the reader from srtart to finish. There aren’t many characters in this Novel and the story is largely told from June’s point of view. Still,there is never a dull moment in the narrative. H.Kang offers an insider’s view on the publishing industry and also manages to be a social commentary on racial stereotyping. The anxieties and insecurities of new age authors and the futility of social media discourses are also well etched out. Though the book reads like a thriller , I prefer calling this one a satire- (a ruthless and a savage one at that!) .From June’s attempts at sounding ‘more Asian’( her ‘rechristening’ as Juniper Song) to the altercation scene at the Asian writer’s workshop , the critique is unmissable, but at the same time, not all over the place.

On the whole, I loved reading this one.

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: Thiruvananthapuram Crime Kadhakal by Adarsh Madhavankutty

 

Thiruvananthapuram Crime Kadhakal ‘ by Adarsh Madhavankutty is an anthology of eight crime stories which are set in Thiruvananthapuram district. The stories feature Manudev, a rookie Police informer, who helps the investigating officers in unsolved cases.

As mentioned before, almost all stories in these compilation take place in and around Thiruvananthapuram and the cases range from a fresh double homicide (Irattakolapaathakam) to an alleged suicide (Punaranweshanam), which happened years ago. The stories are quite short and almost reads like a police procedural which is hardly half a dozen pages long . So each story has got a single page opening bang (the act), the comparatively longer enquiry sequences (forming the large chunk of each of these stories) and a single page long climax (which is mostly rushed). The anthology tries to cover varied varieties of criminal intents (murder) and their execution, albeit in a highly topical manner.

Coming to the positives, this book is a pretty easy read and if you are a fan of those really short crime stories by the likes of Batten Bose , (which used to come out in the late ninetees), you will definitely like this anthology. The language is pretty simple and devoid of any literary pretensions and this short compilation can be done with in a couple of hours. Some of the stories in this collection are interesting and provides the thrill which is expected out of an anthology of this genre.

On the downside, I wish the writer had put in a little bit of an effort to do away with those really amateurish phrases like ‘ avan bikkine meyaan vittittu..’, which are there in plenty. Though the stories are set in the modern era (there are references to watsapp and modern day gadgets), the writing is such a way that most of the stories end up giving a 80’s-90’s vibe (may be that’s an extremely personal opinion). Some of the stories are extremely predictable, with their motives and execution reminding us of the innumerable investigation stories that came out in the last decade.

On the whole, if you are in the mood to read an anthology of short pulp fiction, you can give this one a try.

-nikhimenon

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Book Review:The Coworker by Freida Mcfadden

 The Co-worker by Freida Mcfadden is the kind of book that can be read in one sitting.I devoured this fast paced thriller during a two hour long flight and I must say confess that I enjoyed reading this one.

Natalie and Dawn are coworkers in Vixed, an MNC selling vitamin supplements. While Natalie, the super hot sales executive is the best performing employee of the company, Dawn Shiff works for the company as an accountant and is a bit of a recluse. One fine day, Dawn goes missing and it soon becomes evident that she has been targetted by someone close. Pretty soon the police arrests Natalie for  murdering her co-worker, and  Natalie finds herself caught in a cat and mouse game in which everything is at stake for her.

Like Mcfadden's previous works ( I have read five of her works by now), this one is a fast paced thriller and manages to engage the reader to a very large extend. There are twists happening at regular intervals and there is never a dull moment in the proceedings.

On the downside, I felt that towards the climax, the book fumbles a bit with a couple of loose ends. The portions pertaining to the dead body and the torture preceding it are poorly explained and fails to sound convincing.

However, these minor flaws apart, this one qualifies as a decent fast paced pulp thriller. Yes,  It doesn't break any new grounds in terms of story telling, but it works as a fast paced read.

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: The Teacher by Freida Mcfadden

 It’s Sunday again and I picked up yet another Freida Mcfadden.

‘The Teacher’ is the author’s first release of the year and like her previous works , this one is also an edge-of-the-seat popcorn thriller. Eve Bennett is the Maths teacher at the local high school, Caseham High. She has a beautiful house, a fulfilling career and a super handsome husband, Nathaniel Bennett. All is as it should be. But it’s then  Caseham high is rocked by a scandal involving a student teacher affair, with one student, Addie Severson , at it’s centre. The teacher involved in the scandal is disgraced and leaves the school and Addie joins the class tutored by Eve. But Eve’s real problem starts when she realizes that the troubled kid is also assigned to her husband, Nat for teaching English.

Devoid of too many characters and too many perspectives over crowding and confusing the narrative , ‘The Teacher’ is a really engaging thriller. Besides Eve, Nat and Addie, there are only a handful of characters- (the school bully – Kenzie and her boy friend, Hudson being the most significant of the lot) and this works to it’s advantage as the readers are hooked to the lives of Eve and Addie for the most part.

The twists are hard to predict and just as you believe that you have figured out the ending , Frieda pulls the rug out from under your feet with a really surprising plot twist making this one a really addictive thriller.

Though this pop corn read doesn’t break any new grounds in terms of suspense, full credits to the writer for smartly using even the most conventional narrative tropes to her advantage. For instance, there is a brief portion in the book where the character of Eve, goes missing and at this point, the book could have easily fallen into the regular run-of-the-mill thriller zone, but Mcfadden doesn’t take the easier route there and the readers are rewarded with one brilliant twist after the other from there on. There is a double twist happening towards the end and though I liked the first one (the one involving Eve’s past), I didn’t like the epilogue one (the age time lines confused me there) and I believe Freida could have easily done away with the latter.

On the whole, ‘The Teacher’ is a paisa vasool  pop-corn thriller and I am pretty sure that someone will make a film adaptation of this one soon!

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: 1980 by Anver Abdulla

 

Though Anver Abdulla is an accomplished name in Malayalam Detective fiction (he has given us some genuinely memorable detective Novels like Compartment and Onnaam Saakshi Sethuramaiyyer), not many know that he is also a screenwriter and Director. The writer’s fascination for the film industry has been evident in some of his past work (Operation Blue Star, Republic, Camera- the Novella in ‘Kappal Chethathinte Raathry’). But it is in 1980 (his latest work and the fourth installment in the Detective Perumaal franchise), his knowledge and mastery over the visual medium has come out in full glory.

One  night, an old acquaintance turns up in Detective Perumal’s house with a rather odd request- re-investigate the accidental death of the yesteryear Super Star Jagan! Jagan died almost 40 years back in the sets of a film named Padayorukkam during its Helicopter climax fight sequence shooting, which had received widespread media attention. So, when the Detective is confronted with this rather strange request, he is taken aback by the sheer absurdity of this request and he  immediately dismisses it.But a rather strange turn of events forces him to go back on this decision and pretty soon Perumal finds himself in the middle of the most challenging murder investigation of his career. Will he be successful in bringing out the mystery behind one of the most ‘notorious accidents’ from the past? 1980 is the story (but not limited to ) of this latest investigation by Detective Perumal.  

1980 is a work never confines within the limited realms of crime fiction .This can also be called as a  a work of speculative and altered historical fiction. With almost all the characters modelled on real-life personalities and real-life events, and the author’s perspective and imagination spicing up the proceedings, it often becomes impossible to distinguish the thin line between fact and fiction. Even the enigma around the late actor Jayan’s unreleased film (Panchapaandavar, incidentally set in Bombay) which had a stellar cast of Jayan, Raghavan, Poojappura Ravi and two others gets the author’s take in 1980. The Novel also serves as an ode to the Malayalam Cinema of the 70 s and 80 s. The story also has genuine heart warming moments. The episode involving the yesteryear stunt master  , and his final moments were delicately done. It is also pretty evident that the writer has also been inspired by some of the youtube interviews of yester year technicians of Malayalam and Tamil Cinema. It is remarkable that Anver Abdulla could come up with a gripping tale around an incident that shook not only the Film industry , but the whole of Indian Film Industry in the 80 s. The incident also paved the way for serious debates about the safety in the film shooting sets.

On the downside, the book also has it’s own share of cheesy moments. Some of the wild guesses of Perumal, including the speculative theory about Jagan living a secret life in America turned out to be unintentionally funny. Like wise, the portions pertaining to M.V.R’s crush with Saumini was also stretched a bit too far. Also at times, the reader finds it extremely difficult to differentaiate the real life personality from the fictional character. You also feel like Kamalhassan, Prem Nazir, MG.R, Latha , Balan K Nair, I.V Sasi, Seema et al are reprising their real life roles as fictional characters in the Novel which was some sort of dampener for the reader in me.The climax was also a bit convenient.

On the whole, these minor flaws aside, 1980 is a brilliantly written work by one of the finest writers of Detective Fiction in Malayalam.

-nikhimenon

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Book Review: Sakhaavu by T.Padmanabhan

 Prakaasham Parathunna Penkutty was one of the first short stories in Malayalam I read in my lifetime. If my memory is correct, the story was there in the Malayalam curriculum of Kerala State Syllabus in sixth or seventh grade.

T Padmanaabhan’s Sakhaavu, published by Mathrubhumi Books, is the compilation of his ten latest short stories. The book also features an interview with the author by Pradeep Perashanoor. Though most of the stories in this anthology were published in the leading weeklies of Malayalam in the past year or so, I hadn’t read any of them. So I didn’t hesitate much before buying this latest compilation.

Critics often lament in Public Forums and Social Media Platforms that stalwarts like T Padmanabhan and M.T. have lost their mojo and have, in turn, lost connection with the present-day realities. But after reading this latest work by T. Padmanabhan, I can confidently say that none of these so-called critics hasn’t probably read any of the recent works by T.P.

In most of the stories in this anthology, the author is the narrator/principal character. The black humour and wit in some of them are spot on. Be it the episode around the wannabe NRI writer in ‘ Aadyathe Novel’ or the hullabaloo ensuing in the event of a famous officer’s superannuation in ‘Manoharam’; the sarcasm is unmissable. The title story, ‘Sakhaavu,’ tries to be a commentary on present-day politics and partially succeeds in its attempt. Peerumettilekkulla Vazhi is a memory lane trip that deals with themes like immigration and self-discovery. Snehathinte Vila is about kindness and humanity, whereas Ennittu delves with second chances. Though some stories have ambiguous endings, it doesn’t make them monotonous reads.

The book is edited well and has a good production design. The cover design and the beautiful illustrations (Devaprakash) interspersed between stories also deserve special mention. The interview with the author is also genuinely exciting and manages to illuminate the writer’s perspective on the current socio-political scenario.

On the whole, ‘Sakhaavu’ is an enjoyable anthology.

Ps- In the author’s bio, it is mentioned that he had refused Odakkuzhal Award, Kerala Sahithya Academy Award and Kendra Sahithya Academy Award. I found it rather amusing. I am unaware of the circumstances for him declining  the award, but if he found himself accepting those awards not worthy of his stature, why is he proclaiming the same in his bio as if refusing it is a great badge of honour?! Pathetic, to say the least!

-nikhimenon

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The Ten Notable Books of 2022

  It's that time of the year when everyone is scribbling down their year-ender lists, and not wanting to be left too far behind, out of the 80-odd books read in the past year, I also managed to compile my list of the best of the year gone by. (Opinions, strictly personal and based on the books read last year)

 Rock Paper Scissors (Alice Feeney, HQ)

Alice Feeney's Rock Paper Scissors is one of the few genuine thrillers I have read for a long time. Adam and Amelia are spending the weekend in the Scottish Highlands. Adam is a successful screenwriter, and Amelia is his wife. The remote location is perfect for what they have planned. But can they trust each other? Twisty and engaging with a bit of horror element thrown in, this one is definitely worth your time and money!

2. 

1980 (Anver Abdulla, Mathrubhumi)

1980 is a work which can be safely bracketed as a work of speculative fiction. Inspired by the real-life accident of yester year Super Star Jayan, 1980 marked the return of Detective Perumal. An engaging mystery and an ode to the Malayalam Cinema of the 80 s, this work by Anver Abdulla can be regarded as one of the best works in the franchise. With Characters modelled on real-life personalities, the Novel also has some genuinely heartwarming moments, which makes this one much more than your typical detective story.

3.      The Tattoo Murder (Akimitsu Takagi, Pushkin Vertigo)

2022 was also a year where I found a taste for vintage Japanese Crime fiction. Set in Post War Tokyo, this vintage locked room Japanese mystery is the story of three cursed tattoos and the series of murders connected with them. Though the core story might have gotten dated a bit, the backdrop of Seedy Tokyo, dive bars and Yakuza Gangs makes this one a worthy read.

4. 

Aanandha Bhaaram (Jisa Jose, Mathrubhumi)

In a year which saw a slew of below-par works which tried to compensate for their hollowness with fake female centricity,  Aanandhabhaaram, stood out for its genuine writing and believable characters. Rathnamekhala and Parimalam were real, and their miseries were relatable. The Novel also had many heartwarming moments, and the ending was quite satisfying. Mudritha indeed got its worthy successor in AanandhaBhaaram.

5.   

The Trees (Percival Everett, Influx press)

Perhaps the bluntest and the most provocative books of this lot, this black comedy was short-listed in this year's Man Booker Prize. A series of murders are happening in a small town in Mississippi, and two State Detectives are brought in to investigate the same. This page-turning potent Satire of U.S. racism is a challenging yet racy read. Though this one is packaged as a regular Murder Mystery, its themes are pertinent and thought-provoking.

 (The Second Part of this post will be post will be published tomorrow)

-nikhimenon

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