03:02 by Mainak Dhar (Book Review 4*/5) !!!

When I received this book titled "03:02" written by Mainak Dhar and published by Westland Publishers, I was surprised what it would be actually about. And then I read the synopsis and couldn't understand what the book is seriously about except that at 03:02 AM, the city of Mumbai suddenly went black with no electricity, no phones, no internet and no working cars just as if civilization was taken away from the human beings. But what is the reason for the same and how the city will overcome against it was a big question mark for me. As I began reading, I was impressed with the way the story begins and author directly comes on the topic and the city gets dark in the first few pages itself. The book becomes very slow after that as without giving us the reason of this unexpected and unbelievable circumstance, author just keeps on talking about how everything have just stopped all of a sudden. 

At this point, I had decided that the book is not getting anything above 2.5 stars from me but finally the reason is told to us. Though very less understandable to us and eventually we get to know that a big terrorist group has invaded the city with all its forces. And then there is our protagonist who is helping the people in his residential complex and around it just like Akshay Kumar does in the movie "Airlift". And when he comes to know about the terrorist group and how he will have to fight it with leadership, courage and conviction, he just stays positive throughout and starts managing things with the little resources and manpower that he has. 

The writing style of the author is very superb considering the command over the language and the narration style. Even the plot is so fresh and research-oriented, author haven't complicated the narration by streaming the timeline up and down like many other authors and confusing the reader. Even the vocabulary is simple which helps you to keep reading this book in a good speed with a flow. He has written things so brilliantly that you feel that everything is real and you even imagine it happening around you. It becomes scary after a while and I had to go for short walks outside to come out of that state of scary situation. The characterization is also nicely developed which makes you understand the background and mindset of each and every character involved.

Talking about the drawbacks of the book, the first 70-100 pages aren't much interesting as author gets stuck in that one situation itself to build the premises. It could have been easily cut short down. I also feel that the book needed a lot of editing as the whole story could have been summed with the same effect in 50-60 less pages. Well, the climax is nicely written and the way book ends leave you with a wide smile than teary eyes as I expected it to end. I give this book 4 stars out of 5. I would have given it 4.5 easily if it would have been slow in terms of taking the story further. I would like to read more from Mainak Dhar in future. 

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Second Lives by Anish Sarkar (Book Review- 3.5*/5) !!!

The thriller genre is finding too many takers in the Indian publishing world currently as foreign authors are been challenged at the Bestseller's List. I am getting lots of good thriller to read these days even when the famous thriller writers, Ravi S and Ashwin S, are not releasing their books since last few months. I completed reading Anish Sarkar's Second Lives this week which is published by Westland Publication. This 350-pages book is definitely a page-turner and keeps you hooked throughout. The writing style of Sarkar is wonderful which keeps you intrigued and you want to finish the book in the single reading. Actually in this case, I would suggest the readers to not take too many breaks while reading this book as you might end up getting confused between the several murders that happens in the story.

The characterization of all the 5 friends is wonderfully done by the author and you can relate with each one of them. I also liked author's idea of writing chapters in first voice of each of the 3-4 main characters. Though it became confusing at times about whose version I am reading but still writing a thriller with this perspective is surely commendable. Author reveals half-story of any scene initially and later on discloses the whole thing which keeps the reader excited about anything might get disclosed now. Same feeling that we get while watching the Bollywood's Race series. 

The biggest problem with this book is its predictability in the 2nd half. You almost understand what will happen next if in case you have read many thrillers. I never like when a new character is introduced in the end and given the whole attention all of a sudden and a thriller where we have kept guessing the murderer among the central characters. Like it happened in Novoneel's latest The Stranger's Trilogy. In the pre-climax, a new character is introduced and defined as the Mr. X all of us have been guessing while reading the story. It takes away the interest of the reader that the book has been getting right from the first page. Also I didn't like how each of the character ends up having affair with some character who gets revealed to be the partner-in-crime later on or a part of the story. But still this book is worth reading. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Rightfully Wrong Wrongfully Right by Varsha Dixit (Book Review-2.5*/5) !!!

I had read Varsha Dixit's Right Fit Wrong Shoe more than 5 years ago and since then I didn't get any chance to read other novels that she published in between. I finally laid my hands up on her latest release named "Rightfully Wrong Wrongfully Right". The cover page of the book is very appealing which might result in the sales of this book. When I read the 1st book by Varsha Dixit, I got very confused as I was new to fiction reading and remembering the multiple characters just tired me as a reader. Comparatively, I found this book very sort out and easy to read. The characters are nicely built though few of them aren't used the way they could have been like Aditya’s.

Varsha Dixit’s narration is very simple and she does not believe in complicating things for the reader. Right from the first chapter, you will find the series of the scenes and sub-plots well organized which makes pace of reading faster and gives the reader momentum. The characterizations are well done as I have mentioned in the first paragraph itself. The biggest hurdle for this book has been its predictability. A reader, at every step, will understand what is going to happen next. And too much time has been spent in things that should not have been described that minutely and descriptively. 

The love angle is beautifully managed except the predictable part. I also liked the initial few chapters where Gayatri is trying to be comfortable with a character with which she has bad equations because of something she tried to do to spoil her married life earlier. The recovering phase is also narrated nicely after Gayatri got attacked by few men on a dark road. Overall, this book is a light read which can be done in a sitting or best, carries with you while traveling. I give this predictable story an average 2.5 stars out of 5 as it has nothing new to deliver but is still a time-pass read. 

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA – VEERU!!!