Category: Review

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The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Rating: 4 Stars

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a curveball that comes and hits out of nowhere! I was not ready for the impact of this story at all. This book is considered a classic, and it is rare to find a bad review for this book. All the reviews that I have ever read of Donna Tartt’s books have cemented her as a critic’s darling in my eyes. This to me, means that her books are difficult to read and full of verbose philosophy. The Secret History is exactly that, and so much more.

The book starts off with a vibe similar to that of Dead Poet’s Society. You are tricked into thinking that this is a story about a teacher’s influence on his students. It’s not. Maybe there’s some shade of Lord of The Flies here. No, not really. As I read on (with much difficulty in the beginning), I thought maybe later books like We Were Liars were based on this book. Again, there’s no similarity except in the most superficial sense. It is useless to compare it to any book. It is original and shocking in its coldness and lack of feeling. This is Dark Academia at its best.

From the beginning, the characters cause conflict within the reader. They are odd, unemotional, and leave you feeling cold. None of these people elicit any sympathy in the the heart of the reader; not even the murder victim whose murder is the central theme of the book.

Richard Papen is nineteen years old when he comes to Hampden College in Vermont. He is from a small town in California, and all he wants in life is to get away from his roots. He becomes obsessed with a teacher and his exclusive group of students studying ancient Greek, and wants to join the class by any means.

However, once inside the clique, he realizes that these four boys and one girl are not as golden as he thought. Instead of becoming disillusioned, Richard becomes even more enamored of his new friends. Finally, he starts to feel like he belongs. Still, he cannot shake the feeling that his new friends are hiding something from him.

The truth, when it hits him, is wild and gruesome. Yet, Richard is by no means repelled or disgusted by it all. He is ready to do whatever is needed to get rid of all irritants and threats to his friends. What follows is something bound to end in disaster.

For a debut novel, this has to be one of the greatest that I have read. No wonder this book inspired a whole new genre of Dark Academia. Donna Tartt draws such a vivid picture of Vermont in fall and winter, that you cannot help but give a real shudder. The cold feels real, the darkness feels menacing, and at times, you can even smell the cigarette smoke! The mood is oppressive and heavy on the heart. There are no comic reprieves, just more coldness and cruelty.

It is no mean feat to write a book where you feel no sympathy for any of the characters, yet are unable to stop reading. You feel the need to read what happens next because something like this can never end well. And it doesn’t, but not in the way you expect it to. The climax is sudden and unexpected; it comes out of nowhere. But once you read it, you realize that it makes a twisted sort of sense. However, there were a couple of things that I was uncomfortable with. The hint of racism and Islamophobia was one. The other was the fact that Henry emerges as a hero when he was anything but!

It is definitely not easy to read The Secret History. It requires concentration and attention; and a little bit of heartlessness. But if you’re capable of all this, the book will not disappoint. I love the way Donna Tartt writes, and have become a fan. Still, I don’t think I will recommend this book to everyone. Certainly not for the sensitive and easily offended audience.

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Five Books Close To My Heart

Some things in life are so profound that they leave behind a permanent mark. When you are a bookworm, the same is true for some books. Over the years there have been many books that have left me speechless with wonder. Here, I’m listing down those books that have stayed with me for years, even if they’re not very popular. The common thing in all these books is the fact that I read them all in school, mostly during the Middle years. Since then, I have read them again and again, and even though the older and wiser me sometimes finds some things outright objectionable in them, I can never dislike these books. So here goes

.Anne of Green Gables L. M. Montgomery

I might have first read this book more then 30 years ago, but I have yet to come across a girl like Anne. She is my ideal of what a girl should be. She is strong, capable, opinionated, but not afraid to ask for help and stand up for her friends. If ever there was a love story to dream about, then it has to be Anne and Gilbert: partners and equals in everything. Of course, I love the whole series. Not only is Anne a strong girl, she proves that a woman can excel in any role. She can be a friend, a teacher, a wife and a mother. She needs to believe in herself, and surround herself with people who lift her up instead of bringing her down. Anne Shirley was, is, and always will be, a great role model for girls all over the world.

Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen

This has to be the most cliched book on my list! This is perhaps the only love story that I love unashamedly, no matter how many times I read it. I have been in love with Darcy for the longest time. To date, he remains the one hero who I can never look critically at. People would say that my age played an important role in making this one of my favourite books, but that wouldn’t be true. I have read it again and again, every year for almost three decades, and I have never gotten bored with this feel-good book. Of course, I am not a fan of Jane and Bingley, but when it comes to Elizabeth and Darcy, all else pales in comparison. All this gushing only goes to show how deeply I love this particular book!

Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte

This is the book that has divided critics in two opposite camps. Some people think that Heathcliff is the height of romanticism, a hero that every woman sighs after. Some people, on the other hand, believe that this book presents a warped idea of romance, cruel and sadistic. I lie somewhere in the middle of these two groups. As far as the book goes, I love it with all my heart, complete with the craziness and cruelty. However, I have never looked upon Wuthering Heights as a love story. To me, it has always been about ego and revenge, and about flawed humans who don’t know any better. Catherine is one of the most hateful characters that I have come across, manipulative yet confused. Heathcliff is hot headed and vengeful. They are at no point a couple made for each other.

There is nothing romantic about their relationship. For me, Wuthering Heights is a cautionary tale about two people who not only destroy themselves, but also wreck the lives of everyone around them.

The Scarlet Pimpernel Baroness Orczy

I borrowed The Scarlet Pimpernel from the school library because I couldn’t find any good options that week during library class. I had no idea that it would become such a favourite with me. This book takes you on an adventure that you don’t want to end, the earliest version of a superhero tale. Set during the French Revolution, it is the story of a courageous and cunning man who risks his life to rescue French aristocrats and brings them to safety in England. The twist is that no one knows who this superhero is, who defies the French revolutionaries and makes them look foolish to boot.

The unexpected identity of the The Scarlet Pimpernel, and the unlikely love story that unfolds is only a part of this thoroughly enjoyable and hilarious tale. There are some laugh-out-loud moments as well as those that make you groan because of their ridiculousness. I like to read this book every time I feel like a laugh or two.

A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens

As far as settings go, A Tale of Two Cities is also set during the French Revolution, but there is nothing funny about this book. I have read many books by Charles Dickens, only because they were in my curriculum, and he is not one of my favorite authors. This book however, is an exception. Even Dickens himself thought of it as his finest work, and I have to agree. Sydney Carton is a superhero of a different kind. He is lazy and laid back, and has no ambition whatsoever. But in a story about a doctor, his daughter and her husband, Carton emerges as the savior of them all.

The book opens with some of the most well known lines in literature, yet it is the last monologue that makes my heart ache every single time that I read it. In a world full of handsome, upstanding and golden men like Charles Darnay, I’d rather have the flawed and very human Sydney Carton whose love is selfless and expects nothing in return.

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Review: The Rosie Project

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is one of those books that lie around for years, ignored and unread. I got this book way back when it was first published. Back then there were no signs of it being part of a trilogy! Unfortunately, during the last few years, my threshold for light romances has been really low. With so many other options available, this book seemed destined to remain unread.

This year, with the quarantines and the lockdowns, I decided to do something different, and read something light for Valentine’s Day. I don’t regret that decision. The Rosie Project is a fun read, with minimum mushiness, and a surprisingly relatable male lead!

Don Tillman is a geneticist in search of a life partner. He leads a very disciplined and scheduled life, and wants to find a woman who is compatible with his lifestyle. It might seem like an easy enough project, except Don is somewhat socially inept, and unable to gauge other people’s reactions to simple situations.

For Don’s world is systematic and organized. There is no place for unnecessary emotion and unexplained actions. Everything has a time and a place. This is why he needs a woman who will accept him for who he is and not cause undue commotion in his orderly life. Since he is a scientist, Don sets about achieving his goal in a scientific manner. He prepares an in-depth questionnaire to be filled by potential wifely candidates. He figures that this scientific approach will go a long way in saving time and effort which he would otherwise spend on ineligible women.

Rosie Jarman is not suitable for Don at all. For one, she is a smoker. Then, she is a vegetarian who eats “sustainable” seafood. Pursuing her has disaster written all over it. But Don is willing to shelve his project for the time being, and concentrate on Rosie’s Father Project. What follows is a hilarious courtship that gets out of the hands of both the protagonists.

The one thing that I didn’t really like in this book is how vague Rosie’s character is. Of course, the story tells Don’s perspective, but Rosie remains a peripheral character, even when Don is doing everything for her. You never find out the real deal with Rosie, and it leaves a discordant note in an otherwise good book.

After finishing the book, I realized that there must be people out there who are probably offended by the portrayal of Don. The book hints at him having Asperger’s or at least being on the Autism spectrum. Sure enough, I found plenty of unhappy people. For me personally, it is a light-hearted book, not a commentary on Autism. It is better to treat such books with the same light-heartedness, instead of taking them too seriously.

For me, The Rosie Project was a good rom-com, worth reading especially for the fans of this particular genre.

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Review: The Whisper Man

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Whisper Man by Alex North is a good thriller, but not as terrifying as everyone claims on the back cover. The story and the setting are chilling enough, and anything that involves children is always uncomfortable to read, but calling it thriller of the year is going a bit far.

After the death of his wife, Tom Kennedy is looking for a fresh start with his son, Jake. They move to Featherbank on Jake’s insistence, into a house considered scary by the local kids. Jake is a sensitive child who has difficulty making friends and his imaginary friends don’t help the situation either. In addition to this, Tom finds it hard to communicate with Jake.

The village looks sleepy and safe, but twenty years ago it was the scene of horrific serial killings. The killer dubbed as The Whisper Man abducted and killed five little boys before he was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment. This isn’t a cause of concern for Jake and Tom since it was all a long time back. But just before they move, another boy goes missing, and the police find startling similarities with the old case.

Then Jake starts acting weirdly, and claims that he hears whispers at his window. Tom is concerned about the mental health of his son. There are also other suspicious things happening around him making him rethink about moving to this sleepy little village.

The Whisper Man is a good thriller that also has a heart. The struggles of a father to understand his son, and of a man to overcome the loss of his wife are beautifully penned, and create real sympathy for both Tom and Jake. There is also the character of Pete who is a very lonely man, living in his past. It is easy to feel bad for this police detective too.

The only things I found lacking in this book were unpredictability and a feeling of fear and dread which generally comes with the way an author writes about the uncomfortable things. It sounds quite macabre, but it is hard for readers to feel actual fear unless they see the extent of a killer’s depravity. After reading Nordic crime fiction, it feels like British authors are a bit squeamish going into gory details. But reading a book is like watching a movie in your mind; you want a clear picture that you can understand. Some books need to be more graphic because of their plotlines.

Still, The Whisper Man manages to keep the reader interested. A good one-time read.

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Review: The End Of Her

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Another great thriller by Shari Lapena. Though she hasn’t been able to recreate the chilling atmosphere of The Couple Next Door in her later books, she still manages to pack enough in The End of Her to satisfy her readers.

Stephanie and Patrick are parents to newborn twins, exhausted and sleep-deprived like all other new parents. They are finding it hard to juggle everything and staying on top of work. Yet, they are happy and satisfied with their lives.

This bubble of happiness bursts when one day Patrick’s past arrives to haunt them. A woman turns up, seemingly from out of nowhere, and starts blackmailing Patrick. She accuses him of killing his first wife and threatens to tell Stephanie all about it.

Not ready to give in to the blackmail, Patrick confides in Stephanie about everything and assures her that he is innocent of murder. Now it is up to Stephanie to believe her husband or to start doubting him. Trust is not as easy to come by as Stephanie had thought. Suddenly secrets start tumbling out, and Stephanie is not sure who and what to believe.

Shari Lapena is truly a master of Domestic Thriller. There are no bodies, hardly any murders in her books, just some truly creepy psychopaths living a normal life and fooling everyone around them. She makes you look twice at the people you meet daily, and wonder if such people exist in real life!

The End Of Her is a fairly easy read; I finished it in one day. You want to get to the bottom of everything as soon as possible. It is a classic “one more chapter” book that lives up to its promise.

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Review: The Other People

Rating: 3 Stars

The Other People is a decent book, but it doesn’t match up to the earlier brilliance of The Chalk Man. It is unfortunate that C.J. Tudor set the bar so high for herself with The Chalk Man.

Gabe has spent the last 3 years looking for his daughter. Everyone says his wife and daughter are dead. But Gabe knows that he saw his daughter in a strange car the same day she was supposed to have been murdered. He is not willing to give up on his quest.

Katie is a waitress in a service station off the M1 highway. She is the quintessential dutiful daughter, the responsible mother, and the caring sister. Her life is a series of monotonous days. That is all about to change.

Fran has been on the run with her daughter Alice for the last 3 years. She is running away from The Other People who want to hurt her and her daughter. Because she knows the truth about Gabe’s wife and daughter.

Then there’s a girl in a white room, with machines all around her. She has been asleep for more than 20 years.

All these stories would have made for an interesting read, if it hadn’t been so predictable. There are no real twists and turns in this story. The biggest disappointment is the paranormal angle which Tudor hasn’t used to its potential. If elaborated, it could have been the saving grace for this book.

What The Other People lacks is the coldbloodedness of Tudor’s earlier works. There is just too much empathy with every character. So I fail to understand how other reputable authors have declared this book “chilling” and “spooky”?

For me, The Other People is a miss. It is nothing like C.J. Tudor’s earlier works, and the chill factor leaves a lot to be desired too.

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Review: The Perfect Wife

Rating: 4 Stars

JP Delaney has done it again! The Perfect Wife is the perfect thriller. It keeps you on the edge and waiting to see how it all concludes. Technically, this book can be classified as a sci-fi thriller, but only because it revolves around Artificial Intelligence.

The blurb of the book is so misleading that you think that you’re in for a murder mystery. Actually, The Perfect Wife is about Artificial Intelligence and human failings. Whoever wrote the blurb probably didn’t read the book. Abbie finds out in the first chapter that she was declared dead five years ago.

Abbie Cullen-Scott wakes up after a vivid dream to find herself in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. She assumes she was in an accident, and wants to know what happened. When she sees her husband, Tim, she wants to know what happened, and whether their autistic son is all right.

Tim is a genius. He is the founder of Scott Robotics, a tech company that has made revolutionary strides in AI technology. What Tim tells Abbie is so unbelievable that she is unable to grasp the implications of it all. Abbie’s memories are of 5 years ago, when she disappeared. What follows is the chilling and thrilling story of Abbie trying to figure out the truth while looking out for her son and her own welfare.

Delaney goes back to the theme that he first used in The Girl Before, and tweaks it into something that is so much better. It is guaranteed to create conflict within the reader about right and wrong. After all, how far is far enough when it comes to technology?

There is an ambiguity about who the narrator of the story is. Seemingly two different people are telling the same story, but from different perspectives, which makes it more engaging.

A word of warning though: This book talks a lot about Autism and its challenges, and the different approaches to understanding it. The author has an autistic son himself and he has tried to be as real about it as possible. For many people, it might be painful to read about the treatments and attitudes regarding Autism that are very common in real life.

A superb thriller that makes me look forward to Delaney’s next.

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Review: One By One

Rating: 2.75 Stars

So, so disappointed with this book by Ruth Ware. One by One goes into the forgettable category of The Lying Game by the same author. It reminded me of so many books that I have read previously, I thought I had read it before!

The theme of stranded-in-a-house-with-a-murderer-on-loose has been done to death in books and movies. It has become a fixed formula for suceess. One can still do it if one knows how to keep readers interested. However here, this is not the case.

The book starts off with a corporate retreat in an exclusive ski resort located in the Swiss Alps. The agenda on the table is a billion dollar buyout offer. An offer that can change the lives of some of the people. It promises to be week full of high tensions, since the group seems to be split in their views. As a result, sparks start flying from the first moment.

The resort, owned by a chain, has two employees who manage the resort between themselves. They have become good friends during their time together.

Things become dangerous as an avalanche cuts off the chalet from the rest of the world. And then, one person goes missing. With everyone worried about the missing person, no one thinks of foul play until another body turns up. Now, everyone is sure that they have a murderer in their midst, and that anyone could be their next victim.

What follows is too long winded, and not very thrilling. It is not that hard to figure most of it out. Needless suspense like Erin’s background is not really necessary. The narrative alternates between Erin and Liz, who are both colourless characters.

There are too many coincidences, as there are in this type of books, and not one of the characters is memorable enough to redeem this very lacklustre book. I had such high hopes from Ruth Ware.

Not recommended for fans of murder mysteries and thrillers.

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Review: The Geometry of God

Rating: 3 Stars

I started reading The Geometry of God by Uzma Aslam Khan, without any idea what it was about. I’m always looking for good Pakistani authors, so when a book club I follow started reading this book, I decided to join in. I wasn’t disappointed.

The Geometry of God is the story of two sisters, Amal the practical one, and Mehwish who is blind; and their grandfather, Zahoor, a scientist. Most people consider Zahoor a heretic . When a fourth character, Noman, enters the story, he unleashes a chain of events that goes on to have consequences for all of them.

The thing that I liked the most about this book is how unapologetically Pakistani it is. Khan is not afraid to use Urdu and Punjabi to describe things that can only be described in these languages. The best part is that Khan does not compromise the Urdu words used in the book. The tenses and forms used are mostly correct, as used in real life, not like some weird translation of English words.

There are references that only people from the subcotinent understand; like the Manjha (kite string) sharpened with powdered glass, taking countless lives in Lahore during the festival of Basant; or the double knot in the shalwar. It is refreshing to read about things that are as normal as breathing to us but sound alien to others.

The most interesting voice in the book is that of Mehwish. I cannot applaud Khan enough for writing a character who is blind but who has vision and imagination. The way Mehwish thinks and classifies things is brilliant. The parts where she is the narrator require more concentration but are so funny and poignant that you want to meet Mehwish in real life!

Another thing in favour of the book is that it doesn’t pander to the western narrative. It shows Pakistan in a way relatable to the common Pakistani. Most people considered Zia’s regime restrictive. The Afghan refugees were considered a menace gifted to us by the U.S in the 80s Pakistan. No one has ever thought of the United States of America or Russia as anything other than the ones responsible for the plight of our country. They arecertainly not the saviors of anyone.

The things that didn’t resonate with me in this book have to do with me personally more than the writing. I have been a history buff, mostly good with dates, but only until the Zia regime. Because that is just history that I have not lived in or been too young to understand. After that, it’s just Benazir, Nawaz, Benazir, Nawaz, Musharraf, Zardari, Nawaz and Imran for me. I don’t remember much about the first 2 terms of either Benazir or Nawaz, and that seriously messed up some timelines of the book in my head. This confusion made it a bit difficult to understand the political environment of the time.

Another problem that I had was with all the philosophy and narrative in this book. Sometimes I feel like my mind has become foggy and unable to grasp difficult ideas, and this book made the feeling stronger. While I understood most of what Nana and his friends went on about, it still felt too verbose. I had to go back and read everything a few more times to get the actual meaning, and that was just more work for me.

Overall, The Geometry of God is a good, solid book written from a very desi perspective. It is likely to resonate with most people who like reading books without passing judgment on religion and morals.

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Review: Troubled Blood (Strike And Robin #5)

Rating: 4 Stars

This book confused the hell out of me! So many characters, so much information, and Strike and Robin going round in circles! I had to go back and forth to keep everything straight, which, with a book this size, is sheer madness!

But oh the mystery, and the action! Robert Galbraith is like P.D James in my opinion. The descriptions are long, the characters have a habit of sprouting rubbish meant to be deep and profound, and important things get lost in the meandrings of the author’s mind. Yet, the story is so powerful that you don’t want to give up.

I would like to make it clear that I couldn’t care less what the writer is like in real life. If I started caring about authors and their real life problems, I’d have no books to read! I like reviewing books, not the personal lives of other human beings.

Troubled Blood starts off with Strike back in Cornwall to see his sick aunt. He meets a woman who wants to hire him to find out what happened to her mother who vanished 40 years ago. Strike and Robin agree to take the case. They set a limit of a year to get a breakthrough or give up. There are a few other cases, and both Strike and Robin are going through their own personal struggles, like always. On top of this, the initial investigations in the missing woman case are a mess.

The police detective originally investigating the crime was having a mental breakdown, and his notes reflect that deterioration of mind. But of course, all this happens after you have read so many pages that you might as well have read a whole book!

It is always fun to go on an adventure with Strike and Robin, but it is becoming harder with every new book. Galbraith needs to tighten the writing or no one is going to read these never-ending stories! I feel that a lot of focus is lost because of so many other cases on the side. A detective agency can take on multiple cases at one time, but it is not necessary to go into the details of each and every one of them.

Then there is the personal angle that bothers me so much! I have said it before, and I say it again, there is no need for Strike and Robin to be involved romantically. Their personal lives are like train wrecks, you can only feel sorry for them. It is one of the things that I dislike the most about this series.

Troubled Blood is a really good book, but I hesitate in recommending it. Because it is too long and confusing, only real fans of Strike and Robin can truly enjoy this one.

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