Book Review: Jacob Hills by Ismita Tandon Dhanker

Title: Jacob Hills

Author: Ismita Tandon Dhanker

Publisher: HarperCollins India

Pages: 268

Price: Rs 299

Genre: Fiction / Suspense / Thriller / Crime Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Format: Paperback

I noticed this book on a lot of blogs. Honestly, I am not too fond of the cover page, so I was not instantly drawn to the book (since it is the cover page that attracts me first). Moreover, the title of the book was not really giving away anything about the story. But after consistently reading some good reviews, I reluctantly decided to give it a chance. Frankly, I am extremely cautious in reading contemporary Indian authors. Many disappoint and I hate to abandon a book midway. 

Jacob Hills is a fictitious Army training establishment, located near Simla in Himachal. It has a War College, called Jacob Hall, where around 300 senior and junior officers are trained in various skills. Jacob Hills offers a perfect set up for a riveting story that encompasses a fascinating Army background, unconventional lifestyle choices like wife swapping, extreme domestic violence, disturbing child sexual abuse, mystery surrounding the death of a young woman and clear evidence of years of physical torture, internal politics, and also a heartwarming story of love and faith between the main couple. The book ‘Jacob Hills’ is a story of passion and ambition, which we discover through the overlapping stories of several characters.

Just to set the records straight, the author has mentioned in the beginning that though she has chosen Army as her story’s background, at the end of the day the story is about people; people who misuse power, any kind of power, and they can be found anywhere.  

Set in 1980s, the book ‘Jacob Hills’, is about a few Army officers and their families, about their polished outer pretences and some hidden truths. The narrative progresses interestingly through multiple characters, but Eva is the main protagonist.

Major George Chandy is recuperating from his leg injury and he has been transferred to Jacob Hills in the role of an instructor. Eva Chandy is his Anglo-Indian wife, who joins as an English teacher at the Army school. By chance, she finds herself embroiled in the death case of a mystery woman. The misery in which the young woman dies makes her commit to finding her tomentor.  Lt. Colonel Gary and Pam Randhawa are George’s old friends who are affable and yet unconventional in their marriage. They run a wife-swapping club. Saryu is a plain looking village belle, married to Major Vikram Singh. Saryu’s story is a heart-wrenching story of brutal domestic violence and apathy, and of physical and psychological torture. Vikram forces her to sleep with his seniors for furthering his career but she takes up sleeping around with vengeance to teach him a lesson. Captain Rana is a young officer in love with a traditional, Muslim girl Heena. He has feelings for her but he is not serious about settling down, while she is blinded by her love for him. Colonel Tehlan is George’s boss while his daughter Bunny is Eva’s student. Eva and Geroge are disturbed by Bunny’s parents’ denial of what their daughter is going through. Major Alex is another instructor at the War College, who is constantly haunted by the memories of a disgraceful episode in his career that led to the deaths of his colleagues.

Each chapter is from a character’s perspective and the character’s name is represented graphically that tells a lot about his or her personality. The author’s writing is simple and yet engaging. She skillfully paints a vivid picture of Jacob Hills. 

The book is fast-paced and there is never a lull. May be I would say I expected a more logical closure for Bunny episode, and felt Bunny’s friend Junaira’s case was also a bit vague. Besides, we don’t get to know too much of either Major Alex or Captain Rana. However, these minor issues don’t take away from the overall impact the book creates.  

I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I finished it in 4 hours (that must say a lot about the book). It was a compelling read. I found the Army background quite interesting. I recommend it wholeheartedly for casual reading.

A few lines from the book:   

“The woman who can’t be tamed by force can be tamed by sex. It’s the ultimate violation of a woman’s psyche, it shames her into silence.”

“I wanted to tell him that there are no real women, just as there are no real men.”

“It’s tough being a child in an adult’s world, every day their innocence dies a little.”

Review Book courtesy: HarperCollins India

Image source: writersmelon.com

Bitter Chocolate by Pinki Virani

Two weeks back, I went to Crossword to pick some books. I spent about an hour or so but could not find anything good. Then suddenly I chanced upon this book called “Bitter Chocolate” by Pinki Virani. The book was about “Child Sexual Abuse in India”. I skimmed through the book, and it came across as an interesting book that dwelt on the horrors of Child Sexual Abuse, while discussing the myriad of cases which have been registered and the relevant laws, the revamping of regulations required and so on.



Perhaps it happened for the first time that I bought the book and immediately started reading it, and finished it in 3 days. It was a well-written but deeply disturbing experience. There are about hundred cases which get discussed and one is worse than the other.


There are few observations about the book.


• The book deals with a controversial topic, but not even once does it become sleazy. It only evokes hatred for the people who do it. Pinki Virani, who has been a journalist for several years, has handled the topic very sensitively.


• It is shocking to know that Sexual Abuse has happened to children as young as 3 months also, and it has nothing to do with gender of the child as well. In fact, it has been reported that sexual abuse of little boys has been on the rise and apparently, Goa, Kovalam and Mumbai are hotspots for foreign tourists for this trade.


• It is also shocking to know how wide-spread this crime is in the society, regardless of the social strata the kids belong to, their gender or their age.


• It wakes you up to the fact the child today is definitely not safe anywhere. You need to keep your eyes and ears open all the time to the tell-tale signs, trust your child and invoke trust in her / him so that they open up to you for whatever they are going through


• It is also disturbing to note that even parents don’t pay much heed to this and feel that kids will not remember this when they grow up or think about the impact it can have on their stable / perfect lives. But the child going through any kind of abuse is scarred for life, and it definitely shows up in any form in their lives. In fact, it has been pointed out that several abusers have themselves been abused as a child. But that of course, is not justification for such heinous act.


• Pinki Virani also points out the legal angle to this. What the child goes through when he / she does come forward to give a statement – our courts are unfriendly to the child, the kid can be intimidated by the abusers and his slew of lawyers, the kid is made to repeat the details of his abuse over and over again


• The book has captured a beautiful yet touching poem by a 12 year old victim:


I asked you for help, and you told me you would


If I told you the things he did to me.


You asked me to trust you, and you made me


Repeat them to fourteen different strangers


I asked you for help and you gave me


A doctor with cold hands


Who spread my legs and stared at me


Just like my father.


I asked you for protection


And you gave me a social worker.


Do you know what it is like


I have more social workers than friends?


I asked you for help


And you forced my mother to choose between us.


She chose him, of course.


She was scared, she had a lot to lose.


I had a lot to lose too.


The difference is, you never told me how much.


I asked you to put an end to the abuse


You put an end to my whole family.


You took away my nights of hell


And gave me days of hell instead.


You have changed my private nightmare


Into a very public one.


This book is for everyone, and most importantly for a parent. We cannot close our eyes to what is happening all around us, no matter how disturbing. I did not know there was a play too on this.