Book Review: The Serpent's Tooth by Alex Rutherford

Title: The Serpent's Truth [An Empire of Mughal # 5]

Author: Alex Rutherfordl

Publisher: Headline Review [Hachette India]

Pages: 432

Price: Rs 599

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 9/10

Format: Hardbound

I have been fascinated by Mughal era since the time I read The Feast of Roses and The Twentieth Wife, both by Indu Sundaresan. Though the cover page of this book wasn’t really drawing me to it, yet I intended to read it. Fortunately, this book starts from the time Shah Jahan is the emperor. Though I am yet to read the last 4 books in this series [this being the 5^th one], because of Indu Sundaresan’s books I was aware about the story preceding this.

About the Book [from the blurb]

The new Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan reigns over a colossally wealthy empire of 100 million souls. Yet to gain his throne he has followed the savage 'throne or coffin' traditions of his ancestors - descendants of Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine. Ever since the Moghuls took India, brother has fought brother and sons their fathers for the prize and Shah Jahan has been no exception.

As his reign dawns, now is the time for Shah Jahan to secure his throne by crushing his enemies. Instead, devastated by the death of his beautiful wife Mumtaz, he becomes obsessed with building an epic monument to their perfect love - the Taj Mahal. His overwhelming grief isolates him from his sons and he does not see the rivalries, indeed hatreds, building between them. When he falls ill, civil war breaks out - ruthless, murderous and uncontrollable - and the foundations of the empire itself begin to shake.

My thoughts:

‘The Serpent’s Tooth’ is about Shah Jahan as an emperor, his ambitions to expand Mughal empire, his passionate love for Mumtaz and her untimely death, his dream of building an architectural wonder commemorating her [Taj Mahal], the intense rivalries among his sons to succeed him as the emperor, and finally Aurangzeb dethroning Shah Jahan and anointing himself as the 6^th Mughal emperor of India. This book is an extremely fascinating and deeply absorbing account of a time few hundreds of years ago.  

Like his grandfather Akbar, Shah Jahan was tolerant of all religions. He had alliances with several Hindu Kings. He also had a deep understanding of architecture and thorough knowledge about various kinds of gems and jewels. He was himself deeply involved in the designing and building of the Taj Mahal. Through this book, we also get to know that as a ruler he was kind and just.

The love between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz is legendary. In an era when emperors used to have harem full of wives, concubines, slave girls; Shah Jahan was deeply attached to Mumtaz. After her untimely death during childbirth, Shah Jahan becomes aimless. In his depression and lack of interest, he could not spot the growing jealousy between his sons for succeeding him as well as starts losing his hold on his allies.  

We read about 7 of his children in this book. Dara Shukoh was the eldest son. Like his father Shah Jahan, he was open-minded and curious, with leanings towards Sufism. Jahanara was the eldest daughter, who had her mother’s courage and gentle persistence. Aurangzeb on the other hand was fanatical and extremely ambitious. He was deeply religious and intolerant of other religions. Shah Suja and Murad are the other two brothers; while Roshanara and Gauharara are the youngest sisters.

The narrative is deeply engaging and illustrative; and deftly woven around true historical facts. The author has been successful in creating vivid imagery of the battlefield as well as life in general during Mughal rule. It is an extremely well-written book and its beauty is in detailing. The conversations sound real, and the sights and sounds of the battle field come alive.  

If you are intimidated by history, let me assure you, I am one of you. Trust me; this book is extremely reader friendly. There is a map in the beginning about the extent of Shah Jahan’s empire; and also there are character names at the end, so you are saved of the need to remember characters. There are ‘Additional Notes’ at the end, where author informs you chapter-by-chapter about facts from fiction. 

I highly recommend it to every reader of historical fiction. Why only historical fiction? If you love a good story, this is for you.

.....................................................................

[Shah Jahan reflects on finding his sons fighting for the throne]

“Now it seems it was all for nothing…the old cycle of blood, of father against son, of brother against brother, has begun again. I blame myself. I was complacent when I should have been vigilant. I believed that the rivalries that have cursed the Moghuls for generations could never happen in my family.”

Review Book courtesy: Hachette India

Image source: Hachette India

Book Review: The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall

Title: The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken [A Vish Puri Mystery]

Author: Tarquin Hall

Publisher: Arrow Books [Random House India]

Pages: 368

Price: Rs 350

Genre: Fiction / Crime / Thriller / Mystery / Literary Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Format: Paperback

From the Publisher’s website:

Vish Puri is as fond of butter chicken as the next Punjabi. And when there's plenty on offer at the Delhi Durbar hotel where he's attending an India Premier League cricket match dinner, he's the first to tuck in.

Irfan Khan, father of Pakistani star cricketer Kamran Khan, can't resist either. But the creamy dish proves his undoing. After a few mouthfuls, he collapses on the floor, dead. Clearly this isn't a case of Delhi Belly. But who amongst the Bollywood stars, politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists poisoned Khan is a mystery. And with the capital's police chief proving as incompetent as ever, it falls to Most Private Investigators to find out the truth.

Puri is soon able to link Khan to a bald bookie called Full Moon and all the clues point to the involvement of a gambling syndicate that controls the illegal X billion dollars betting industry. The answers seem to lie in Surat, the diamond cutting and polishing capital of the world (where Puri's chief undercover operative Tubelight meets his match) and across the border in Pakistan, Puri's nemesis, the one country where he has sworn never to set foot. Or do they?

A certain determined, grey-haired lady with a unique insight into the murder believes that the portly detective is barking up 'a wrong tree.' Is Mummy-ji right?Is there more to the murder than meets the eye? And why, to make life even more complicated for Vish Puri, has someone tried to steal the longest moustache in the world - from right under the nose of its owner? Literally.

My thoughts:

I had read about Vish Puri series by Tarquin Hall earlier but I never really paid attention to the fact that he was a British writer and journalist [read more about the author here]. Now that I have taken the plunge and read the third book in the series [though my first one], let me tell you what a feat the author has achieved in writing an essentially Indian book; with a desi, unconventional detective figure, who is in his early 50s. This book wonderfully captures the eccentricities of people from Delhi and the way Indians converse in English peppered with Hindi words. On one hand it makes the book really cute and warm, and on another it captures the cultural essence of Delhi perfectly. I must say, the author has done a commendable job.

At the centre of this well-written, suitably-paced, engaging book, is the death of a celebrity Pakistani cricketer’s father in the middle of an after-match Dinner, while he was in the company of film stars, industrialists and politicians. As chance would have it, this happens in front of ‘India’s Most Private Investigator’ Vish Puri. Just when he was itching to investigate the mystery, the case falls into his lap. I don’t want to dwell too much into the story but, trust me; there is enough to hold your attention. The story has shrewd politicians, sauve industrialists, underworld connections, blood diamonds, cricket, betting, while also connecting with the disturbing times during Partition.

Vish Puri’s Mummy ji [mother] takes it upon herself to investigate the murder in her own way. She believes that the answer lay in her experience during India’s Partition.

Also running parallely is another case about moustache theft of Satya Pal Bhalla, who holds the record of the longest moustache; and later of Gopal Ragi, the second-in-line for the title. The murder case has nothing to do with this case, but this one keeps us amused.

In short, this book offers so much more than just a murder mystery. As rightly summarized by the author himself in one of his interviews; “the idea is that you get to learn about India as well as read a good mystery. And there’s a healthy dose of humour as well.”

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in a good literary fiction.    

The author's first two books in the Vish Puri series are [which straightaway go to my Wish List]:

The Case of the Missing Servant

The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing

By the way, Vish Puri has a charming website too. Check it out here.

Here's also an author interview about this book, which was quite informative..

Review Book courtesy: Random House India

Image source: Random House India

My Books Wish List

Image courtesy: 123rf.com

If you are a Book Lover who buys a lot of books, you would know how exciting it is to make a books wish list, almost as good as buying them. So, I, ever the list-maniac  created this Wish List page, to make my book hoarding easier. Buying books are my instant pick-me-ups, and I also love giving and of course getting books. So, check out my Wish List here. You can suggest a few too.  

Book Sale: Pune

On 15th August, I visited this annual Book Sale at C M Shah Hall Inst Of Engineers, Next to COEP Ground, Opp. Modern cafe at Shivajinagar, Pune. It is organised by Broadway Book Centre [Panaji, Goa]. Several books were available for flat Rs 50. This was the 5th year I was attending this Sale. Earlier, I used to visit it during our lunch breaks at office since it was very close from there. There would be no crowd on Week days and therefore, enough opportunity to scan through all the books. I have even taken my son there when he was 3 months old. My husband is very accommodating that ways. Though this venue is quite far from my place, and though I have and I buy several books all the time; he always agrees to take me to this Book Sale every year. He would not even ask me to hurry up.

I always believe that it is pure luck what you would find in a Book Sale. The books are laid out mostly at random. It is luck that leads you to the right kind of books. 

In this Sale, like every year, there were several Popular fiction titles of foreign authors in thriller, chicklit and romance genres, who I had never heard of. But there were also books like Little Princes for Rs 100 or Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent for Rs 50. 

The Sale is still going on and will be there till atleast next month, I suppose. I wanted to buy some books for my son but there weren't any for his age. They told me, they would get books for young kids in October. 

I selected 11 books for Rs 50 each and 3 were for Rs 100 each. I even bargained on that and got them all for Rs 800. They also have some offer where for every purchase of Rs 200, you would get a free book. Free books, as usual, are worthless. You can see the bunch below, and can easily spot the free books [I got 3].

Here's my loot, all for Rs 800 :-)

Every year, it is pure luck that I find out about this Sale. I hardly read paper, and they have very tiny ad about this Sale on one of the days. And I always happen to see it. There is no information about this Sale anywhere on the internet too. I think, it is mostly frequented by College crowd or people who live / move around the vicinity. 

If you are in Pune, do check it out! We hardly get any Book Sale here :-(

Book Sale: Amazing Independence Day Offers at Amazon India

Trust me, you would not like to miss these offers on Amazon India. These offers have not been advertised too well but I happened to catch them.

Independence Day Saving : Save 66% on selected books

Image courtesy: leadtoworld.com

There are a selected list of titles which are at 66% discount. There are many good books on this heavily discounted list. I already have several of them, so I settled for 2.

1. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hossieni at Rs 203: This has been a much-awaited book and has been on my wishlist for sometime now. It is originally priced at Rs 599, and I bought it for Rs 203. You can say, this was just the offer I had been waiting for.

2. Lost & Found in India by Braja Sorensen: Bought this for Rs 101 [originally priced at Rs 299]

Click here to reach the offer page.

66 Kindle ebooks at Rs 66 each: Independence Day Offer

I had almost missed this one. I chanced upon this offer while searching for a book and finding its ebook at Rs 66. I was delirious! You must check out this list because several bestsellers are there. If you do not have a Kindle, simply download the free Kindle App on your device. I have the Kindle App on my Tab. 
These are the e-books I got.

1. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid: This is the book I was talking about. This was another book, alongwith Khaled Hosseini's latest which has been on my list for a while.

2. Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry

3. Their Language of Love by Bapsi Sidhwa

4. Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur

Click here to reach the offer page.

Note: The details of the offers have been taken from the Amazon India website.

Happy Independence Day :-)

Book Review: Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson

Title: Alex Cross, Run

Author: James Patterson

Publisher: Arrow Books [Random House India]

Pages: 416

Price: Rs 350

Genre: Fiction / Crime / Thriller / Mystery

Rating: 7/10

Format: Paperback

“It’s not every day that I get a naked girl answering the door I knock on.”

That is the first line of this book. And you are hooked to it, till you finish the book. Not for nothing, it is mentioned on the back cover, below the author’s name ‘the pages turn themselves’.

This book was my constant companion in the 2 days I read [and finished] it. ‘Alex Cross, Run’ by James Patterson is an extremely fast-paced crime thriller from ‘Alex Cross’ series.   

Alex Cross, from Metropolitan Police Department, is in charge of three investigations while also going through a troubled time at home related to his foster teenage daughter. The bodies are falling one after another, which look like cases of serial murders. With 3 serial killers to chase and stop them from doing more damage, Alex Cross has clearly his hands full. While he is unraveling the mystery of serial murders, Alex Cross is also being closely watched by someone, inflicting personal and professional setbacks on him. Alex Cross’ personal life is also drawn into the story that involves his foster daughter. In his wife Bree, who is also a cop, he has a companion who empathizes about his work while also becomes an ally in times of crisis.

Though this book is unputdownable but it has its flaws. As we read the story, we know who are the killers but I felt the ‘why’ part was not clearly explained in the end. Though Alex Cross is sharp and passionate about his work but a few times I found his actions quite naïve. A few times when the narrative would focus on one particular murder or series of murders, the other ones would seem forgotten, making you wonder what was happening over there. But that is a small glitch in the narrative.

Alex Cross, Run is for anyone who enjoys the good old crime thriller genre. If you are looking for a quick read, this one is for you.

Here are a few of my favourite lines from the book:

"If speed was my number one priority right now, discretion was a close second."

"... and for just a little while, I could pretend that my biggest problem was deciding between the salmon and the New York strip with Kinkead's Scotch whiskey sauce."

"It was a game of political football, and right now, I was the ball."

Note: The text in italics have been quoted from the book.

Review Book courtesy: Random House India

Image source: Amazon

5 Tips for Raising Book lovers

Every book lover dreams of having a book lover in his or her child too. Though many kids take to reading themselves but there are certain things which you can do to pave the way for your child into the world of reading.

Here are a few tips to raising book lovers:

1. Start Early. Make it a way of daily life.

Image courtesy: readtome.ca

The best time to introduce reading to your child is now. Yes. The sooner the better. Even one month old baby benefits when they are read to. At that age, you can read just about anything to him. I remember I used to read aloud whatever books I would be reading at that time. Once it was 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish' ha ha! Jokes apart, make reading to or with your child part of your daily routine. The formative years are the time to instill habits in kids. Make the best of it. We usually read during afternoons since my son used to be quite hyper just before sleeping. We had to switch off the lights for him to sleep. But recently, I started reading before bedtime and he just wouldn't let us drop that even when we are tired or late. He will get the bunch of books. Sometimes it is too funny!

2. Surround him with good books. 
Today there is an extensive range of books for each age-group. With imported books available at online stores and with several Indian publishers [like Duckbill Books, Tulika Publishers, Tara Books, Karadi Tales] creating books for Indian kids, it is a wonderful time to be a young reader. Take time to research and find books that are appealing and according to the child's age. I had shared a list of Fiction books which I have been reading to my son [ he just turned 2]. I will suggest you must read the book yourself first before passing it on to your kids. Not all books available for children in the market are good in quality and content or preaching the values you would like to inculcate in your child. I had shared my bad experience with a few kiddie books here. 

Image courtesy: Pinterest

3. Provide enough opportunities for reading. 
If you have good books but your TV is blaring all the time, chances are your child wouldn't be drawn to opening the book. TV is a visual medium - bright, attractive, dynamic. Compare it with a book. But of course, TV will dumb you down, books will make you imaginative. And I am sure, that is what you want for your kids. So, fix a time for TV [not more than 40-45 minutes for young kids]. 
If possible, create a reading corner for your child. See the picture. Even I would like to spend hours here. This place looks cozy and welcoming. We have a playing area in a corner of my living room. This place is for Dining Table but I have decided to wait for a while before I invite more trouble for myself. He will stand on top of the table or jump around the chairs. This place is just across the kitchen, so if I am doing something, I can keep an eye on him. I wanted to create a reading corner in another room with an open bookcase but at the last moment we felt he would start climbing up the shelves. So, we have dropped the idea for the moment. But I am going to get it may be in another year. 

4. Set an Example. Read yourself.
 Like in everything else, the child is going to copy you. If you are a voracious reader yourself, read all the time, love your books, care for your books; then chances are it is going to rub off on your child too. So, do what you preach. 

Image courtesy: examiner.com

5. Join a library. Visit bookstores together. 
A library will provide you a wide range of books. There are different kinds of libraries these days. There are also the ones in which you can order online and get the books delivered at your doorstep. And there are good old libraries where you visit the library, spend time, select books and issue them. I would suggest prefer those libraries. A library is a place where you will find other readers. It is inspiring to find other young readers. 
Along with library, also visit bookstores together when you go to buy books. When the kids are a little older, allow them to choose some of the books [with your approval of course]. 

So, have you got any tip for me? 

Note: This post has been cross-posted from my other blog.

Book Recommendations: 5 Children's Fiction Titles We Love

I first posted this on my other blog. But since it is about books, I had to include it here. 

Every mother who is a book lover herself will do everything in her capacity to raise a book lover. For that, it is important to surround our kids with good books and enough reading opportunities. Especially when kids are very young, reading helps in developing vocabulary and language. 

Here are our 5 favourite Children's Fiction books; and let me tell you, I love them as much as my son does. I find them extremely interesting as well as full of opportunities for learning, no matter how many times we read them: 

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: This is my most favourite book. 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle begins with a tiny and hungry caterpillar coming out of a small egg. He spends the entire week eating all sorts of fruits and other food items. Each day he keeps eating more and more, which leads to stomachache. He therefore eats through a green leaf to relieve his pain. At the end of the week, he turns into a big, fat caterpillar. He builds a cocoon around himself, and stays inside for 2 weeks. At the end he emerges out of it as a beautiful butterfly. It is amazing how such a simple book, with minimum words and simple illustrations, provides immense learning opportunities for children. The illustrations are vibrant and child-like. Right from learning the name of different fruits to numbers, from days of the week to lifecycle of a butterfly, there is so much to learn through this concise yet beautiful story. To top it all, there are tiny die-cut holes on the pictures of food items, which the caterpillar has supposedly eaten. This book is also available in pull-out pop-up format, which can add extra interest to your storytelling. An older child would like the bigger book format or bigger board book, while there is a mini-board book for very young kids.

2. I Udderly Love You: It is an adorable book about unconditional love. The story is told from the point-of-view of a Mamma cow to the baby-cow. The lines are rhythmic and yet not too wordy. The story has been narrated with a whimsical twist by altering the spelling of few words to words related to cow. For example, 'utterly' becomes 'udderly', 'music' becomes 'moo-sic', 'movement' becomes 'moo-vement' and so on. The Mamma-cow tells her baby that she loves everything about her, every part of her, every mood, everything she does and how everyday is special with her. It also offers opportunity to learn body parts. 

3. The Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton: This is an extremely popular book for reading to young children at bed time. It starts from the setting of sun to the entire process of getting ready for bed, i.e., taking bath, brushing teeth, wearing pajamas, exercising (I still don't get the point of exercising before bed though) and turning off the light and going to bed. It comes in lap size also which is handy for the kids to hold and turn the pages. The text is minimum and rhythmic. 

4. The Little Gardener by Jan Gerardi: This book has flaps on every page. Though it is a board book but it is tear-able, especially the flaps. So, with really young kids, you need to be careful. I have had to put the flaps back with sellotape because my son suddenly discovered it was fun to tear the flaps apart. This book explains the process of gardening to young environment lovers. This is a colourful book with bare minimum text on each page (on most pages there are only 1 or two words) with very beautiful, child-friendly illustrations. Even this book is quite environment friendly - printed on 80% recycled paper with soy ink and water-based varnish. This book is useful in inspiring love for gardening and environment in young kids.   

5. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: I bought this book recently and frankly, I was quite doubtful about its potential for a 2 year old kid. I was skeptical if this relatively long story with quite a lot of text will interest such a young child. But the fact is 'Gruffalo' is a lovable character rather than intimidating. It is an interesting story about a mouse who uses his intelligent to trick a lot of other animals who were preying on him, and saves himself. The text is rhythmic and quite enjoyable. It can be sung with voice modulation to create drama and generate interest (I read it that way). My son calls this book 'Goilla' (he means Gorilla since he finds Gruffalo similar to Gorilla).

The story is about a mouse, who is passing through the woods. He meets a fox, an owl and a snake one after another. Each wanting to trick him into going to their house, with the motive of feasting on him. But mouse tricks each of them into believing that he is going to meet 'Gruffalo' and creates an intimidating picture of Gruffalo which scares the, and they run away. Mouse laughs at them, safe in the knowledge that there is no such thing as a Gruffalo. But he is accosted by Gruffalo himself who also wants to eat him. The shrewed mouse convinces the Gruffalo to follow him and see for himself how all the animals are afraid of him (the mouse). Gruffalo watches snake, owl and fox run away on looking at the mouse (though actually they are scared of Gruffalo himself but Gruffalo does not realizes that). Eventually, when mouse tells Gruffalo that his favourite food is Gruffalo, the latter runs away too. And mouse is left alone. So, the intelligent mouse takes everyone for a ride and saves himself. 

NOTE:I realize that all the books I have mentioned are from foreign authors. I admit, most of the books which we have got so far are from non-Indians but I have got a list ready of some interesting Indian books for kids. I have a few books from Karadi Tales but I will recommend them for a little older kids (they are not in board book format and I have already suffered). There is an Indian rhyme book (with CD) from Karadi Tales which my son finds extremely captivating. Here is the link for that book.

So, do you have any good Children's books to share?

Images courtesy: flipkart.com

Book Review: Becoming Mrs Kumar by Heather Saville Gupta

Title: Becoming Mrs Kumar

Author: Heather Saville Gupta

Publisher: Random House India

Pages: 352

Price: Rs 350

Genre: Fiction / Chicklit / Romance

Rating: 7/10

Format: Paperback

Initially, I was a little wary about picking up this book because I thought it would be yet another narrative by a European traveler talking about filth, poverty and may be enlightenment. But this book does not dwell too much into the predictable, and what sets the book apart is that it is less cynical and more positive.

Julia Robinson is in her early 30s. She has worked her way to a comfortable position in a top advertising agency in London. But now she is finding herself in a mid-life crisis. She is ready to be in a serious relationship but she hasn’t found anyone yet. Life has become mundane and boring, and she feels it is time to shake things up. When her boss offers her a job in Mumbai with a raise and other perks, she feels as if it is some sort of destiny. Her best friends are bewildered, her family is skeptical, but Julia feels that she needs the adventure that India will provide.

This book is unlike other books by Western travelers. Julia is looking for love and not enlightenment. She is not a backpack traveler, collecting experiences; she is an expat, who lives in a posh locality of Mumbai, in a city where space is a luxury for many. Her social circle comprises of other expats, work colleagues and people she meets at upmarket pubs/bars. Her life in one of the most chaotic and filthy cities, Mumbai, is largely cocooned. Julia finds India extremely hot and disorganized, yet friendly and exciting. She describes her fist encounter with Mumbai as (in her own words) "the heady experience of having all of my five senses simultaneously walloped by a massive sensory overload" and yet she loves "its energy, its raw vitality, its chaotic madness". After a couple of bad experiences, she finally meets Mr Right (Mr Kumar) but only when she has already decided to leave India for good. For her, becoming Mrs Kumar does not come without drama. What eventually ensues is a big fat Indian wedding.

Characterization is not the strong point of this book. We don’t even get to know Mr Kumar that well. However, it is refreshing to see a foreigner appreciate what India has to offer, and weigh pros and cons vis-à-vis her own country (which is expected when the differences are many and stark). Julia's fondness for India was surprising considering it is a different thing to appreciate a place on vacation and a different thing to like it enough to adopt it. But obviously she is in love with the country. I also felt that the whole romance is a little hurried. Marrying in such a haste looks romantic but impractical.

‘Becoming Mrs Kumar’ obviously derives a lot from the author’s real experiences. Read the author talk about her book and her inspirations here. Read another author interview here to know more about the book. 

This book was an average read for me. Some parts were interesting but some were really slow and a few times repetitive. But having said that, the book has much to offer; it is a semi-travelogue and chicklit (the single, successful woman unlucky in love kind) rolled into one. If you like reading the outsider's view of our beloved country; what they find funny, baffling or endearing, then read on. 

Review Book courtesy: Random House India

Image source: Random House India

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