BOOK REVIEW: YOU BENEATH YOUR SKIN

Disfigured slum women corpses were found in the dumpsters of Delhi. Police commissioner Jatin and his team started to investigate this case privately with the help of Anjali, a single mother with an autistic son. During this time, a terrible thing happened to Anjali. Why and who did it? How that Questioned their entire reality they are living in? Do people really act like what they seem? What is the importance of good parenting? Read this book to know the answers. Honestly, this book is more than what I expected. It is a really good crime-thriller with a realistic plot, characters, details, and everything. It's real and raw, showing us exactly the society we are living in. Especially, the ending. It is not a perfect ending but definitely a realistic one. Every character in this book is developed really well. The author had accurately captured the minds of people, whom we may come across daily. The trauma of the victims and also the psychotic profile of the perpetrators with an accurate depiction of the precipitating and perpetuating factors were portrayed realistically. Sometimes, it seemed quite predictable. But, that doesn't affect the flow and strength of the plot. A highly recommend read!!

A Letter to my Favorite Character...

Dear Mariam,

I know, right from the moment you were called Harami by your own mother at the age of five, your life is hell, no one wants to live. You never received the love you deserved. Even if you did, it was after a terrible blow of sadness that you understood the love and that made your life even miserable. You thought Jalil loved you. I don’t blame you, Mariam. Even I thought the same. Even I thought Jalil’s love for you is pure, Even I thought he took you to the pistachio tree, where poet Jami was buried. Even I thought your mother was lying about Jalil. Even I thought Jalil loved you more than your Nana. So, I don’t blame you for leaving Nana and going to Jalil.

It's okay to hate your father. Because it broke my heart too when I read Jalil was inside his house and let you sleep on the streets. I hated him too. Still, you forgave him, accepted him, and expected him to do nothing but to have him on your side. But he left you aghast when he should’ve stopped your Nikkah and let you go to school, just like his other daughters. He didn’t. His honor was bigger to him Mariam than the little girl, he called “little flower”. We should’ve guessed it, you were just a little flower in his big garden. We thought you are special to him, unfortunately, we were wrong.

I know you were scared of Rasheed at first, it was really great to know he was not a bad guy. I was more than happy when you were pregnant. Because I knew you would be one of the best parents and you’d shower your kids with the love and care you never received. But unfortunately, Life is so unfair Mariam, especially to you. Still, you lived with that monster. How much he made you suffer? The day he made you chew pebbles and broke your molars, it broke my heart. How much my Mariam should endure in her life? When will this end?

Then Laila came into your life. I was happy that now you have someone who’ll make you happy. But the journey was not an easy one. I could hear the sounds of your broken heart when Rasheed said he wants to marry Laila, whose birth made you smile after a long time, whom you watched growing up in front of your eyes. But soon, your life with Laila is the best thing that ever happened to you. Aziza’s laugh made your heart smile.

Your love for Laila is so pure. I never in my life imagined innocent Mariam to kill a six feet man. But you did, Mariam, You did it. You did it for Laila, the daughter you never gave birth too. You know what, your loved saved Laila and her kids. They are now living in Kabul, helping Kabul to become a beautiful city, it used to be before the war. Laila also visited your Kolba. I know your love still lives with them. Whenever Laila, Tariq, and their kids smile, it's because of you Mariam. You are the only reason, they are smiling today. But what breaks my heart is that you never get to read the letter your father wrote to you. But I’m glad, you forgave him. That’s what he asked you in that letter.

Mariam, you taught me how to love, when no one else loves us. You taught me love is selfless, love is not always seeing us the happiest, but making our loved ones the happiest. You taught me love can change a person. You taught me so many things. Your life will always be in my heart, like the thousand splendid suns that are behind the walls.

Mariam jo, I love you. I’ll try my best to love you and my loved ones as much as you loved your Laila.

BOOK REVIEW: THAT NIGHT UNDER THE STARS

Tanvi is a lawyer, who works for women's rights and hates men because something happened in her past. Shaurya is a doctor and the husband of Arya, who is one of the clients of Tanvi. Tanvi ends up in Shaurya's hospital after attacked by some goons. Fate made them spend one night under the stars and how that changed their lives is what this book. is about. This love story of Tanvi and Shaurya has too much to teach.
Loving a correct person can never be a mistake. They change you as a person, they change how you view certain things, eventually, they change your life and you'll be a better person in the end. But, What happens when you let your ego take over your feelings for that person. How ego can blind your thoughts thus results in actions, you never intend to do. Your vision is so blinded by the ego, that you failed to see what really happened or what could've happened. Ego makes you Judgemental. It can do all the terrible to one's relationship. The problem cannot be solved, unless one of them came forward, accepted their ego, And let the other person knew they threw their ego away, for you. This is what happens between Tanvi and Shaurya. The overall plot looked quite predictable and clichéd. But the writing style is beautiful. I'm not a romance fiction fan. But if you love reading romances, you may like it more than me!

BOOK REVIEW: FAITH AND BELOVED

This book revolves around the Characters of Naithy Cherkoil, a successful businesswoman , her daughter Alice Cherkoil: young and smart, who can outwit anyone, Prem rollands: a talented student, Kalari expert and good in hacking too. He is out to kill his brother's murders. And then there are other characters like Officer Prakash, Tony: Canadian model and Naithy's husband, Underworld Don's Mia and so many.
.⚔The book starts with Alice murdering her stepfather Tony and escaping from police and other gang members who search her. She is really a smart kid, who outwits everybody who is after her, faking her identity. Meanwhile, Prem is working on a hydroelectric project and trying to kill his brother's murderer. Tony, is not really clean as he was shown. He was more than a model. The story is about, how these Completely different lives cross each other. What was the connection? Why did Alice kill Tony? Why Arun was murdered? What was Alice carrying with her? Read this book to find out answers to these questions.
⚔The writing style of the book is quite simple and fast-paced. Every character in this book is well developed. Prem is my favorite character. I still don't whether he is the good guy or the bad guy. I found the backstory of Kanna aka Tony quite draggy and boring. Maybe it is to give a clear context of what happened during those times. But it made me skip pages. The plot seemed quite complex, especially with the details of LTTE, ISI, and the underground worlds. Coming back to Alice, her witty moves was my favorite too. How she escaped and saved her mother was really interesting.
.⚔Overall a good fast-paced read!!⚔

BOOK REVIEW: STORIES OF US

🍀Stories of us is a collection of 41 short stories. Each of them so different from one another. But the only common factor among all these stories is that they are happening in our very own societies and most of us are ignoring those realities. Different stories touch upon different pages of our society. The Irony of many stories made me rethink the lives we are living in. Love, hunger, poverty, charity, sexual assault, marriage, loyalty, and much more are the concepts of these stories. I really liked many stories from this collection.
.🍀Some of my personal favorites are Boarding pass, which talks about how some people are talking to one another, after judging them by their appearance. Ummidein - A life of desires. I absolutely loved this one. This was written from the perspective of a boy who was born after two daughters in Indian society and how, Right after his birth, he is expected to fulfill everyone's wishes. It was written really well. Another one being, 56 offerings about how some people stand in line to give offerings to God but don't have a second to look at the beggars next to the temple. Garbage collector reminds of the people whom we are taking for granted. Shor - the Noise is kind of satirical. Okay, this list is getting really long. Anyway, The Theft, Wish to be a dog are my other favorites. Some stories are really disturbing.
.🍀But, I highly recommend this book. It is definitely a great read for beginners with easy language, relatable characters, and definitively a page-turner!

BOOK REVIEW: ERIKA : A THRILLER

Erika: A thriller is a book about Erika, an independent girl, working in London with Lara, her roommate, and her only friend. Ethan was introduced into her life by Lara. Erica and Ethan got married. Their marriage life had its ups and downs. On an occasion, Erica killed Ethan. This incident revealed her true self? Who is she? Who is Ethan? Who is Lara? What's wrong with them?. I'm not sure, this book will answer these questions. But I was left with these questions after reading this book. Every character is mysterious, So do their actions. But that's what made me like this book more. Seriously, I was so confused after read this book. It took me so much time to make sense, what I just read. Still, I'm not sure about my understanding of this book. But I liked it! That's the beauty of this book. The ending is totally unexpected. The writing style is definitely fast-paced and easy one sit read. The only issue I have is that some things were left so abrupt, like what really happened to Lara, why is Lara and Ethan were behaving oddly?. But overall, A Mysterious read for me. This book is definitely different from what i usually read. Do read this book!

BOOK REVIEW: THE KING OF THE SEA in re

~ I bled you dry not to kill you but to fill your veins with wine instead.
 I destroyed the synapse of your mind not to make you stupid, but to make you receive his instructions clearly.
I broke your leg because I wanted you to fly~

This book is really a unique piece of work. It looks like a collection of Prose, poems and even songs and indeed it is. But, once started reading it will Make sense as a story, a novel. Maybe, that is why it is called a Metaphysical novel. This is about the story of a boy on a ship, the captain of the ship and others in there, another guy with a confused past. But his story holds more lessons. It deals with love, self-discovery, spirituality, subconscious mind and much more. It is also highly philosophical. The way the author has written this book, makes it a personal one to everybody who reads it. It helps the reader to attach to the book.
The language of the book is more poetic. This is one of those which can be read just for its language. The writing style can be quite confusing if you didn't pay much attention. Because the narration and the plot of the book changes often. Also, the time keeps on changing. So, it's safe to read this book mindfully. This is not the book, which you can be finish in one sitting or a quick read. This book will take time but it's worth it. Some passages even need to be reread, in order to completely understand what is going on.
PS: Reading Author’s note and Foreword, before starting the actual novel can help the reader understand and interpret better.