It's not about you by Ratna Vira: a review

The first thing that I felt after seeing Ratna Vira’s latest, It's not about you is that this is going to surpass my expectations. I have a certain affinity toward the color black and since the book is a majority black colored book, it had my attention at first glance. I didn't have to think twice before heading toward the blurb of the book which surely added on to what I felt about book.

According to the blurb- Single mother Samaira juggles her corporate job and Aksh, her teenaged son, even as she defies society, disapproving in-laws and her own family. But when Aksh is found battered and beaten at school, she delves deeper only to discover the murky world of bullying, the secret life of teenagers, and the emotional distance between parents and children. In her pursuit of truth and justice, Samaira ends up challenging the power equations of politics, wealth and influence.

It's not about you is an urgent, contemporary tale that celebrates the persistence of the human spirit to fight against all odds.

I'll continue with what I was mentioning about the cover because this would be one cover that I would be cherishing throughout my life no matter how many books I own. After drooling over the cover when I turned the page and started reading the book there was one thing that I loved and that is the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Quotes by different famous authors made into one makes this book special. The book starts with the author describing Samaira, what she does and how her life is like. In that very chapter she also mentions how the relationship between Samaira and her son, Aksh is. As you read through, this one chapter gives you a lot that the whole book is dependant upon.

Coming to the characters. One of the good things about the book is the characters and their behaviour. I loved how Samaira’s character has been portrayed in the book along with her children and even her husband. The other characters are also wonderfully etched. One of my favorite characters was maasi ji and trust me on this, you need to read the book to know why do I say so. Each character has a specific role to play. I'll come to the cons of the characters in some time.

Now, the story. I have a lot of things to be said about the story. The story promises to be a very gripping one and knowing about the praises for the author, I had a lot of expectations from the book. The story, to me, was a bit shaky. The point that the author wanted to put forth and the concept was very interesting but I wasn't exactly satisfied with the presentation. There are moments in the book that would stay with you for a long time. While there are moments which you would feel could've been more impactful. The secrets, truths about the relationships are given bare in the book and you might feel that they are real. It might even be something that you dare not speak out loud. Somehow I felt that the focus shifted at places or the author lost track but it didn't disappoint.

The narration was done beautifully and I cannot find a fault in that. The book is a smooth ride and the narration does its best in complementing the story but somewhere down the line, for the target audience, some more quirks would've made this story wonderful. Coming to the cons, I would've loved if some characters were given a bit more highlight. Some, I felt, needed closure while some were not needed. The writer has potential and I felt that a bit more finesse can do wonders. All in all, the book is impactful and can make the readers think. A must read, indeed. I would rate it 4 out of 5.

Skyfire by Aroon Raman: a review

You know what’s the first thing that comes in your mind once you see Aroon Raman’s latest book, Skyfire? That one line by Hindustan Times on the cover that says “India’s answer to Robert Ludlum.” And then you know that no matter what, this book is a must read. Privileged at being one of the very first people who could get their hands on the book, I couldn’t stop myself from liking it after I had my eyes on it for the first time. Upon turning the book, the blurb of course made me want to read the book right away. So before turning on what do I have to say about the book, here is the blurb of the book for you to read.

According to the blurb- May 2012. India is hit by a series of freak weather disturbances and startling epidemics that threaten to bring the country to its knees. At the same time, children are disappearing from the slums in the capital and nobody seems to care. Stumbling upon these strange and seemingly unrelated incidents, journalist Chandrasekhar, historian Meenakshi Pirzada and intelligence operative Syed Ali Hassan start upon a trail that leads them into the drawing rooms of Delhi’s glittering high society before reaching a terrifying climax in Bhutan, where they come face to face with a force of unspeakable power and evil. Bestselling author Aroon Raman’s third novel, Skyfire, is a heart stopping thriller that will chill you to the bone.

Now that you’ve read the blurb I am sure that you are thinking what I was when I first read it. I’ll first talk about the characters. Chandrasekhar, Meenakshi, Hassan; the main protagonists of the novel deal with a spine chilling incident that lead them to places that are shown only in films. I loved the way the author has dealt with the characters and has given them the shape and sturd that they much needed. The intricacies of their relationships, the chemistry, the love and the bonding between the trio is so strong that you cannot help but be jealous of them. That apart, there are many other characters in the book who come and go at their respective times and who bring with themselves the much needed twists and turns in the book.

The story. A typical thriller as you might feel from the blurb, this novel is something that you would not even expect it to be. You can feel that from the beginning that this is not an average thriller that you would read on an everyday basis. The way the “freak weather disturbances” and the sightings that have been described in this book is something that I feel is what the author’s speciality. Being the first ever read of the author by me, this book didn’t disappoint me at all. Is this even imaginable that change in weather and missing children can be interrelated (or related at all?) Aroon Raman in this book shows just that and how wonderfully does he do that. I am not giving up much of the story because that would mean saying a lot of things which I don’t want the readers to be left off from reading.

The narration has been done wonderfully but somewhere down the line I felt that the book has been a bit too fast paced and crisp. After one point, even a few set of readers might feel the end was expected. The details have been written and the experience of reading this book is almost equivalent to that of watching a film but hey! Isn’t that supposed to be what a book should be about? There were no grammatical errors in the book and I felt that having said all the good things, this book could’ve been a bit more stretched which it didn’t. Of course, whenever you have a good book in hand, satisfaction cannot be achieved anyhow and we always expect something or the other. For me, expecting and looking forward to more books from the author, this is 4 out of 5.

PS- This book was given to me a part of the Flipkart Book Reviews Programme.

Skyfire by Aroon Raman: the cover reveal

Aroon Raman is a Bengaluru-based serial entrepreneur and author. He ran his family companies for many years, winning critical acclaim for developing scientific talent at the grassroots. After successfully divesting both ventures, he now divides his time between consulting for corporates, non-profits, writing and travel. He is the author of the national bestsellers The Shadow Throne (2012) and The Treasure of Kafur (2013). He regularly contributes columns to Outlook magazine and other publications. He can be reached at www.aroonraman.com.

About the book

May 2012. India is hit by a series of freak weather disturbances and startling epidemics

that threaten to bring the country to its knees. At the same time, children are disappearing from the slums in the capital and nobody seems to care. Stumbling upon these strange and seemingly unrelated incidents, journalist Chandrasekhar, historian Meenakshi Pirzada and intelligence operative Syed Ali Hassan start upon a trail that leads them into the drawing rooms of Delhi’s glittering high society before reaching a terrifying climax in Bhutan, where they come face-to-face with a force of unspeakable power and evil.

It is my pleasure to reveal the first look of Bestselling author Aroon Raman’s third novel, Skyfire, which is a heart-stopping thriller that will chill you to the bone. 
Published under the banner of Pan MacMillan, you can watch the book video trailer here - 

The book would be released on the mid week of October'16.