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Book Review 160

Name of the Book: All The Young Men

Author: Ruth Coker Burks and Kevin Carr O’Leary

Publisher: Grove Press (an imprint of Grove Atlantic)

Year: 2020

Category: Non-Fiction (Memoir)

Blurb:

All The Young Men, a gripping and triumphant tale of human compassion, is the true story of Ruth Coker Burks, a young single mother in Hot Springs, Arkansas, who finds herself driven to the forefront of the AIDS crisis, and becoming a pivotal activist in America’s fight against AIDS.

In 1986, 26-year-old Ruth visits a friend at the hospital when she notices that the door to one of the hospital rooms is painted red. She witnesses nurses drawing straws to see who would tend to the patient inside, all of them reluctant to enter the room. Out of impulse, Ruth herself enters the quarantined space and immediately begins to care for the young man who cries for his mother in the last moments of his life. Before she can even process what she’s done, word spreads in the community that Ruth is the only person willing to help these young men afflicted by AIDS, and is called upon to nurse them. As she forges deep friendships with the men she helps, she works tirelessly to find them housing and jobs, even searching for funeral homes willing to take their bodies – often in the middle of the night. She cooks meals for tens of people out of discarded food found in the dumpsters behind supermarkets, stores rare medications for her most urgent patients, teaches sex-ed to drag queens after hours at secret bars, and becomes a beacon of hope to an otherwise spurned group of ailing gay men on the fringes of a deeply conservative state.

Throughout the years, Ruth defies local pastors and nurses to help the men she cares for: Paul and Billy, Angel, Chip, Todd and Luke. Emboldened by the weight of their collective pain, she fervently advocates for their safety and visibility, ultimately advising Governor Bill Clinton on the national HIV-AIDS crisis.

This deeply moving and elegiac memoir honors the extraordinary life of Ruth Coker Burks and the beloved men who fought valiantly for their lives with AIDS during a most hostile and misinformed time in America.

Review:

This book is the memoir of Ruth Coker Burks, a woman who stumbled upon an HIV affected patient who changed her life in unexpected ways. Since HIV/AIDS disproportionately affected the LGBTQIA+ community more, the disease itself became stigmatized and this prevented many of those affected from getting the right treatment. At a time, when the LGBTQ community was being ostracized and HIV/AIDS patients were being disowned by even family members, Ruth had to go against society to support them. She and her daughter were attacked by neighbours, not allowed into the church and alienated by friends and family. However, these did not deter Ruth from the path of love and compassion. She did the unthinkable, which most people even now after all the scientific development and research might not be willing to do. She treated everyone like her own family and they reciprocated it in their way. She worked with many including teenage prostitutes, drag queens and so many others who still face discrimination from both the law and other people. She actively tried to engage the government and local ruling bodies to bring attention to this grave problem. The memoir is written with honesty and no saviour complex, but with pure love and regard for every person whom she met in her life. I read few reviews where people did not like the book as Ruth includes her religious beliefs in the book. I did not think that these were not overdone at any point. Since she is a religious person, it is only natural to include that important aspect of her life in her memoir. Her work is of immense importance and it paved the way for a different and informed way of treatment and outlook towards HIV/AIDS. This is an extremely important book that everyone must read to understand the social context of the disease and to develop empathy towards those suffering from the disease. It is also an important historical document that reflects on the treatment of the LGBTQ community and the disease that affected them severely.

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review 159

Name of the Book: Will You Remember Me?

Author: Amanda Prowse

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Year: 2015

Category: Fiction

Blurb:

How do you say goodbye to your family for the last time?

Poppy Day is thirty-two and married to her childhood sweetheart. She’s a full-time mum of two gorgeous children and loves her homely little cottage in the countryside. It’s the life she always wanted.

But Poppy is so busy caring for others she hasn’t noticed how tired she is, or the menacing lump growing on her breast. It’s unthinkable that cancer could defeat such a strong and amazing woman. But life doesn’t always give you what you deserve…

Review:

I was looking for a happy and magical romantic novel and picked up this book based on the cover. I expected something like a Cecelia Ahern novel but I was in for a surprise. This was such a heartbreaking novel. After I completed the book, I realized that it was the sixth book in the No Greater Love series. Yet, each book can also be standalone. Though the plot might be slightly predictable, the story-telling is so brilliant. It is an extremely emotional book and very well written. If you love Nicolas Sparks books, you will love this book and probably all books by Amanda Prowse. Be ready to be emotionally drowned in the world of Poppy Day and her family.

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review 158

Name of the Book: A Place Called Here

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Publisher: Harper Collins

Year: 2007

Category: Fiction

Blurb:

Ever wondered where lost things go?

Ever since the day her classmate vanished, Sandy Shortt has been haunted by what happens when something – or someone – disappears. Finding has become her goal.

Jack Ruttle is desperate to find his younger brother who vanished into thin air a year ago. He spots an ad for Sandy’s missing persons agency and is certain that she will answer his prayers and find his brother.

But then Sandy disappears too, stumbling upon a place that is a world away from the only one she has ever known. Now all she wants, more than anything, is to find her way home.

Review:

Cecelia Ahern, true to her style has weaved a magical world so real that it is impossible to not be captivated by it. Right from the beginning, the reader is taken on a roller coaster ride and we are always anticipating the next twist or event. Once you start this book, it is impossible to put it down unless you reach the end. The book has some really interesting characters and each of them is interesting and realistic. Towards the end, it almost becomes predictable but there is never a boring moment. My favourite part was the analogy with The Wizard of Oz. There were loose ends in the book and the ending was kind of hurried and incomplete. I would have enjoyed it even more if the end was as perfect as the beginning. If you want to pick up a feel-good book that will transport you to another world and make you forget your worries, this is the perfect one.

Rating: 3.9/5

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Book Review 157

Name of the Book: A Man Called Ove

Author: Fredrik Backman

Publisher: Sceptre (imprint of Hodder & Stroughton, division of Hachette)

Year: 2015

Category: Fiction

Blurb:

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots – neighbours who can’t reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d’etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents’ Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.

But isn’t it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so?

In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible…

Review:

#unpopularopinion

This was a book that I picked up with a lot of expectations as I have not read a single negative review about it on bookstagram. I am not sure it is only the weight of high expectations that made me not enjoy this book. The protagonist is Ove, an old man battling depression, the trauma from the death of his wife and probably unhealed childhood trauma. The chapters take us back and forth between Ove’s past and present. The story itself is a cliché–a grumpy old man who hates the modern world, who is finally softened by the love of the surrounding people. It would have worked for me if at least the narration was interesting, but the writing fell flat. The character of Ove was not just unlikeable but at certain points also unbelievable. It is still unclear why his wife fell in love with him as I am not convinced by the story. The first half of the book tries very hard to make Ove look unlikeable and then suddenly there is a switch and he is an angel. It felt like the transition was not organic. It also becomes really difficult to forget what Ove did to others which is not just impolite but also cruel to many people in the beginning, whatever his reasons were. The book was unnecessarily long and in between; I struggled to keep up my interest. This book could have been so much more. It had the potential to be amazing as the movie ‘Intern’, but couldn’t be far from it. I think the only reason this book became popular is that it was written in straightforward language and there is an anti-establishment sentiment that many people can connect to. There were a few emotional moments but besides that, the characters did not draw me in and I could not empathize with any of them. It lacks a certain nuance and is very black and white which borders on preachy. There is also some amount of body-shaming and other regressive thoughts by Ove which I could not excuse as an ‘old person behaviour’. What I would have appreciated with Ove being able to work through his issues with the help of the people around him or a therapist and understand his shortcomings.

Rating: 3/5

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Book Review 156

Name of the Book: The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India

Author: S. Y. Quraishi

Publisher: Harper Collins

Year: 2021

Category: Non-fiction

Blurb:

The Population Myth reveals how the right-wing spin to population data has given rise to myths about the ‘Muslim rate of growth’, often used to stoke majoritarian fears of a demographic skew. The author, S.Y. Quraishi, uses facts to demolish these, and demonstrates how a planned population is in the interest of all communities.

The book delves into the Quran and the Hadith to show how Islam might have been one of the first religions in the world to actually advocate smaller families, which is why several Islamic nations today have population policies in place. This busts the other myth – that Muslims shun family planning on religious grounds.

Based on impeccable research, this is an important book from a credible voice about the politicization of demographics in India today.

Review:

Population control and family planning is an important part of every country’s policy. But it is also an area that is highly controversial and sensitive and policymakers need to understand nuances of culture, religion and gender while making decisions.

A right-wing narrative that has been around for years is that Muslims are averse to family planning and their population is increasing at an alarming rate and the Muslim population will soon overtake the Hindu population. The author has done a brilliant job of fighting each of these myths and propaganda with the help of solid facts derived from data obtained from credible sources. The book is an example of how data can help us in dispelling myths and separating facts from fiction. It takes the deft hand of a policymaker to explore this theme in an organized manner and cover every angle in such depth. Quraishi was the 17th CEC of India. He had introduced several electoral reforms such as the creation of a voter education division, the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management and the National Voters Day. The data, calculations and their interpretations can be easily understood to all while also maintaining the level of detail and accuracy.

The book begins with India’s family planning story since Independence till date which sets the context. It further explores the data relevant to this study and the factors that have an impact on family planning. Then the family planning among India’s Muslims and other communities is compared. It can be seen that the fertility rate of Indian Muslims is decreasing steadily with improvement in living standards among them. The next chapter, ‘Tenets of Islam and Family Planning,’ studies the views of religious authorities and scholars on the stance of Islam on family planning. It can be concluded that Islam is in fact, the forerunner of the concept of family planning. One of the most enlightening chapters is the one that explores population policies in Islamic nations. This is highly informative as it completely dispels the myth that Islam is against family planning. It would do India a lot of good to study some of the Islamic countries that have been successful in the implementation of family planning policies to see how we can adapt some of them which will face lesser resistance from Muslim populations. The next biggest factor to explore is how different religion perceives the idea of family planning and how they evolve with time and the environment.

Religion is extremely subjective and at times have been misused to fulfil certain agendas by people in positions of power. But we can see that most of the major religions are not vehemently opposed to birth control, although they encourage fertility as they were formed during times when this would ensure the survival of their community due to the presence of high infant and child immortality rates. Finally, the politics of population is looked into as politics has emerged as an influential factor and has led to religious polarization for selfish political agendas. From its analysis, the book concludes that family planning is not a Hindu-versus-Muslim issue as both communities have similar statistics. It is the socio-economic indicators that influence family planning behaviour and Hindus and Muslims have very similar and region-specific socioeconomic conditions. The author has also given some brilliant suggestions for the way forward which I hope will be considered seriously by policymakers.

Another important snippet in the book is the use of a mathematical model and census data to answer the question of ‘Will Muslim Population Overtake Hindus?’ This once and for all puts to rest the highly debated question as we can see that it is mathematically impossible. This is an excellent book to understand family planning and its politics in India and is an important book under the current political and social environment.

Rating: 4.8/5

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Book Review 155

Name of the Book: A Sea of Glass Searching for the Blaschkas’ Fragile Legacy in an Ocean at Risk

Author: C. Drew Harvell

Publisher: University of California Press

Year: 2016

Category: Non-fiction

Blurb:

It started with a glass octopus. Dusty, broken, and all but forgotten, it caught Drew Harvell’s eye. Fashioned in intricate detail by the father-son glassmaking team of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, the octopus belonged to a menagerie of unusual marine creatures that had been packed away for decades in a storage unit. More than 150 years earlier, the Blaschkas had been captivated by marine invertebrates and spun their likenesses into glass, documenting the life of oceans untouched by climate change and human impacts. Inspired by the Blaschkas’ uncanny replicas, Harvell set out in search of their living counterparts. In A Sea of Glass, she recounts this journey of a lifetime, taking readers along as she dives beneath the ocean’s surface to a rarely seen world, revealing the surprising and unusual biology of some of the most ancient animals on the tree of life. On the way, we glimpse a century of change in our ocean ecosystems and learn which of the living matches for the Blaschkas’ creations are, indeed, as fragile as glass.

Drew Harvell and the Blaschka menagerie are the subjects of the documentary Fragile Legacy, which won the Best Short Film award at the 2015 Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit.

Review:

When I was a kid, I remember religiously going through all the colourful pages of encyclopedias, reading about life underwater. I was equally fascinated by the mysterious life under the ocean as I was by the world beyond the sky.

Reading A Sky of Glass was a very similar adventure where I swam with deep-sea creatures of all size, colour and shapes. I discovered the glassworks of Blaschkas recently, and I was highly fascinated with their ideas and creativity of using glass to make exact replicas of underwater creatures. I looked them up and came across this book by C Drew Harvell, inspired by the same work. I instantly decided to pick it up, and was an exciting adventure.

The author has presented a case for the conservation of our ocean ecosystems and the species of flora and fauna that live in this ecosystem through this book with the help of the glass lookalikes of marine invertebrates at Cornell University. This book explains in detail the trip undertaken by the author and her team to spot all the animals of the glass collection in their natural habitats. It takes them across various oceans and continents. We get a glimpse of how our oceans have changed since Blaschkas and how it has affected the ecological balance. Reading the book is like going on a scuba diving adventure with the author. She has tried to show us her experiences first-hand instead of preaching to us about the conservation of the environment. The colourful photographs of the glass creatures and watercolour drawings of famous naturalists add to the experience.

If you are excited by the infinite creatures that live in the deep oceans or want to learn more about them, this is the perfect book for you.

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review 154

Name of the Book: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Author: Gail Honeyman

Publisher: Harper Collins

Year: 2018

Category: Fiction

Blurb:

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?

Review:

TW: Self harm, childhood trauma, abusive parenting

Eleanor Oliphant leads an unremarkable life in which she is content. She likes predictability, order and pragmatism in her daily life. She knew most people saw her as different from them. Whether it was due to the scar that ran down her face or her visible eczema, or it was due to her non-existent social skills, one could never tell. With that being said, I could not help but appreciate Eleanor’s eagerness and openness to trying new things, albeit through baby steps. Call it serendipity, but we can see how it opens new doors for her and she enjoys things that she never previously thought she could.

From the beginning, we can see how her colleagues are unkind to her and alienate and bully her at her workplace. Only Raymond tries to get to know her instead of judging her from her appearance. We are all guilty of judging people around us too quickly. This book is a small reminder that we need to be kind and learn to look beyond physical appearances. It shows us how acts of kindness can go a long way, even to the extend of saving a person’s life or getting through the lowest points in their life.

Eleanor’s relationship with her family is complicated, especially with her mother. She was a child whose emotional needs were unmet, which leads to many issues as an adult. Her childhood trauma comes in the way of a proper relationship as an adult. Eleanor was initially reluctant to attend therapy due to the stigma associated with mental health and her general reluctance to delve into her painful past and split open the wounds. However, we can see that once she gets over her initial inhibition, she can feel much lighter and work one by one on all her issues with the help of a professional who is qualified to help in such situations. The author has tried to normalize taking professional support and being open about mental health issues in a professional environment. One of the most pleasantly surprising incidents was how her boss Bob views her absence from work right after her promotion. Most workplaces even today are ill-equipped to deal with the mental health of their employees with the required empathy and support. Bob is highly supportive of Eleanor as his own sister had previously suffered from depression, and he can empathize with her. It is also powerful to see that her co-workers also come around and are very warm to her once she returns after a long break back to the office. This shows how one person, especially somebody who is in a position of power or a leader, can set an excellent example for others in a workplace. There are times when we feel that the relationship between Eleanor and Raymond is more than platonic. However, I love how the author never alluded to it directly in the book and left it open-ended.

The book has quite a lot of funny moments lined with Eleanor’s quirky social commentary. Eleanor starts off as an unlikeable character, but she will grow on you, and towards the end, she almost becomes a close friend. Eleanor forges some beautiful and unexpected relationships, like with Laura, her houseplant Polly and her cat Glen, Raymond’s mom, Sammy and Keith, among others. Having family and/or friends with whom we can spend time and share our feelings will go a long way in helping us get through the days, good and bad. The book also brings hope to those who had a difficult childhood and a non-conducive environment growing up. Their past does not have to define them, and they can lead happy life. The language, the style of the prose and the theme make it a great book to be incorporated into a syllabus for academic purposes.

It is a book that will leave you with a feeling of warmth for days after you complete it. If you want to pick up one book on mental health awareness, let it be this.

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review 153

Name of the Book: Everything I Never Told You

Author: Celeste NG

Publisher: Blackfriars, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, Hachette India

Year: 2014

Category: Fiction

Blurb:

Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee; a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue – in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the centre of every party. But Lydia is under pressures that have nothing to do with growing up in 1970s small town Ohio. Her father is an American born of first-generation Chinese immigrants, and his ethnicity, and hers, make them conspicuous in any setting.

When Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, James is consumed by guilt and sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to make someone accountable, no matter what the cost. Lydia’s older brother, Nathan, is convinced that local bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it’s the youngest in the family – Hannah – who observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who knows what really happened.

Everything I Never Told You is a gripping page-turner, about secrets, love, longing, lies and race.

Review:

The book begins with the death of Lydia, a teenager that shakes the family beyond repair. We are then taken through the incidents that lead up to her death through the eyes of each of the members of her family. As we delve deeper, we realise the complex net of events and thoughts that influenced everyone in the book. The mystery of death is merely a tool used by the author to give us a peek into each person’s individual lives in the Lee family. More than a thriller, it is a family drama that explores many themes like racism, ethnicity, gender discrimination, sexuality, etc. The book’s title is very apt as we see how our thoughts which we do not express directly or indirectly, leave a mark on our lives. The weight of parents’ expectations, especially in collectivistic cultures, can harm children. Parents tend to project their own insecurities and unresolved childhood trauma on their kids, which can ultimately ruin their relationship and their lives. The problems faced by those involved in mixed-race marriages, primarily due to external issues, are well highlighted. The coping mechanisms that various family members adopt post the traumatic incident that tears apart their family is heart-breaking but interesting to note. Parents that show partiality among their kids can have devastating consequences. The book is very gripping and will tug at your heartstrings.

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review 152

Name of the Book: When the Wildflowers Bloom

Author: Rupa Bhullar

Publisher: Rupa Publications

Year: 2021

Category: Fiction

Blurb:

Don’t try to predict life, try to explore it instead. Even the roughest, most crooked trails can sometimes lead to magnificent places. After suffering public humiliation at the hands of her husband on what would have otherwise been a memorable evening, Tara Grewal, a homemaker and mother of two, finds herself thrust onto a crossroads. She cannot readily go back to the life she once knew, nor can she move forward without a career or life skills to sustain her. As she transitions from questioning her choices to surrendering to the flow of life, an unfamiliar journey leads her to her grandmother village in Punjab. Amid the simple joys of rural life, and heart-wrenching struggles of daily survival, Tara unknowingly kindle a Spark of hope. A hope that eventually lights her own fire. As she casts off the reins of the predictable and embraces change, Tara unravels her fears and motivations, reaffirming her belief in what she knew to be true—about people, about life, about relationships, and most importantly, about love. In her challenges, she finds her strength. In her escape, she finds her home. Poignant, insightful, and deeply relatable, when the wildflowers Bloom weaves together the complexities of human emotions and societal norms with beauty, sensitivity, and unfailing optimism.

Review:

The book is about a woman who runs away from an abusive marriage and the difficult decisions in front of her. The story runs similar to that of the movie Thappad, and when I started the book, I was worried that this book would be repetitive. However, the writing was interesting enough to keep me hooked till the end, even though the story was sort of predictable. The book has tried to capture the beauty of life in a village in North India perfectly. As the story progresses, we can see the protagonist Tara come out of her shell and discover herself. The journey has been well written. It is also refreshing to see the family and friends of the woman support her throughout this journey. Usually, that is not the case. The author did not explore Tara’s sisters’ characters as I would have liked. Two interesting characters that I loved was Dev’s grandmother and Varsha, the lawyer. But Varsha was merely mentioned in passing and did not get the space she deserved. The part about the school was exciting but dramatized the story a lot. Dev’s character had nothing new to offer. The character of Ashok uncle promised a lot, but it fizzled out towards the end of the book. Overall, the book is an interesting read that throws light on the importance of equality among partners in a marriage.

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review 151

Name of the Book: Murder At The Mushaira

Author: Raza Mir

Publisher: Aleph Book Company

Year: 2021

Category: Fiction

Blurb:

3 May 1857.

India stands on the brink of war. Everywhere in its cities, towns, and villages, rebels and revolutionaries are massing to overthrow the ruthless and corrupt British East India Company which has taken over the country and laid it to waste. In Delhi, the capital, even as the plot to get rid of the hated foreigners gathers intensity, the busy social life of the city hums along. Nautch girls entertain clients, nawabs host mushairas or poetry soirees in which the finest poets of the realm congregate to recite their latest verse and intrigue, the wealthy roister in magnificent havens, and the drinking dens of the city continue to pack in customers. One morning, Kallu, a retainer at a Delhi haveli, cleaning up after a grand mushaira, discovers a poet stabbed to death with a polished agate Dagger. Gruesome as it is, the murder appears to be a fairly run of the Mill crime until anxious officials of the East India Company make it a matter of the highest priority. Instructions are issued for the murderer to be found and arrested immediately. But who is the killer? The dead man had many enemies and the investigating Officer Kiromal Chainsukh soon discovers there are dozens of suspects, an equal number of motives, and Waves of secrets and lies that threaten to overwhelm him. As the pressure on him to solve the crime increases, Chainsukh turns to Mirza Ghalib, poet laureate and amateur detective, for help. Ghalib’s tools are his formidable intelligence, intimate knowledge of the machinations of Delhi High society, ferocious curiosity, and reliance on the new Science of forensics that his friend the scientist master Ramachandra has introduced him to. As Ghalib begins to collect evidence and dig into the case, he uncovers an ever-widening list of suspects, and a sinister conspiracy that involves many of Delhi most important men and women. Set against the backdrop of India’s first war of Independence, murder at the mushaira is at once a brilliantly constructed murder mystery and the finest historical novel by an Indian author in recent times.

Review:

This is the first time I read a crossover between a murder mystery and a historical novel. Before picking up the book, I was sceptical about losing interest due to unnecessary details and a dragging storyline which is usually the case with many thick books. My worries were, however, unfounded, and it has been a really engaging and enjoyable read. The language and the writing style with Urdu couplets at the beginning of every chapter really captivated me. Right from the start, we will grow to like and appreciate Mirza Ghalib’s character for his wit, tactic, and knowledge. It is interesting to see how Mirza talks to people and handles various situations with grace and nuance, and it is something we should all learn from him. Each character in the book has been given the space they deserve, and the character developments of each of them are brilliant. Two characters from the book that really stayed with me are Hyderi and Mohan. The depth of their characters and their story and relationship was magical. The book has combined the elements of drama and mystery in the proper proportions. The author has done an excellent job of driving the plot using the murder of Khairabadi to paint the accurate picture of India under British rule. He has also been able to portray the British’s atrocities during their rule in India by being upfront but not highly emotional. The thought process of both sides has been brought out well through the plot. The book neither tries to make anyone the hero/villain; nor tries to invoke excessive patriotic feelings in the readers’ minds. It has been written from the eyes of a detached viewer of the events as books should be, while always being empathetic to situations and characters that the author deemed necessary. Murder At The Mushaira is a book that needs to be slowly devoured but one that will always keep you on your toes.

Rating: 5/5

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