Hello friends!
As said yesterday in the call out for writers/poets/authors with their entries for the anthology, I am back with a book review!
The book that I am up to review now, is The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Vikrant Khanna. The book is provided by Arudhaa Club in exchange for a genuine review.
Blurb:
Can true love bring someone back from the dead?
Akshara is left devastated by her mother’s death and spends most of her time in solitude at the local park. One day she meets a man named Harry, who, to help ease some of her pain, recounts to her a story about the miraculous reunion of a young woman and her dead boyfriend. The story makes Akshara hopeful that she can perhaps see her mother again.
But she soon realizes that Harry isn’t what he seems to be. Even the characters in his story seem dubious, almost unreal. So what is he hiding? And why? Is there any truth to his story at all?
In this darkly suspenseful romance mystery, Akshara is left facing a truth that will make her doubt not just Harry but also herself. . .
Review:
The first thing about the book that caught my attention was the cover. The lonely girl walking on the wooden ramp did leave me intrigued and made me go ahead and read the blurb.
P.S. I do not judge the book by its cover, but yes it always helps when it stirs up some curiosity! 😉
The blurb was indeed one to excite me and trust me, I wasn’t disappointed.
The story starts on a very subtle note, with the interaction between a child in pain after losing her mother. Her loneliness and sorrow is well described. Just as another sensitive and concerned passerby, Harry’s eyes fall on her and he knows she is in pain. The little talk they have makes her smile and cry. A sweet friendship is seen blossoming between them, while Harry narrates a story to Akshara.
All seems set for a simple story, right? Well, of course not! The story isn’t so simple. Harry starts telling her a story which he believes will help her too. His story is about Sahiba, her boyfriend Sidhu and himself. A little revelation by Harry is made to Akshara as well as the readers and we are all left wide eyed. As his story moves ahead in the book, it leaves us wondering at many things. For an instant you really don’t know if you should believe it, or just drop it off as a big leap of faith. Anyhow, it wasn’t going to make me stop, and I am so happy I didn’t.
Gradually as Harry’s story reveals few more secrets of his, we start liking the spirit and character of Harry. And as his story ends, he has all our emotions in his favour. But as the story ends, Akshara like us, is seen questioning a lot of things. And her queries do not surprise us, for the same seem to be looming in our minds. She is seen in doubt about the story Harry narrated to her. She has doubts over his existence. She has doubts on her own self!
Can someone be brought back from dead? Does true love really exist? Can true love bring someone back from the dead?
These questions are not to be easily answered. Rather I am sure we all are just not equipped to answer them. Yet, they are there, looking right into your eyes and waiting for you to search for them!!
The book is really a good one to read. 209 pages that keep you hooked till you turn to the Author’s Note. Though it wasn’t really an unpredictable one for me, I still had a nice time reading it. Reading on those lines earlier has made me a good guesser, I guess!
The story is set with real people in real situations but then the events that follow are quite unrealistic. A few light moments are added up to make the book ‘a feel good one’. It may feel like a ‘leap of faith’ kind of story, a miracle that we all are sure doesn’t happen, neither does it really sound convincing yet the curiosity makes you go on till the end.
Another area I found myself unsteady was when Harry’s story was going on. It just confuses you a bit if you read too quickly. I mean the timeline of his story jumps back and forth without prior warning. Yet this didn’t take away the fun that I had while reading it.
An appreciable thing about the book is the simple language. Akshara and Harry stand out while the characters of Harry’s story – Sahiba and Sidhu – sound too unbelievable or too cliche!
However it is an entertaining book you just can’t put down unless you read the last line!
I give it a 4 star for giving me something to think on and wonder at, for the lovely time I spent relishing the story of Akshara and Harry!
Do order it here on Amazon.in
Well, that’s about it! Hope to be back sooner with a review or my write up.
Keep writing and sharing, I am trying hard to read all your works, lots still left to check out on!
Lots of love and best wishes for all….
Syeda
