Hungry Gods is a book, as per its title,
that is focused on Drugs, Sex Cults. A book on a Horrific Crime followed by an
unthinkable revenge. The premise sounds promising, a very different theme to
take, from the normal fair that thrillers put up before us nowadays. I will
call it an experiment, and a unique one. Thus, the author Richa Lakhera deserves
credit for that. Additional credits for the Book Cover : which, as can be seen
below, is riveting, and suggestive of the revenge theme, taking the
expectations from the book up several notches.
THE BOOK
The story starts with a brutal rape and
murder of a woman; her son watches, hidden in the bushes, and it is the son
that take revenge – and you don’t realize who the son is till the last few
pages. Woven into this story is the story of a Pharmaceutical Major caught in a
scandal – and the movie / TV industry, as this Pharma company is sponsoring a
major serial. Suddenly, the stars and other
people connected with these two start dying… and you begin ito wonder,
what is the connection between this Pharma Company, this Serial and its stars –
and a raped / murdered hapless woman?
THE ANALYSIS
I normally do not like vulgarity and overt
sex in books; call me a puritanical person, at least insofar as book are
concerned. Yet, while I found some graphic picturisation abhorrent, I have to
concede that this gelled overall with the background of the story, the
characters, and the general theme. Fine – some graphical descriptions we could
have done without – not just for Puritanism, but for reasons of continuity and
the story progression.
While it is undeniable that such a story
without sexual undertones would sound too purist, too sanctified, too clarified
– nonetheless there is such a thing as carrying it too far. This is not
sensationalist – the intent is to gel the story, background and the characters
properly together. But the overt emphasis on Sex, playing down other angles
like drug usage and human interplay spoils it mildly. That said, it also
creates mild tension, as your mind pulls you to the story, wanting to move on
from the irrelevance of the seemingly needless sex references littered
throughout the book.
The most fascinating aspect is the
Pharmaceutical angle, and its corruption. Underplaying it was a masterstroke:
this is the surprise element. That was handled very well indeed! The focus on
the Serial, underplaying the murder and the Pharma Company, was unique in my
memory at least. At the same time, an opportunity was lost – a fantastic
thriller could have been visualized around this theme of the Corporate
Corruption… maybe next time, the author
can think of this! The author’s objective in this book is different, a look at
the underside of Humans… which she has successfully brought in vivid stark
imagery that is certain to jolt and shock you, though the naked powerplay could
have been focused on a bit more rather than drugs & sex.
The pace of the book is medium – not too
fast, but not slow either. That is to say, this aspect doesn’t create that much
of an impression. While it falters a bit {as I covered above} in places, it
manages to hold onto your attention throughout. The visual imagery created through
words is really fantastic – and best of all it gels totally with the Book Cover
as well! This is a deep dark Novel, nowhere near a light read. The characterization
is the weak point; while there is admittedly no real scope in the theme or
story for deep attention to this, nonetheless it could have been better.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion – I rate this 3 to 4 stars on
5. A good read, not bad; Evenly paced,
not too intense yet vivid and dark, deep ; depressing in its overall tone.
This is a path not many authors dare to tread – so I can add on half a star
for sheer guts and chutzpah. While the book
could certainly have been better – what is there is good enough for a read.
That said, this is not a relaxed read – it is a dark book in many ways. The author herself states on the book blurb
at the back – deeply unsettling, Hungry Gods takes a dark look at the insatiable
nature of lust for Wealth Power. You can add 0.5 Stars for this... for giving a unique book that places a side of humanity in front of us...
"This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours. To know more log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.in"
Comments
Post a Comment