Sin is the New Love - Abir Mukherjee - Book Review

 

                    I have been thinking of exploring more of Indian writers other than Chetan Bhagat and Neil D' Silva. Recently I came across this book and decided to read this without going through the blurb hoping this was not another teenage romantic caper; judging by the looks of the name and cover.

                  Ahi Chatterjee is the only daughter of the DGP of Kolkata. She is an independent, brave and straightforward girl who runs a publishing firm and wishes to spread her wings and make a name in the market. All of a sudden, she receives a manuscript in an anonymous package. The manuscript was the autobiography of her favorite author, Devang Awasthi and contents present in the same can create quite a ruckus if published. Ahi travels to Delhi to get consent from the writer's family so that she can publish the book without any legal tussles. However, there is much happening there than what is written in the manuscript. More layers are seen as she digs deep into the life of the writer. What happens henceforth to Ahi? Will she be able to find all the answers related to the writer? Will she be able to publish the book? becomes the crux of the story.

                    The story is itself was very different and interesting. For the first few pages, I was clueless about what to expect. But once Ahi gets the manuscript, the plot gets interesting and the story gets lifted quickly off the ground. The prose was simple and the story was well-paced. After an initial hiccup of say 10 - 15 pages, the read was a breeze. There were twists and turns at regular intervals to keep us engaged throughout the story. The suspense was unpredictable. The few characters had their own moments in the story. The chemistry between Samim and Ahi was sweet and I hoped a lot more happened between them and he got his space. There are many socially important issues that were discussed which were very relevant. The writer has taken his own sweet time and effort for the book and that is positively visible. The grey shade given to Abhimanyu did work positively given that the climax of the book is left open for another book to follow. Devang Awasthi who just travels inside the manuscript remains an enigma even if it was an autobiography revealing what he was under the mask of a writer and an important personality in the society. The grey shade given to him and the characters surrounding Devang ie. his father, wife, son, servants all blends well with the storyline. But, I did feel Ahi was self-centered in some places and did irritate me in rare instances. Also, I felt that the scenes involving police action could be pepped up some more in tandem with the build-up for Abimanyu.

                    This book is a good one-time read for thriller and mystery lovers. Even though around 200 pages long; this can be a fast-paced read and sets a good backdrop to the next sequel which I would love to read as well.