Kevein Books and Reviews

Apna Utsav by Purnendu Ghosh is an admirable nostalgic memoir cum semi-autobiography. The book is slightly long and stretches up to 300 pages. The book is about the author, he vividly brings forth his life’s phases and events right from the birth to up till now, at the age of seventy. Right at the beginning, the author says: Apna Utsav begins the day one is born. It continues even when one is gone. The title Apna Utsav means personal celebrations and ceremonies of life. In this book the author mainly brings good memories of his life from childhood to old age. His take on life is not void, rather it’s full of wisdom and experience. The author introduces his family tree, parents, upbringing, foreign sojourns, achievements, his finicky mental state, relationship with wife and children and much more. The book gains philosophical pattern when the author tangentially sheds light on arts, cinema, country, freedom, education, and so on. Like a veteran narrator, first he starts with his sto...

Ghost of Honour by A.R. Felcita is a crime thriller with a good dose of horror and supernatural elements. The novel is staged against the Western Ghats in South India. As the story commences, we see that a talented police officer named Stanson Bastine is posted at a small village ‘Malaiyoor’. However, the village is not a crime hub, rather he has to investigate some century old murder mysteries. Soon a bunch of students arrive at the village to do survey on some medicinal herbs and the drama begins. A student named Pricilla is disappeared in the air. Following the event, there is commotion in the village and it’s believed that the curse from the mountains is back and it’s going to make villagers life hell. Things are not the way it looks. Little did they know that something sinister and hidden is lurking at them? ‘Ghost of Honour’ is a multi-layered thriller with many subplots. As the novel chugs ahead, it comes out that the village is being guarded by ‘The Guardian Deity’. Nobody ...

Noctambulism: Flood of Blood by Shubhan Balvally is a riveting murder mystery set in Goa, amidst a large family. As the novels kicks off, you better go through the large Pinto family tree. Understanding the family tree is critical to the overall grasping of the novel. You needn’t worry about so many characters, once chugged ahead, mid way you may begin calling them by names. Basically it boils down between two brothers: Lazarus and Lawrence Pinto. They gathered massive wealth in the form of assets, business, property, gold and what not. The elder brother Lazarus is a polygamist, he has three wives and around eight children. While the younger one Lawrence is simple and under the domination of his elder brother. First 10 or 15 chapters focus too much on their lives, sweeps, and current lifestyle. In December, the family gathers at their own island Bat Island, there they have villas under a mansion. So many ladies and children, rivalry was just around the corner. All looked friendly, ...

Night of the Millennium by Ruskin Bond is a short story that is slightly spooky and has horror elements. As usual it is set in Mussoorie, in Nag Tibba, a sort of hill side. If you have read other popular stories of Ruskin Bond, you might be familiar with this Nag Tibba. The story is staged against the night of 31 December 1999. Soon a new millennium will be celebrated by the world. The new century will not be like previous one, it will open various vistas for growth and development especially for skilled, hardworking, and intellectual persons. Since it’s a New Year night that many do not sleep, Pasand, a young man, who is highly successful in his efforts, is taking a stroll past midnight. He is thinking about others performance in life by seeing their large houses while walking. But success has made him arrogant. He takes others for granted. He is also lustful and tonight wants to sleep with any woman to exert his dominance. The road he is walking has an old cemetery beside it. T...

From the epic sagas like Mahabharata and Ramayana, there have been many re-telling. And nearly all novels eulogize the main protagonists, which are mainly gods or demigods. Those novels play around lord Rama, Vishnu, Pandavas and Kauravas and other auxiliary characters. However, this time, Janya Bharata by Manu Nellutla sheds light on commoners. As in what the normal folks and soldiers felt for the war, how they were staged, and what ramifications they had to deal with during and after the war. Janya means public, so the title is apt. Unlike the gods of that era, this novel features normal characters like Mitrajit, Kumudini, Aparajit, Chitraangad, Purna, Dhruti. They live in a village called Devasthana. As the story commences up, we see Mitrajit and many physically fit men are sent to the training camps. The rumour is that big kingdoms and their allies have to go to war if peace didn’t strike between Pandavas and Kauravas. The novel is not about conversation of kings, war preparati...

Forever She by Amitav Ganguly is an enthralling riveting collection of seven short stories about love and passion, where in each narrative a female character nudges the main storyline. The book is not about romance or love stories; rather it depicts the true and unconditional love that two persons could share in life and even after death. The opening story is ‘Obsession for Whom’ . It’s about an Adivasi woman Mahua Mahato that goes missing. The narrator when reached in a small forest-side village, he eerily finds the place somewhat strange. The villagers are worried about that missing woman while the police are suspecting it as a case of murder. When the narrator sees the missing girl’s picture on the phone, he gets the vibes of seeing a soul mate. He feels love for that woman though never met her. In the surprising turn of events, he is guided by an intriguing spotlight pattern falling from the lamppost and the killer is caught, who was none other than his coordinator Khagen Das. ...

Parody by Ramu Upadhaya is another terrific offering on the layers of the society. Like his earlier novels that are based on people’s juggernaut entwined within their society, state, and country – this one also follows the same footsteps. Parody in an open affront refers to imitation, or mimicking and aping the others with the change of circumstances. The novel has a few named characters that are always in the centre like Joe, Jim, Dumez, and Doly. The undertone of the novel explores the evolution of changes in the society through the characters. The novel is poignant in capturing the evaluative and critical mood of the state and country that is depended on its mass. Broadly putting, this novel brings out the pitfalls of the making of a state by focusing coverage on topics like customs, culture, disparity, pride, and much more. If you have read other books of the author, you will get that hunch that in Ramu’s books, the building of the society from rudimentary aspects takes place...