Thursday, July 19, 2012

Book Review - The Terrorist by Juggi Bhasin


THE TERRORIST




AUTHOR: Juggi Bhasin
GENRE: Fiction
ISBN-13: 9780143415275
NO. OF PAGES: 506
PRICE: Rs.250 (I received the copy for review) 


BACK COVER SAYS: "When you are trained to endure the harshest of climates, the most hostile of situations, to survive where no ordinary man can- there's little difference between you and the terrorist you are trying to kill. Little, except which side you are on. "


SWARNALI SPEAKS

The debut novel (and the first book in the trilogy) by journalist turned author Juggi Bhasin comes as a breath of fresh air. The background and plot of this book is starkly different from its contemporaries. As is evident from the very title of the book, its central concern is the terrorist, his mindset, his actions and the reasons behind it. What I really appreciate is the fact that the author has decided to bring up a subject revolving around the insurgencies, the fanaticism and terrorism that has been gnawing the nation for quite some time now. The scars of the Mumbai blasts of 26/11 and the entire routine of Ajmal Kasab’s case are fresh in the minds of every Indian. The book comes at a very appropriate time to shake us out of our complacency and make us think about the current affairs of the nation.
The author’s expertise, experience and great amount of research is clearly reflected in the picturesque descriptions of places and incidents. The attention paid to the meticulous details of the plans, the scenes is remarkable. The author’s direct experience as a journalist covering the Babri Masjid demolition comes in handy here. The incident of the blast at the Srinagar office of Lt General Pratap Singh Aulakh is spine chilling (the author has mentioned in an interview that it is drawn from a real incident that took place in Kashmir). Be it the training quarters or the Kashmir valleys, the settings are perfectly drawn to provide an entire movie watching experience for the readers.  The author has actually mentioned that he had written the book with a dream of seeing it come to life as a Bollywood motion picture someday. I would love to see the same happening.
Another remarkable thing about the book is the sketching of the characters which is done to perfection. The author delves deep into the social and psychological backgrounds of the two protagonists, Suvir and Murad. Both of them have justifiable reasons for all their actions. Suvir’s troubled personal life (which is told in flashback mode during his debriefing session); his search for his own identity has turned him into what he is now. On the other hand, the immense amount of insensitivity and injustice met by the political situations of the country to those of his religion has led Murad into turning himself into the most feared of terrorists. One cannot help but sympathize and identify with both the characters at some level. The final confrontation between the two, one on a mission to destroy and the other on a mission to deploy it is a treat for action lovers.
The only issue I had with the book is the fact that the action sequences and a few areas get overtly dramatic and seem unrealistic. Also the use of a few long and ostentatious words here and there disrupts the flow of the book. The religious issue in the book could turn to be a little too extreme for some readers. So it is advisable to keep a neutral stand and be unbiased while reading the book.
The Terrorist has makes a great thriller that captivates the readers and keeps them hooked till the very last page. A good plot, amazingly detailed descriptions, wonderfully analyzed characters of the two protagonists and an extremely well executed story makes the book an enjoyable read. An amazing debut novel. Am eagerly waiting for the other two in the series to come out.

RATING
: 3.5 / 5

30 comments:

  1. That is an all out review! Those are very promising words you have spoken. Both quality research and characterization are encouraging. You have chosen to remain silent about the texture of the language, often a bane of Indian authors.

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    1. Thanks for dropping in. Oh yes, thanks for pointing that out to me, I guess I missed writing about the style and language in the book (can't add it now due to some issues :(). The book is published under Penguin's Metro reads, so there are no proof reading errors. Language is smooth and simple without too many ostentatious words.

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  2. Excellent review... I am surely curious to read this as it seems to be much in lieu of the current happenings

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    1. Thanks :D DO read this one, you'll love it :)

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  3. brilliant review again!

    i don't read books and i am not sure what kind of books we get in our town. but if i see this book somewhere, i will definitely go through it.

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    1. Thanks :)
      This is one is really good, do read it if you can get your hands on it.

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  4. why does the cover reminds me of some other cover???

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    1. Haha I had the same question :P it reminded me of Amish Tripathi's Immortals of Meluha's cover and also Aamir's Ghajini look. :P

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    2. wow! just wanted to be careful for not naming them in ur blog post...u are a darling straightforward girl! XOXO

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    3. LOL :P Hehe feel free to speak your mind, fear not , milady :D :D

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  5. Thank for the review.. the book looks good , and as such I like action :) will keep in mind for sure

    and the look is like aamir .. and yesterday night I found another thing where did aamir get the idea for Ghajini... There is a english movie on the same theme :)

    Bikram's

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    1. I love action stuff too :D
      And Aamir's Ghajini look was what came to my mind first when I saw the cover :)
      Are you talking about Jason Statham's 8 pack abs or are you talking about the look in Memeto?

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    2. I am talking of the movie Memento.. and you knew about it .. I jsut found it yesterday :)

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    3. :D :D Haha...I had seen Memento (apologies for the typo in the last comment :P) before Ghajini was released. Die hard Nolan fan , see?? ;)

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  6. hmm after reading this review , i think i must get this book...for myself..though am not so fond of readings books by Indian writers..(only Amish tripathi is one such writer of late whose books i really liked )...., but i feel thoda price kam hota toh acha tha..rs 250 :(
    anyways gud review :)

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    1. Thanks so much :)
      Even am not fond of Indian writers much except the likes of Amitav Ghosh, Rushdie and their likes. I have heard many positive reviews for Amish's books, haven't got into reading them though. the price is a little high because this is a Penguin publication.

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  7. Swarnali. This is a very well written book review. I guess i need to take tips from you when i decide to write a review myself. Am gonna get that book for sure. Thanks a lot. Looking forward to reading more stuff from your blog in the days to come.

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    1. Hey Sajan!!
      Thanks for dropping in, am so glad you liked my review. I hope you like the book as much as I did. Keep visiting :)

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  8. Seems like an interesting book by Juggi Bhasin.

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    1. Hello Shalu, welcome to my space.
      Yes, this is a really well written book, I hope you like reading it :)

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  9. I usually don't wander into such genre of books but this review has actually made me want to read this book...it sounds interesting!! :)

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    1. Hey Rashu, Am so glad that my review made me feel like reading it, i hope you like it <3

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  10. Dear Swarnli,
    Looking for you over at this month's writing challenge. Linky closes at 10:00am July 31st (20 hours from this comment). Hope you can make it! Lovers' Cove Challenge #3

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    1. Thanks for reminding me Andy, it had totally slipped my mind!! Added my line :)

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  11. Wow! You know, judging by the cover of the book, I honestly would never have picked this one up. But I guess the idiom, "Never judge a book by it's cover" totally plays in here.

    You have such wonderful book reviews! I love reading them.

    Amber

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    1. Yes yes, that idiom does apply here. And I regretted every time I picked a book because I liked the cover. They have always, every single time disappointed me!!
      Thanks so much, am so glad you like my reviews :)

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  12. Hellow Apurva,
    Thanks for dropping in :)

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  13. Thanks for the review Swarnali! The plot seems exciting and if I get a chance, I'd read it for sure. :)

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    1. Hello Ruya, Thanks for dropping in...Am glad you liked my review...its a good book, do give it a read :)

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  14. I want a full summary of the terrorist nearly in 8 pages

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