Book Review: Silver is for Secrets

"Keeping secrets doesn't bring people together; it only pulls them apart."

1st Published: 2005

1st JAICO Impression: 2013

Number of Pages: 277

Price: Rs. 199/- (This was a review copy sent by the publishers.)

ISBN: 978-81-8495-423-4

About the Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz is an American author of young adult fiction novels, best known for her Blue is for Nightmares series. Her works, which feature teenage protagonists, blend elements found in mystery and romance novels.

Synopsis: 

School is over, and now Stacey, her boyfriend Jacob, and their friends have rented a beach cottage for the summer. But then Stacey has nightmares warning of forthcoming death- predicting the cruel death of Clara, a mysterious girl with a secret.

And now Jacob, the only one who understands Stacey's magic, is keeping secrets, too. Is Jacob betraying Stacey's trust or protecting her from revenge and tragedy?

Excerpt:

"So maybe I'll see you around later," she says.

I nod and extend my hand to hers for a shake. And that's when I know. When I feel it. It's like my skin has iced over inside her palm. Like a million tiny ice-needles have just splintered into my veins. 

Clara is going to die.

Arpita Says:

A book with a title that seems interesting, and a synopsis that would certainly pique your curiosity, "Silver is for Secrets" can raise your expectations. Whether it meets those expectations, however, is another matter. The story is the sort which definitely draws you in- it's the kind of plot that one would wish to watch on a screen, too. It has a protagonist with a special 'gift', as well as a heroic figure who is full of intrigue, and flesh and bone supporting characters who manage to chalk out a place for themselves instead of getting sidelined as I had expected they would be. Even though this book is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone novel.

The plot is centered around Clara, a girl that these friends come across while on holiday. Stacey is certain that Clara is in danger and she is determined to help save her- even if it could spell danger not only for herself but also for her friends. The action of the novel is driven by the attempt to figure out who could want to harm Clara and how to stop them. But the twist is, Stacey has had dreams in which Clara seems to threaten her. Apparently, the girl has got secrets which no one should find out because if they do, she will make Stacey pay.

There are moments when one feels as if the author is winding the reader up. It seems like there could be nothing wrong with Clara except perhaps an attitude problem and a flirting disorder. She hardly seems the type to keep deep, dark secrets. She is certainly not the stereotypical mysterious stranger with a brooding look and alluring persona. She is bubbly and surprisingly shallow which doesn't seem to fit in with the image she creates for herself in Stacey's nightmares about her.

There is, however, a formidable character who features in the novel and makes up for the lack of mystery in Clara's case. A certain photographer who lives in one of the beach houses nearby makes an appearance and becomes a cause for genuine concern. This character could have added a very interesting angle to the plot but he is poorly sketched and therefore fails to live up to the reader's expectations. While one cannot say that the basic issue underlining the story is frivolous, the photographer could have given the story more depth and made it a matter of serious discussion.

What was disappointing about the book is the way the author has dragged the plot- this book could have been even shorter had it not been for a number of sub-plots which are hardly relevant and only seem to be there to fill pages. Moreover, one can notice that there is a lack of sympathy towards most of the characters. The end might trigger some emotion in the reader, but the rest of the time one feels exasperated with each and every character at some point or the other. Jacob's stubbornness leaves one completely annoyed especially when it becomes obvious that his secrecy is what leads to disaster even if his intentions were noble. His habit of biting his lip is reminiscent of Bella from Meyer's "Twilight" series and it does not help the reader like him any better. Nevertheless, Stacey and Jacob are characteristically 'good' people, with magic that they apparently inherited from their ancestors. Both try to use their gift to save lives, as is evident from their attempt to protect Clara and the characters' frequent mention of incidents that occurred in the past.

Amber comes across as the most entertaining character in the story. Her sense of humor, which might border on the crude at times, is a source of comic relief and sure is superior to that of PJ, whose name seems quite symbolic of his Pathetic Jokes. Chad and Drea seem genuine and caring but with flaws which make them seem quite realistic even if they hardly make an impression on the reader. Clara happens to be the most frustrating individual one could come across. A hopeless flirt who feigns innocence whenever she is caught red handed while creating problems for other characters, she rarely gains sympathy as a victim.

The plot has several twists and turns, some of which can leave you surprised. Ghosts of the past seem reluctant to let go of Stacey while there already seems to be a premonition of danger in her path ahead. The end, no doubt, was unpredictable, even if the revelation of the culprit's identity was actually not so surprising. The book concludes on an unexpectedly melancholic note.

It's the kind of novella you can read on a journey to kill time. Otherwise, you may skip this one.

Rating: 2/5

Love Until the Sun Grows Cold- Part II

Hello, beautiful world! The coming of a new year calls for a celebration- and one of the best ways to celebrate is the exchange of gifts. Well, what could be a better present than a story? So here is my gift to you: the final part of 'Love Until the Sun Grows Cold'. {To read the previous part, click here.} I am hoping you all will enjoy reading this, and will gift me with your feedback! :P Wishing each one of you a wonderful new year! Happy reading!

  Guilt seared his heart but he knew he wasn’t the only one responsible for what happened. It was so difficult to explain something like this, especially after so much time had passed. Would Tara understand his reasons? Were they even justified? There was only so much he could have done, and he had suffered every day for God knew how long because of the decisions he had made- the decisions that were perhaps preordained; something that Tara could not understand, and Seher would not recognize.

"You never gave me a chance to speak to you about it,” he said. “When Seher moved abroad, you refused to talk to me for months. I got an email from you, telling me exactly how ‘despicable’ you think I am. I knew that nothing I said at the moment would matter anymore.”

   What he didn’t mention was that he had thought of a hundred different things to say to her then, to hurt her as much as she had hurt him. But he knew what would bother her most- silence on his part. He never replied. After Seher left, Tara seemed to have become a different person. She looked like she carried some secret with her; something that she would guard jealously, like treasure, but which seemed to give her some sort of masochistic pleasure.

He knew she was furious with him, and anticipated a terrible fight with a lot of name calling, and throwing things on her part. Instead, she had been so cold towards him all this while; that was a side of her he hadn’t known. Ignoring the way his gut clenched at the thought, he continued. “I am not denying that I was at fault. I just don't want you to think that I did not love her, because I did." 

  “All you had to do was give her a reason to come back. The Uday I thought I knew would never have let something go by him without doing whatever he could to make things right!”

“And I had never guessed that you, of all people, would leave me to my ‘misery’ without even hearing me out first!” He snapped back.  Several people turned to look at them.

  “You didn’t reply to my mail. It made me think I was right about everything I accused you of,” she hissed.

He frowned at her, weighing his next words carefully. “She is the most beautiful person I have ever known and she loved me even more than I could have hoped for. She had been there for me all those years, giving me the strength to go on, to have something to strive for. I still can’t fill the void she has left behind. And yet you thought I was trying to get out of the relationship because I was just not into her anymore?”

   “I never said it like that-”

“- but that’s what you thought, isn’t it?” He said, with a shrewd look. Tara’s eyes were glistening; she blinked rapidly and looked away. His gaze softened and he said gently, “I know that she was one of your best friends and you loved her; it’s bad enough to see good friends fight and it must have been even harder watching the two of us fall apart.”

  “It was.”

“But I had certainly not expected you to let our own friendship suffer, especially not after you saw what Seher’s absence did to both of us. I needed you to be there for me. But all I was left with was my own guilt and the pain of losing two of the most extraordinary people in my life. I loved her, Tara. I think I still do.”

  “But you gave up on her.” She said softly.

“And I still stay up at night sometimes, wondering if I made the correct decision. You have no idea how often I mistrust my choices; there’s always this fear inside me that I made a huge mistake.” He swallowed. “At the time, I did what I thought what was best for us- best for her. But every other day, I look back at the past and wish I could have taken the easy way out, by holding on to her for as long as possible until we had no other option but to stay apart. Your resentment added to my own disappointment. I didn’t need that- I blamed myself enough for both of us, I think.”

  Tara’s stomach turned over with guilt. She couldn’t even look him in the eye. “I was too heartbroken to see it that way. I am sorry, Uday.” She looked miserable. “I shouldn’t have made things worse for you. Seher has been like an elder sister to me all these years, and all the suffering that came with your break up with her was too difficult for me to deal with...She wouldn’t talk to me because I reminded her of you. You have no clue how hard that was for me to hear. And every time I would see you across the street, I would just be reminded that you were the reason she chose to leave- not just the country, but me too.”

“I’m sorry, Tara. I really wish it didn’t have to be that way.” Uday looked at her sadly.

  It was a while before she spoke again. “She was the first friend I made in the neighbourhood. When I was just about ten years old, she moved to the other end of the city, and your family came to live in her house instead. I was so unsure about having you as my next door neighbour. You were the evil guy with the dorky glasses who took over my friend’s place. I was so young that I thought she had to leave so that you could stay.”

Uday smiled at that. “I guess that’s a good thing then, because if you hadn’t felt that way, Seher wouldn’t have tried so hard to get us all to become friends.”

  “It sounds so incredibly stupid, but my little girl grudges against you came rushing back after she left. You really did seem to be the one to make her go away. It was immature and juvenile, but it soothed my ego because there were times when I used to think that I hadn’t tried hard enough to make things better either. I could’ve tried to help her understand that she couldn’t just leave everything to you; that she had to take things into her own hands because that was the only way out. But it was just so much easier putting the blame on you. I am so sorry.” It was incredible, how all of their lives were altered from that moment on, because of one person’s decision and another’s indecision.

“Well, I can’t really blame you. I know I had some part to play in hurting you too.” He said.

  “She just wanted you to approach her parents and get engaged. They would only have allowed her to live in the city and work if they knew she had someone to take care of her.” said Tara. “They were anyway in such a hurry to get her married. You knew there was no way she could convince them to let her wait a few more years once they all left for Oman.”

Uday leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together. “You need to understand that I did every possible thing I could to make sure Seher and I would end up together some day. I put my dreams aside so that I could make the ‘sensible choice’. I worked day and night to make myself capable enough.”

  He looked up at her just then, willing her to understand. “But don’t you see that her parents would inevitably have thought that I had not yet proved myself worthy of her? No matter how much they appreciate me as a person, they would never have agreed to let their only daughter marry a guy who did not yet have a stable, well paid job.”

“I know you asked her to stay. She told me so, on the day she left.” said Tara. “She was too scared to live away from family just for the sake of a guy who couldn’t promise that he would marry her.”

  “But she wasn’t willing to stay for your sake, either.” He said quietly.

His words pierced her heart but she didn’t let it show. “She would have, if you two had gotten engaged. Because then her parents might have felt better about leaving her behind-”

  “-Or not.” He finished for her.

Well, he was right about that. There was always a chance that things might not have turned out how Seher had hoped. “She was sure she wouldn’t be allowed to remain there. I wish she had the courage to choose the difficult, but better option- convincing her parents to let her stay, at least so that she could build her own career. She would not have had much to lose.”

  “And she could have bought us more time.” He sighed. “Seher said she couldn’t do it, so I must propose marriage and make sure that wherever she ends up staying, our relationship would stay alive. But I know her parents would have felt cheated because of being kept in the dark about our relationship all these years. You were the only one who knew but they wouldn’t have spared you either. You know they’d have been furious and she would anyway have been forced to leave.”

“Except that it would have felt a hundred times worse.” She finally understood.

  “This was my way of giving her a chance to make a fresh start. I owed her that much.” He couldn’t go on. Seher might have hurt him at times, over the years, and she might not have gone that extra mile for him when he needed her to, but Uday knew he could not hold her responsible. She deserved better than that.

“I thought you should know…that she did start over.” She said, in barely more than a whisper. His head jerked up at that. “She got married a year ago. She’s fine.” Tara had been staring at him, which was why she did not question the truth of the words he spoke.

“I’m… glad.”

   The change in him was hard to miss. He sighed deeply like he had been waiting with bated breath all this while. And somehow she knew what he had been waiting for- something which mattered to him above all else: finding Seher happy. It was then that she realized just how much he had loved her. He had already been living with the memory of her all this time. He had grown used to not to have her around in person, that was true. But she was always at the back of his mind like a song that keeps playing in our heads from time to time; one that we might not listen to anymore, but we never really get over it because it is special, because it made a difference.

  Each person holds a special place in our hearts. The imprints they leave in our lives remain etched into our memory, and while we learn to love again, the love we share with someone is always unique and can never be the same for another. She would never be his to claim, but he also knew that no one else could claim the part of her that belonged to him. He had already found love, but that day he found something more, something that he hadn’t known was buried deep within him. That which helps lessen the pain that inexorably comes with the course of true love: forgiveness, meant for her and also for himself. He could now live without the guilt, the pain, the sense of loss.

  When they said their goodbyes a quarter of an hour later, Tara watched Uday walk away, beaming at her, the bright sunshine illuminating the happiness on his face. She smiled back at him, thinking that perhaps she was right in not telling him that the friend she was visiting that day was Seher...But was she right, she asked herself? 

                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                     *************The End************* 

PS: The pictures have been taken from Google. :)

Love Until the Sun Grows Cold: Part 1

Hello, beautiful people! I guess I'm feeling sheepish about blogging after what feels like an age. :P Things have just been topsy turvy lately, and I couldn't find the chance to return to it. I am back, though, and hopefully for good! There's a story I've been meaning to share for ever, and I am finally posting it. Your feedback is more than welcome; hope you all will like it! Happy reading!

It was a breezy winter morning when Tara boarded the ferry from Singapore to Bintan Island, Indonesia. Dressed flawlessly in a chic red turtleneck sweater, skinny blue jeans and flat boots, she dropped into a seat by the window and sighed. It was an hour long ride and for some strange reason there weren't a lot of intriguing passengers around to have a chat with; in fact, there weren't nearly enough people on board as expected.

   She pulled a magazine out of her heavy rucksack and began flipping through it randomly, even though she was highly tetchy that day and not at all in the mood to read. She was going to meet an old friend after what felt like ages and couldn't wait to get off the ferry.

It was a while before she sensed someone’s eyes on her. She looked up to see a guy peeking at her furtively. Tara quickly averted her eyes even though he seemed oddly familiar…Realizing that she had noticed him gawking at her, he decided to throw caution to the winds and approach her. Years had passed since she had sent him that email, reproaching him for his actions. Perhaps she had forgiven him?

   Picking up his briefcase, he made his way over and slid into the seat opposite hers. "Hi...Tara, right? Remember me?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "No, actually, I don't."

   “I’m Uday.”

Her dark brown eyes widened incredulously. Could it really be him? The nerdy, happy-go-lucky guy who never cared much for looks? Impeccably dressed in an oxford shirt, trousers and a blazer, he now looked elegant and very, very upmarket. He smiled at the look on her face, making his dimples all the more stunning. "It's strange how hard it gets to recognize even a dear friend after years of being separated." 

   She shifted in her seat, embarrassed that she had been so obvious. It felt like one of those awkward moments when you're introduced to someone with whom you're expected to be polite, but don't know what to say to. “Well, you seem…different.”

He ran a hand through his hair self-consciously. “Honestly, I don’t know whether or not to take that as a compliment.”

  “Oh, I meant in a good way.” She replied. When he looked dubious, Tara gave him a cocky grin. “You look snazzy.”

He grinned back. "How come you're on your way to Bintan Island?"

  "I'm visiting a friend." She replied; an odd look came over her face as she watched his reaction.

He cleared his throat nervously, wondering what to say next. "So how have you been? I heard you weren’t too happy about studying in Singapore."

  “Oh, I actually like it here now.” She waved a hand airily.

“How come you got over the homesickness so soon?” said Uday.

  “I have two words for that: Retail Therapy.”

He chuckled. There was a quiet confidence about him that was charming, she noticed. And he seemed to have grown more mature, debonair. “You know, I never expected to see you here of all places.” She said.

  “Yeah, I know. I’m on a business trip actually.” He seemed to be gearing himself up for something. He cleared his throat again and tried- but failed- to look nonchalant. “Have you heard from Seher lately?”

“Yes. I have.” She said through pursed lips. She knew Seher was bound to come up at some point in the conversation. For a moment, the past seemed to hang in the air between them. The old familiarity gone, neither knew what to say to the other.

  Tara wondered how it would have been had her two best friends not broken up. There are some relationships which are built upon the foundation of such a powerful love that it envelopes others in its warm embrace. Seeing two such people fall in love can bring an inexplicable harmony; there is some sense of rightness in their being together. There may be turbulence in the relationship; something might not be working out. But when you know they are with each other, it feels like things are in their right place. It’s comforting, reassuring and peaceful. It’s right.

  Life doesn’t always go our way, however. Things fall apart. And we realize that the only way we can keep the love alive is in our memory. It can be devastating. Not just for those who are in love; but for everyone involved. When two people break up, they lose each other. But the friend loses the best of them both- the part that all three of them shared; that which nothing else can replace. Uday knew just as well as she did that he and Seher were perfect together. She was the woman of his dreams; and Tara had actually admitted that she herself could never consider any other guy to be as worthy of her friend. And yet he had let ‘Fate’ take over their lives.  

                                                                                                            

 She turned away, staring determinedly out of the window. She knew she wasn't being fair by blaming him for the break up- she hadn't even been fair to herself. She need not have lost him as a friend too. But how could she have talked to him every other day when she knew that Seher would not have broken all ties with her if it hadn't been for him?

  Seher might have come back into her life, but things were just not the same anymore. It might be selfish, but Tara felt like Uday had let things come crashing down even though he knew what it would mean for the three of them- the end of the best phase of their lives; the end of their friendship. 

All the anger and resentment she had felt towards him suddenly came crashing into the present, momentarily wiping out all other thought from her mind. “You let her go,” she said in a flat voice, and saw the pain flash across his face.

  “I couldn’t make her stay.” He whispered.

  Guilt seared his heart but he knew he wasn’t the only one responsible for what happened. It was so difficult to explain something like this, especially after so much time had passed. Would Tara understand his reasons? Were they even justified? There was only so much he could have done, and he had suffered every day for God knew how long because of the decisions he had made- the decisions that were perhaps preordained; something that Tara could not understand, and Seher would not recognize.

"You never gave me a chance to speak to you about it,” he said. “When Seher moved abroad, you refused to talk to me for months. I got an email from you, telling me exactly how ‘despicable’ you think I am. I knew that nothing I said at the moment would matter anymore.”

   What he didn’t mention was that he had thought of a hundred different things to say to her then, to hurt her as much as she had hurt him. But he knew what would bother her most- silence on his part. He never replied. After Seher left, Tara seemed to have become a different person. She looked like she carried some secret with her; something that she would guard jealously, like treasure, but which seemed to give her some sort of masochistic pleasure...

                                                  **************************

(...To be continued)

                                                                                                             

Parchments from the Past

Hello Lovely people!!

I've been away for a long long while now. Missed you all here. Exams and all the madness that comes along kept me busy for all this while. This is a piece I found lying in my drafts for a long time. Time it saw the light of the world :P I hope you like it.

The sound of silence was interrupted by unexpected sobs. Or perhaps not so much unexpected as dreaded. Vanya sighed. It had been a bad idea staying back after the dinner. She knew her hostess was bound to dissolve into tears at some point, but did not have the heart to escape with the other guests earlier this evening. She sorted through the clutter in the kitchen cupboards and grabbed a sachet of instant coffee. As she returned to the living room barefoot, and carrying a cup of hot coffee, she saw Ashish sitting next to the young woman slouched on the sofa dejectedly. She returned his smile; she should have known he’d decide to help her handle Mrinal. He was always the gentleman.

Vanya walked over to the girl and handed her the coffee. Her eyes were puffy already and tears still poured down her unnaturally rosy cheeks. She was pretty, and she looked prettier when she cried. She hastily wiped her face with the back of her hand. She’d gotten more drunk than she’d realized and had made it more than obvious that she was a pitiful girl who was rejected by the only guy she ever loved. It had been embarrassing enough that Raghav had not turned up for his surprise birthday party; she need not let Ashish and Vanya see her break down completely.

She watched them exchange a look which was so full of warmth and familiarity that it made her heart hurt. Had Raghav ever looked at her like that? She wondered if he would have come tonight if he knew all his friends were coming to celebrate and that it wasn’t going to be the quiet, romantic dinner she’d said he should expect. Ashish sank into the sofa next to her. Vanya handed her the coffee and sat in the armchair opposite her, crossed her long legs and smiled kindly like a shrink waiting for her patient to open up. Mrinal could sense Ashish’s gaze on her and shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he knew what was going on in her mind. He gave her the exact same smile and that was her cue.

Vanya’s stomach clenched inadvertently when Ashish pulled Mrinal into his arms. She sobbed her heart out, clinging to him for what felt like an age, until she finally hiccuped herself into silence. Vanya felt like an intruder and shifted her gaze to anything but them. "Would you please not tell anyone?" The question was directed at her. She shook her head as she got up to leave. She pulled on her heels and made to leave when she realized that no one was paying attention.

She glanced back at her friends. Ashish was writing a letter to Raghav on Mrinal’s behalf; a horrible, melodramatic hate mail that was probably going to be torn to shreds in the morning. He was humouring the drunk, after all. "I won’t tell anyone", she told the girl. "I've kept every secret I’ve known since childhood. And I don’t forget", she thought to herself, as she stared at Ashish unblinkingly. He always used three fingers to write- the thumb, the forefinger and the middle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been a hot summer day. Two kids sat in the balcony, in the searing heat accompanied by the hot air gushing from the back of the air conditioner at the living room window. The boy’s older sister told them they were mad to sit out there, even if the balcony was covered by those blinds. But she didn’t try to convince them to play inside. This gave her an opportunity to talk on the phone while she pretended to do her homework.

The little girl sat next to the railing and pulled up the blinds by an inch or two. The boy threw a well aimed sketch pen at the man standing beneath them. They collapsed into silent giggles as the man glared up at them. They quickly hid away, forgetting that the man knew who lived in the house, and it wasn’t hard to guess who would be up to such mischief. The next time they peeked from under the blinds, all the passersby were gone.

They returned to their usual game of G.I. Joe’s, Barbie’s, and Jenga blocks put together. He found a piece of chalk under the shoe rack when the marbles rolled under it. He broke it off into two, handing one piece to his friend. She smiled at him and drew a picture on the floor. He wrote something instead and put a finger to his lips, laughing partly from excitement and partly from embarrassment. She glanced at the three lettered word and tried to smile like she found it just as funny.

                             ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Do you want me to drop you home?" Ashish was frowning at her, obviously wondering why she was standing there like a statue. She shook her head, trying to remember where she was. "No that’s okay, I’ve got a ride", she said. And she walked out the front door, still lost in memories of the past.

Book Review- R.I.P. by Mukul Deva

R.I.P.

Author: Mukul Deva

ISBN-13: 9789382618195

Binding: Paperback

Publisher: Westland

Number of Pages: 298

Genre: Fiction

Language: English

Price: Rs. 200 (I received my copy from www.blogadda.com)

About the Book: 

R.I.P. The Resurgent Indian Patriots. Self- appointed guardians of a nation seething with anger at the endless scams and scandals rocking its very foundation. Vigilantes who vow to stop corrupt politicians and colluding civil servants. Even if it means killing them. 

Colonel Krishna Athawale and his team of Special Forces officers rally to protect the country from the enemy within. They call themselves the K-Team. And no one is safe from their deadly intent. 

Hellbent on stopping them is Raghav Bhagat, rogue para commando, gun for hire and Krishna's bete noir. 

Caught in the crossfire is Vinod Bedi, Special Director CBI. Reena Bhagat, a glamorous news anchor, embittered by her husband's betrayal. And two young boys, Sachin and Azaan, torn apart by the loss of a parent. 

It doesn't get bigger. 

About the Author:

An alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow, the National Defense Academy, Pune and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Mukul Deva was commissioned in December 1981 into the Sikh Light Infantry of the Indian Army. He took early retirement from the army after fifteen years of service, including a decade of combat operations in India and overseas. Now settled in Singapore, he is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker and an executive, business and creativity coach. He is also a Mentor on the United Nations Institute of Training and Research Afghanistan Fellowship. He is India's leading writer of military thrillers, including the bestselling Lashkar series. For more about him, please visit his website www.mukuldeva.com.

Swarnali Speaks :

Starting with the cover, the book has a very interesting and apt cover with a soldier carrying a gun , a syringe at the top and a bullet replacing the "I" in R.I.P. The significance of all three can be understood as the reader finishes the very first chapter. 

The main plot concerns a group of six ex-army men who call themselves the K- Team pledge to avenge the wrong  that the corrupt politicians have been doing to the nation and its people since its very independence. Why are they called the K-Team? Simply because all these six men have their names starting with a K - Krishna Athawale, Kevin David, Kulwant Singh Bajwa, Karan Singh, Kashif Nadeem and  Kamlesh Saikia. Corruption, nepotism, favoritism and the "rape" of the nation that has been happening  for over 60 years have reached the ebb as these R.I.P- Resurgent Indian Patriots decide that it is high time somebody made an effort at changing the prevailing conditions  A very utopic idea if you ask me but the book does manage to provide the readers with a momentary wish fulfillment  at a time when the real scenario of  the nation is exactly the same as depicted in the book. What I found very surprising is how the book managed not to create any political ruckus despite the fact that the author uses names and characters directly from contemporary politics. Characters like Hazarika, Sheila Kaul and her son Ranvijay, D.M. Karunakaran and Lalit Yadav are completely based on current social-political leaders like Anna Hazare, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Karunanidhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav respectively. Incidents like the hijacking of  the Indian Airlines flight IC 814 (which actually took place in Decemeber 1999) and the Ajmal Kasab case (from the 26/11 terrorist attack) are entirely taken from history (the author however, takes the literary freedom to change the time frames of the two incidents) .

The book is a complete page turner as the very first chapter has three quick immaculately planned murders taking place one after another, taking the reader into its grip for the rest of the 298 pages. The language used in the book is extremely simple with very few ornate words used. I loved the description that the author uses at certain points to describe the particular type of weapon and chemical used for the operation. The effects of the succinylcholine, the C-18 hand grenade and its functions are explained briefly to help the reader understand the mechanism and yet not losing track of the main plot by excessive detailing. The occasional  flashes from the past are nicely blended into the stories which help in understanding the characters better. Apart from the occasional repetitive phrases and a few grammatical and typographical errors, the book is a pleasant and quick read.

The book does extremely well for a military thriller ( a genre completely new to me) and I'm planning to read the other books he has written. Grab a copy or borrow it from a friend, if you love thrillers and action, this book won't disappoint you.

Rating :4/5

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Home Is Where The Heart Is

Good morning beautiful world! Winter in Delhi has been kind, and it's somehow possible for us to wake up early. There's something I've been thinking a lot about lately. A number of my friends live by themselves here, away from family. For some, it means more freedom and adventure, while for others it  means having to find their own way around. This story I wrote is dedicated to those who might make the most of their life, no matter where they may live- but at the end of the day, always miss home. After all, 

*Home is where the heart is.*   

A gust of wind blew across her face as Tanya hurried down the deserted street, her head down, a bag of groceries in her arms. The sky had darkened and it had started to drizzle. She managed to get home before she got soaked to the skin. She pushed open the back door, stepped inside the house and sighed deeply. Although she’d been anxious to return home, now that she was there, she felt lonelier than ever. Tanya looked miserably at the kitchen table, where lay one coffee mug, which seemed to remind her that it had been a long time since she’d had company. She shut the door and was about to put the groceries away when she realized that she’d stepped on something.

A scarlet envelope lay on the floor, addressed to her in familiar script. Her heart suddenly racing, she stared at it for several moments before picking it up, blinking away her tears. She didn’t rip it open. Instead, she walked into her bedroom, put the letter on her desk and went back into the kitchen. It was raining heavily by the time she sat across the window, her hands cupped around a mug of coffee for warmth. Eventually, Tanya opened the envelope and pulled out a pink sheet of paper with words written in shiny purple ink.

Dear Mum,

I know you must be very surprised on receiving this letter- but probably not as surprised as I was when I found myself writing it. We both know that I’m more of a cell phone person. But I recently realized that talking on the phone can sometimes be very unsatisfactory when you have so much to say, and it’s hard to put your thoughts into words. I’m sure you’re thinking of the exasperated look that I used to get on my face whenever I’d see you writing letters to Dad and waiting for him to post a letter in reply, all the way from New York. I do hope that you’ll be just as happy on receiving my letter. I think I’ve finally started appreciating the joy that letter writing gives you.

I’ve been missing you and Dad a lot, of late. But I guess I’d kind of gotten used to Dad’s absence, what with him being abroad most of the time. I love you both with all my heart, but going away to college in a different city has been hard on me, and the one I miss more than anyone else is you. Sure, I miss my friends and teachers, the neighbors and our relatives- but they’re not the ones I think about when I return to my apartment every evening after a tiring day at college. I miss home, Mum. I miss the way you took care of me. You raised me to be independent and responsible, and I am able to survive by myself in this unfamiliar place. The people here are nice, even if some are not. And I’ve found friends who mean a lot to me. But I miss the best friend I have- you.

I wish you’d be here to wake me up gently on cold winter mornings, to walk with me in the park as I’d tell you how my day went, to cook meals for me, and to see me turning into a mature adult- just the way you’d told me to be. I miss the times we spent together, but I know that- no matter how far you may live- you’re always going to love and protect me. I love you, Mum. Thanks for everything you do for me. For reminding me that there’s someone who will always accept me the way I am. For making me strong. And most importantly, for giving me numerous reasons to smile.

Yours,

Sneha

Without much ado, Tanya pulled out a sheet of paper from her drawer and began writing, as she continued to smile through her tears.

*Where your treasure lies, there lies your heart also.*

The Morning After

THE MORNING AFTER

The sun rays came slanting though the partings of the closed curtains and fell directly on the round face. Two tiny eyes were forced open and blinked thrice. Sneha sat up on her bed, her hair tousled, making her look all the more childlike.  The bed sheet on the opposite side of the bed was half on the floor, all crumpled. Her eyes ran across the room searching for Raj. She could smell the faint scent of his Hugo Boss perfume in the air reminding her of the previous night which she spent in his arms. He still wears it, she smiled to herself. She rubbed her arms and crouched on the bed as she mused about the things that happened.

Raj has come back, finally. I knew he would. His guilt is
too strong for him. I will forgive him, like everytime. He thinks

I don't know the real reason behind those nights he stays

away giving the excuse of late night office meetings.

Ah ...those red roses he brings for me every morning

he comes back from Richa's. He knows red roses are

my favourite. Making love to me every Saturday and

making me breakfast every morning is his 

way of compensating for what he did. His scrambled eggs

are the best in the world, if only they changed everything he did.

He is probably doing the same again now, fixing me

breakfast and a cup of tea, with extra cream and less sugar,

exactly the way I love it. He knows every detail about me.
Does he knows everything about Richa as well?
Raj is good at picking up details and remembering them.
Too bad, it increases his guilt all the more.

Sneha ran down the stairs to the dining room. Her eyes fell on the bunch of red roses on the tea table as a look of puzzlement crossed her face. Why are the flowers here today?, she wondered. Raj wasn't in the kitchen. She ran across to the patio looking for him. 

"Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me."

James Blunt's voice blasted at full volume. "I've to change that ringtone, how I hate it!! It has always been Raj's favourite. He must have changed it after I slept off last night" , she talked to herself as she came to get the phone.

"Hello. Is this Mr. Rajesh Malhotra's residence? " the voice came from the other side.

"Yes, I am his wife, Sneha"

"We are very sorry to inform you that we found your husband's body in his car. We also found another lady's body in the car along with your husband's, but we couldn't identify it. The accident took place yesterday evening and both died on the spot. We need you or somebody from the family to come down to Colaba police station to identify them."

"How is it even..."

The words froze in her mouth as Sneha looked across to the tea table which was empty except for a few drops of water in the place where she saw the red roses a few minutes back.

Source

The phone slipped from her grip and fell on the floor with a thud.

~The End~

This was my first attempt at a short story. Do let me know your thoughts :)