JFK. A review.



Title : "JFK"
Author : Jhangir Kerawala
Genre : Thriller.
Price : Rs.199
Publisher: Westland Book Publications

JFK written by JFK (Jhangir "Fantastic" Kerawala) is a definite one time read. If not for the suspense you should positively read it for JFK(Just For Kolkata).





Cover analysis:

One look at the cover and you know the book is going to be all about Kolkata and it sure is. The intricate details of the city, the people's mindset, their attire everything spells Kolkata. The back cover has a synopsis of the book along with the picture of a revolver and five bullets which I presume is because five people get shot in the book.

My review:

The book starts with not one but two murders already heightening your bar of expectations. One of Ram Prasad Yadav, someone who ends up being my favorite character of the book once his story is revealed. He is determined in his motive, is super patient and the level of preservance he practices makes you idolize him. The second murder is of Manish Mondal, a person everyone describes as really decent and clearly alien to the word enemy. However I personally found him to be a really lousy husband and also a really lousy friend.

The story turns interesting when the police finds out that the two people who have been shot are completely unrelated except for the fact that they have been killed by the same gun. The police have absolutely no lead except Manish Mondal's last words to his friend Jatin, JFK.

Jatin already has a whole load of problems to last a lifetime when he is burdened to solve this mystery as well. From discovering his best friend's well-kept secret extra marital affair to finding that Manish was being blackmailed. From finding that Manish was a Freemason to finding that he decided to help Ram Prasad to find a deadly killer. The events after Manish's death makes Jatin realize that he wasn't as good as a friend that he supposed himself to be. All in all Jatin comes out to be a really ignorant person by the end of the book. The affair, the blackmailing all happens around him and the two people he calls his friends are involved in it yet he doesn't have a clue regarding it. He is also indifferent towards his wife's concerns. I really liked how the author portrayed the protagonist with a series of flaws like any normal human being.

Things I liked about the book:

1. The story is really fast paced. It is an absolute page turner. And if are as jobless as me you'll complete it in one go within a few hours.
2. It perfectly captures the mind-set of Indians. The quick-to-judge-a-woman's-character male population, the sensitive place in society for a women's reputation regarding sexual assaults, the inclination to treat every argument between a husband and wife as a third world war and planning the war strategy accordingly, holding onto a loveless marriage, male ego among many others.
3. The author has done a great job when it comes to defining characters. Jatin, Montu, Preeti, Inspector Dutt, Tarun each and every character has been perfectly defined and given justice to.
4. Child abuse is a very sensitive issue. Yet the author has no problem dealing with it. Hats off to him for this.

Things I didn't like.

1. There was over-the-top drama and difficult to digest co-incidences. 
2. The tendency of Jatin to take everything in his hands. Till the part where it is simply about finding what the word JFK means it seems acceptable but when it outstretches to taking on the killer one-on-one it seems too unbelievable. 
3. The book as a whole seems to be written presuming that it will be turned into a Bollywood movie. Everything is perfectly structured to ease a scriptwriter's work. 

Phrases/Lines/Parts of the book I especially loved:

1. She looked like trouble with a capital T, underlined and in bold red.
2. How Jatin could never use his umbrella inspite of it raining a dozen times in the story.
3. The description of the argument between Jatin and Renu from page 74 to page 77 where he is mentally keeping scores and compares the argument to a boxing match.
4. The perfect description of our Indian ways on page 95 when he bargains for a seat in the train even with policemen up his ass. Ending the description with "India, in it's own way, is a land of opportunities too." cracks me up.

The final verdict:

Engrossing. Page turner. One time read. But at some levels dissapointing.
Also it's Kerawala's first book so I won't be quick to judge.

Rating: 2/5

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2 comments:

  1. AAh! I didnt read this review yet! Coz I am reading it still.. I ll be back :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good you didn't. I might have slipped in some spoilers.

      Btw, do tell me if you liked the book.

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