A story spanning three generations, this book takes us on a journey filled with love, ambition, betrayal, retribution and more.
The story revolves around Aryan, son of a business tycoon and grandson of a renowned politician. He belongs to the powerful Rout family — rich, intelligent and the elite. The bond between Aryan and his grandfather Aryaman is one to be written about. As a kid neglected by an absentee father and an uninterested mother, Aryan’s father figure is his grandfather and his closest friend — his older sister Zara. Both grew up in a dysfunctional family yet because of the guidance of the fair-natured Aryaman, both of them turned out to be intelligent people. Aryan, just back from his education abroad and brimming with ideas for his future, is crestfallen when he receives the news of his grandfather’s death. What follows is his adventurous journey to find out the truth behind not just an incident that broke his heart but the truth of his life as well.
The story starts on a train journey with an inebriated Aryan who is on the verge of giving up, possibly being kidnapped by drug dealers and about to accidentally venture into Pakistan when he is rescued by a stranger. While we get to know that his father had arranged the stranger to protect Aryan and bring him back to their farmhouse, we also get a peek into the unusually angry relationship between the father-son duo.
Apparently, Aryan’s father Yash and Aryaman never saw eye to eye. While Aryaman adamantly stuck to his libertarian views on politics and was a true nationalist, Yash only wanted to become richer and fill his personal coffers. Yash’s business decisions and the way he bullied his younger brother Karthik slowly becomes the reason for his estrangement from his family. Aryan believes Yash to be the cause of his grandfather’s death and is hell-bent on proving his point.
The book is divided into four parts — the first showing the present situation where Aryan has almost given up on his quest. The second part dives into a flashback of sorts introducing different characters and outlining their relationships. The third focuses on Aryan’s suspicions and his subsequent struggle to find the truth and the final part is aptly named “The Showdown”. That is exactly what it is — laying the tone for the big reveal.
While I personally felt that the writing and editing of the book could have been a little better, author Manu Dhawan’s first novel is a good and interesting read. I don’t normally read a lot of Indian books so this was a pleasant change for me and I enjoyed the book.
It’s interesting to see how the author develops each character so that when the reader reaches the end, there’s already a preconceived notion of who the culprit is — which is exactly what Dhawan wants so that he can turn it around at the last moment. I would have enjoyed it had the book forayed more into the chase of finding the truth and the mystery of it all. Basically, I wanted the plot to be a little more elaborate. That being said, Dhawan does manage to round out the story to reach a satisfying end for all. The plot is good and so are the characters. Small peeks into what would be the climax keep things interesting.
The book might look simple but it teaches an important lesson. To follow the truth, to stand for what you believe is right and — as Aryaman says, “keep the eye on the bullseye”. In a world where profit has more priority than love, this lesson is important, I believe. I especially loved how Dhawan portrayed the pure love of a grandfather for his grandson. It definitely made me speak to my elders a little more respectfully!
All in all, this book proved to be a pleasant read and I greatly look forward to reading more of the author’s work. I do believe he can be counted among the contemporary Indian authors like Novoneel Chakraborty and Chetan Bhagat once he’s got his writing more refined.
