InklingsInsight

Book Name: The Namesake Author: Jhumpa Lahiri Publisher: Harpercollins Genre: Contemporary Fiction The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is a beautiful exploration of immigrant experience, cultural identity and complex bonds of family.   Review The story revolves around the life of Gogol Ganguli (later Nikhil), exploring his experiences while living in the United States with his family, his relationships, his losses, and his identity crisis. Why is this story going to ignite a spark in readers' minds? Because the motive with which it is written is the reason for it to be loved by readers who love to explore stories that follow themes like identity, loss, love, belonging, immigrant experiences, or simply someone living away from home. As for the title, "The Namesake" , the story of Gogol is justified. Starting from the decision of his name, which was to be made by Ashima's (Gogol's mother) grandmother, to deciding on a name based on the author Ashoke (Gogol's fathe...

Book Name: Haadsaa Author: Vish Dhamija Publisher: Bloomsbury Genre: Mystery & Crime Fiction Haadsaa by Vish Dhamija is a novel that will make you question your guesses at every chapter you turn. It is a gripping yet complex murder mystery and crime fiction.   Review Anushka Khan, no, Anushka Anand, as she did not change her name after marriage, was brought to Max Hospital in Saket after she was found badly injured, as her head hit the mirror, crashing it down and leaving her with severe head injuries. When she opened her eyes, the news spread about her affair with her husband's friend, Rajiv, who was now dead, and her husband, Akbar, went missing after the tragedy that led her to the hospital. Wondering about her missing husband and the loss of her lover made her weak, timid, and underconfident because there was news about her husband's involvement in the Hawala business, which she was unaware of, and Rajiv being his supporter in that too. As the police investigated Ra...

Book Name: My Jeans Fit Well & The Ice-Cream Didn’t Melt Author: Manali Desai Publisher: Ukiyoto Genre: Humour (Non-fiction) My Jeans Fit Well & The Ice-Cream Didn’t Melt by Manali Desai is a humorous treat to her life’s raw and unfiltered moments.   Review The book is a collection of 150+ moments and gestures from the author's life, reflecting glimpses of joy, happiness, the mundanity of her life, and little junctures that are often overlooked in the race of life. Each anecdote comes with a whimsical illustration depicting a real-life moment from the author's routine. Two things make this book stand out: the first is that readers can relate to many anecdotes, and the second is the simplicity with which each anecdote is written and portrayed with illustrations, featuring a communication bubble between the characters in the illustration and sometimes it’s just the author thinking out loud in those bubbles. However, there is one thing that can divert readers from the ...

Book Name: Six Days In Bombay Author: Alka Joshi Publisher: HarperCollins Genre: Contemporary & Century Historical Fiction Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi is a compelling historical fiction that transports readers to a world set in 1937.   Review Have you read a book that looked like a mystery but ended with an exploration and the protagonist's journey of self-discovery? This book comes with the same experience. The story follows the life of Sona Falstaff, a half-Indian, half-British nurse living in Bombay with her mother in a small house. During her stay in Bombay, she grew exponentially in various aspects of life, from living a shadowed life under her mother's influence to emerging and exploring foreign lands on her own. The title of the book has a significance in the plotline, which I will leave for readers to discover as they read the book. In May 1937, Sona met a patient, Mira, in the hospital, who was full of life and became the reason for Sona's growth, leav...

Book Name: Behind Closed Doors Author: Jemimah Jonah Publisher: Paper Towns Genre: Crime Thriller Behind Closed Doors, the first book in Maya Alexander Series by Jemimah Jonah is a suspenseful, and compelling novel. Review The story begins with a scream from the neighbourhood while Arjun was partying with his brother. Both were drunk and did not acknowledge the scream until there was a knock at their door. They found the elder son of their neighbour, his eyes bloodshot and his face fear-stricken. Arjun let him in, asking if everything was alright. What followed was a mystery waiting to unfold, three murders that led to chaos and the reopening of old case files. Lady detective Maya was assigned to the case along with sub-inspector Allen, and their investigation led them to a ten-year-old case file that brought up significant facts and previously unsolved cases. The character development is smooth and detailed. Readers will fall in love with Maya for her determination, fierceness, an...

Book Name: The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles Author: Hemangini Dutt Majumder Publisher: Olive Turtle (An imprint of Niyogi) Genre: Mystery  The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles by Hemangini Dutt Majumder is a humorous delight, mystery novel that blends Bengali tradition with a touch of Gothic literature. Review The story starts with the introduction of the protagonist, Ollie, where the author reveals how she got her name, Olympia Ghoshal Chatterjee. To begin with the life of Ollie, there is chaos, drama, an eerie atmosphere, ghostly appearances (not in real though), and the essence of the smelling sense that made her unique. Often, she landed in trouble because of her strong sense of smell, but in the end, it helped solve a series of murder mysteries by catching the culprit who was creating terror and fear in their ancestral mansion, Neelbari, in Chandannagar, and it even prevented two murders. The characters are relatable and feel so real that readers will enjoy their worlds and st...