- Genre : Suspense Thriller
- KindleandKompass Rating : 4.5/5
- Language : Malayalam/English
- Author : K.R. Meera
A 44 year old single woman living in Bangalore narrowly escapes a bullet that was aimed at her. The assassin comes in the cover of darkness and escapes after missing his shot. Can she choose to assume she was mistaken as the target as the media reported and continue living normally ? What happens when the killer returns to make a second attempt at taking her life making it evidently clear that bullet was indeed meant for her? Satya Priya comes face to face with the fact that she needs to choose between being hunted by an anonymous killer or become the hunter herself in order to uncover the identity of the person attempting to assassinate her. But to do this, she has to go back deep into her memories and relive the horrors of her past to determine who among the many candidates of potential killers could be the one who is now determined to take her life.
How she untangles this puzzle forms the plot of this fast paced, cannot-put-down thriller from K.R Meera. Some of the other notable works from the same author are Qabar, Aarachar and Sooryane Aninja Oru Sthree. So if you are someone who enjoys books written by Meera, make sure that you read through this review and order your copy!
Have you ever lived in a way that you become mature before your age? Perceived life in a way with constant acceptance and not based on presumptions & high hopes? It’s a pity if you haven’t, because how then would you know about the cruelties of life, about a path that doesn’t lead up to some great destiny but rather only a step forward that is placed with an expectation of betterment? Have you ever lived your life in a way that is filled with loss and betrayals? Lived as a Woman and yet your courage remains intact? It’s a pity if you haven’t, because how then would you know about the relationships of life, about humans whose color changes like the shades of sky, it might seem blue on the whole, but occasionally shows orange, pink, violet, red, grey, and black.
Ghathakan, KR Meera
The Plot (with no spoilers) :
Satya Priya has a long, haunting and dark past that she has overcome before she made it to her current comfortable life. As a single woman, she does not have the support of a partner who can help her navigate this new challenge. As the author takes us through the murder plot, K.R Meera takes us to the past and present and weaves a story that keeps us hooked to the story line. There is not a moment where you lose the “whodunnit” suspense of the plot. You think you are close to guessing who it may be but then the plot navigates to a new territory leaving you wondering what next.
As K.R Meera has mentioned in her interviews, the seed to this storyline was planted during the Gauri Lankesh assassination. As with any of other K.R Meera’s books, the backbone of the book is its strong female characters. Deviating from the norm of having one strong protagonist, as you read the book you cannot but awe at the strength the protagonist Satya Priya draws from her mother – a woman who bared it all in her life with sheer gut and positivity. These two characters tend to stay with you long after you have completed this almost 700 page book for the sheer will power Meera has infused into them.
Meera has also chosen to address some key political incidents like demonetization, Maoism, the plight of Kashmir Muslims and power hungry politics, through very subtle yet, if you listen for it, loud undertones of disagreement. The plot begins with demonetization as the backdrop and ends with the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. The rise and fall of Satya Priyas family from riches to the rags, how she, her mother and sister navigate a patriarchal society struggling every step of the way to bring food to the table every single day all the while fighting the demons of their past and uncovering fresh ones as they dive deep into the dark history left behind by her now dead father, the chill left behind by his last statement before death – that they will come to kill her as well – all of it is certain to take the reader through an exciting and exhilarating journey of mystery and thrill. But the cherry on top is most certainly Satya Priyas mother, the single most strong woman of the entire story line who with her witty remarks and unwavering attitude faced every challenge that life threw her way head on. Its no surprise why Meera remains one of the most acclaimed writers of Malayalam with her portrayal of headstrong female characters.
The only drawback of this book is that it is easy to get lost in the maze of characters involved; so much that sometimes you wish you had kept a family tree and kept marking off characters and how they are related to Satya Priya and her family. Believe me, there will be occasions when you really wish you had done this because sometimes it takes a while to trace back the connection when a name and their history is thrown at you elsewhere.
If you enjoy reading malayalam books by authors that pack in adventure and nail biting finishes, be sure to read our review on Manja Veyil Maranangal by Benyamin
The Verdict : Must Read
This book is a must read for all who love reading local authors or Indian authors where most of these stories tie back to familiar situations of our times. K.R Meera does a fabulous job of writing in a style that can appeal both to the young and old generations. So grab a copy of the book from amazon or your local library and dive right in – you will not be disappointed!
The book originally written in Malayalam is also translated to English by J Devika as “The Assassin” and available for purchase online and in stores.
