Sunday, August 17, 2014

Lucifer's Lungi - Book Review



 luciferslungi

Lucifer’s Lungi
By Nitin Sawant
Review By Ila Garg

“…sometimes the road less travelled, is less travelled for a reason…”

Lucifer’s Lungi, by the debutant writer Nitin Sawant is published by Fablery Publications. The book jacket is appropriate and hooks the readers instantly. The old temple, the moon, everything is appealing. It intrigues the readers into believing that it’s a horror story. The book is small sized and makes you wonder what can be stored in it. This novella is an in and out thriller and the cover adds to its thrill.

The author has tried to make a living by being a software programmer, engineer, stock market analyst, copywriter, journalist, tele-shopping expert and jewellery designer at various stages of life. He has travelled far and wide across the world, and has led a nomadic life for past 20 years. This gives a unique perspective to all his tall tales and offers a distinctive colour to his writing. There’s usually a tinge of sadness to every joke he’s experienced. And he’s always ended up laughing, whenever he’s lived through a horror moment, like in the ‘Lucifer’s Lungi’. It is his literary debut.

The blurb reads as, An atheist city-slicker unleashed on a medieval holy village...

A simpleton village priest's boy who blindly worships and guards a pantheon of Gods and Their traditions...

Strange things happen when their worlds collide!

This is a tale of that turmoil on a lonely night in a jungle, when the ghosts you never knew till a few hours ago are let loose on the ghosts that you always carried within, unknowingly.

Welcome to the unholy clash of beliefs, fears and frailties with unknown Gods and demons. A clash that will test your convictions. A clash that will rabidly claw and unmask your subconscious, leaving you naked and paralyzed in front of your demons - in a climax that is as ambiguous as it is certain...

Welcome to the madness of 'Lucifer's Lungi'... where What-You-See-Is-NOT-What-You-Get...”

The author begins absurdly but soon takes his readers on this gripping ride. This book is written in the form of a travelogue. The protagonist of this pocket-sized-rocket is an atheist working in the city. He loves to take out time every weekend to go on trips. It brings colors to his monotonous life. It’s almost like an escape route from his neck-breaking corporate life. On one such trip, he lands up in a village where people question his purpose of visit. They want to know why ‘saar’ (sir) has come there if he doesn’t want to buy flowers or visit a temple.

The people there further believe in strange tales and traditions. They believe in the wrath of ghosts and similar things. He is caught in this ‘unholy clash of beliefs, fears and frailties with unknown Gods and demons’. Much against his will, he is drawn into a world that plays on his subconscious fears and his imagination, driving him to a state of no-return.

Bringing to the fore, the rift between Lucifer and God, good and evil; the author has indeed taken a bold step. The way this narrative is written, it compels the readers to believe that it is a realistic tale. The author has managed to keep the story tight knit and though it is fast paced, yet it seems comfortable for the readers.

The language is easy to comprehend, with a little use of vernacular words like ‘Apattu’ (hazardous), ‘Tondaravu’ (trouble), etc. All characters are sketched very well and they make the plot more interesting. Author’s language is really fresh and the narration is entrancing too. Readers will find it interesting and will not be bored.

The 111 page book manages to be a wonderful read. This book is definitely a page turner and a very quick read. Though my first impression was that the author won’t be able to condense his ideas in such a small book. I wasn’t too sure if I would like this novella but gradually as I began reading, I realised how intelligently Nitin Sawant has used the right amount of words to grip his readers.

For a debut writer, Nitin Sawant has presented a nice book with a different storyline. The plot and thrill kept me glued to this book. Due to the simple language used by the author, the readers will not find it difficult to comprehend.

The downside of this book is its editing. It left me disappointed. To err is human, but to err and err again is not justified. From the “po-logue” to the “ippo-logue”, the narrative has a lot of spelling, punctuation and basic grammatical errors that slipped through the writer's and editor's eyes. Apart from these, the excessive use of slangs like kinda and gawd made this dish too salty for me! 

‘Yay’ Factors: The compact story line.

‘Nay’ Factors: The too many editing errors right from the first page to the last page.

My Verdict: To find out who is the protagonist, why does he go for the weekend trips, why the locals question his visit, what is the mystery behind the temple, will he get back, how does he deals with the clash between fear and power, good and bad, who wins this clash in the end - Lucifer or God; you will have to read the novella, Luficer’s Lungi.

Ratings: 3/5


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