Thursday, August 7, 2014

Metamorphing - Book Review




Metamorphing
By Kunal Pancholi
Review By Ila Garg

Metamorphing, by the debutant writer Kunal Pancholi is published by Frog Books (an imprint of Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd). The paper and print quality show that it is a publication house that we should keep an eye on. Metamorphing is a gripping crime thriller which is adorned by an equally illustrative cover design.

The cover shows a half opened door and draws an eerie picture of a murder site with the marked area for a dead body. On the foreground, there is a red butterfly silhouette which doesn’t fit in the murder site but had to be there to emphasize on the title which is related to metamorphosing i.e. Caterpillar - Butterfly. Yes, this misspelled word, ‘Metamorphing’ is deliberately chosen as the title of the book.

Thus, this thoughtful title and cover will instantly make you want to grab the book and read on.

The author graduated from SRCC Delhi in 2001 and completed his MBA from NMIMS Mumbai in 2006. He has worked with banks, co-founded READO – an audio book publishing company and done a marketing stint with a film production company in Mumbai. Currently he heads marketing at a technology start-up. Metamorphing is his literary debut.

The blurb reads as, 28TH APRIL, 2000: Flight No. 9x4876 bound to Srinagar has crash landed into the Everest Base camp. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the flight mysteriously went off the radar for few minutes and missed its landing. All passengers are feared dead… except for three bodies that are yet to be recovered.

8TH DECEMBER, 2050: This, without doubt is the most gruesome murder in recent times. Early this morning, an unidentified woman was found mutilated at the western gates of the abandoned Victoria Terminus Station in Mumbai. Authorities report her head was … well … semi-decapitated and she was drained of all her blood. The shocking part - the crime scene was devoid of any signs of blood spatter…

ROHAN: He was shorter than the shortest girl in school; he had to be ahead in the game!

RUDRA: A man without a past, coaxed into a murder investigation; will he ever grasp the true nature of the crime?

A thrilling tale about two men bound by an untraceable yet undeniable fate - One running away from his past, another unaware of his own.”

The author covers a span of 50 years in this book. Kunal Pancholi weaves an impressive story that narrates the tale of two people who live years apart but still are connected to one another in some bizarre form. One man who is desperately trying to run away from something in his past, whereas another one who would do anything to remember anything from his past.

The story of these two people progresses in alternating chapters. First man, Rudra, wakes up from an accident in 2050, and finds his memories washed away. He manages to get his address and reach his house but still remains clueless. He is then asked to be a private detective by a woman whose son is wrongly accused of murder. Rudra takes up the assignment assuming that he had been a detective in his life before his memories got washed away.

The second man, Rohan is the shortest guy in his class. He is in quest of love and living the life of a normal youngster at the millennium year. His life is perfect when Gina reciprocates his feelings. But a plane crash from which he is the only survivor changes his life forever.

The language is brilliant, easy, with no technical jargon and fluid enough to read. As simple as it may seem, the story doesn’t move on a linear path; it takes a zig-zag pattern. Readers will find it interesting and will not be bored.

The 250 page book manages to a wonderful read. Not exposing the story much, I can easily say that readers will enjoy it despite the non-linear pattern. The plot that is different from the mainstream romance makes you keep turning the pages to reach the climax and unveil the suspense of the lives of the two main characters. The author binds the attention of his readers from the very beginning. He manages to create an aura of confusion and suspicion which compels the readers to read till the end.

For a debut writer, Kunal Pancholi has presented a nice book with a different storyline. The plot and thrill kept me glued to this book. Though the author should have worked more on building the suspense. Also, the narrative style was a little different and is gripping. Readers will find it a comfortable read and the pace is comfortable too. Due to the simple language used by the author, the readers will not find it difficult to comprehend.  

‘Yay’ Factors: The story line and the language. Also, I loved the characterization and the way Kunal Pancholi has created the house in 2050 with his words.

‘Nay’ Factors: The suspense is revealed well before the book ends.

My Verdict: To find out who is Rudra, why is he in the hospital, what is the reason behind his memory loss, how he struggles to recollect his past, who is Rohan, is he successful in his quest of love, what happened with him after plane crash, why cannot recollect from his past, how he gets back to his normal life, who is Ayan, what role does he have in the story, how are both Rudra and Rohan connected; you will have to read the novel, Metamorphing.

Ratings: 4/5
 
Buying Links: Infibeam | Amazon | uRead |FlipkartLandmarkCrossword    

This (Unbiased) book review is a part of "The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program". To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com. Thanks Nimi Vashi for giving me the opportunity to read such a nice book!

 

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