Honor among thieves: Jeffery Archer

It is a thriller set in the United States of America, Iraq, Israel and Middle Eastern countries. The plot is that Saddam Hussein plans to avenge America by stealing the declaration of independence after his defeat in the gulf war. 

Saddam and party contact international mafia don and set a deal to steal the declaration of independence from the national archives of America in Washington.  When the declaration is stolen, it is passed on to the Iraqi ambassador at the UN and in turn brought to Iraq. 

One CIA agent Scott Bradley and Mossad- Hannah Kopec together bring back the declaration with illogical, poorly built Jeffrey Archer drama before the press gets to know about the theft. 

The book is disappointing even for hard core Jeffery Archerians.  May appeal the naïve readers.

Train to Pakistan: Khushwant Singh.

This is one of the most acclaimed books about the India Pakistan partition happened in Aug 1947. It talks about the human dimension of the partition in comparison to the political and economic dimensions of the contemporary books.

The story is set in a fictional village of Mano Majra on the borders of India and Pakistan and dominated by Sikhs. The protagonist- Juggat Singh is a Sikh in love with a Muslim girl. The day before the call is given for Muslim separation in Mano Majra, the village’s only rich man is murdered and Juggu is captured in relation to the murder.

The lover girl is pregnant and she with her blind father leave for Pakistan to be taken as refugees. Juggu is released from jail to find that there is a train arriving at Mano Majro full of dead Sikh bodies. There’s not a lone man who is alive.

There is more violence and bloodshed. Muslims say Hindus planned and started the killings and Hindus in turn say Muslims are to blame. But the fact is both are killed. Both are stabbed and speared and clubbed. Both tortured. Both raped.

If the initial down-for-count pages are passed through patiently, there is a good picture of the 1947 partition event and a wonderful narration follow.       

Lajja- Taslima Nasrin

In Ayodhya- a town in Uttar Pradesh, on 6^th December 1992, Babri Masjid is demolished and the demolition has it repercussions even in Bangladesh.

The book is about the impact of this event in on an average family in Bangaladesh. The Dutta family feels and faces the heat of the communal  hatred.  Sudhamoy, the patriarch of the family, feels that Bangladesh, his motherland, shall never let him down. Kiranmayee as a faithful wife stands by her husband’s views. Suranjan, their son, believes that nationalism will be stronger than communalism, but is progressively disappointed and finds himself adopting communal reactions which contrast entirely with the ideology of patriotism he has always had faith in. Nilanjana curses her brother’s apathy and coaxes his brother to take the family to a Muslim friend’s house for safety. It is a story of metamorphosis, in which disastrous events create disillusionment, resulting in violence and resentment.

Take away points from book:
1. Don't buy a book for its public hype
2. Don't be patient to read an unimpressive book.