TITLE- Yours secretly
AUTHOR- Srinvanti Pal Zaheer
NUMBER OF PAGES- 279
FORMAT- Paperback
GENRE- Thriller
PUBLISHER- Write India publishers.
About the book-
Kevin's miserable past is blissfully buried into oblivion due to memory loss. But a murder scene stirs his subconscious. The police suspect his forgotten past has a link with the murder and try to revive his memory. His Godfather Father Lawrence and saviour Sister Margaret are afraid that this will remind him of the brutal murder of his entire family and he will kill himself, as he tried in the past by jumping from the balcony and injured his brain. Yet the police, the local psychiatrist, all want to revive his memory. Neera, the niece of the psychiatrist, who was almost killed by a serial- killer in her childhood, also wants one-dimensional, subdued, sub human Kevin to regain his memory, so she can have a normal, complete man in her life. Who will prevail? Whose life is endangered? What is the future of Kevin and his past?
A breathtakingly enthralling psychological thriller with eerie shadows of death and darkness of human mind.
My rating- ★★★★.5☆
My review-
"A man is what his memory tells him what he is. We see, speak and feel with the help of memory". It is this "memory" that becomes the center of the plot for this story.
Set in the beautiful town of Panchgani, spreading its roots to the city of Mumbai too, this is the story of Kevin- a supposedly docile, God- fearing young man living peacefully with his family with no memory of his past supposedly due to a head injury, until, on a fateful day he comes across a murder scene. Things go down-hill soon and he seems to be developing a mental condition.
His godfather Father Lawrence and Sister Margret show a firm resolution to protect the man they have nurtured for the last 10 years- ever since he lost his family in the Mumbai riots. Police investigations proceed and several new characters are introduced.
On the other hand, Neera, the local psychiatrist's niece, also comes into play. Her paths cross with Kevin and she finds an irresistible urge to make this man a whole- revive his memories. Even she is dealing with brutal memories of her past, oblivious to the fact that her memories has deep connection with Kevin, that their pasts are inter-twined and perhaps their future too.
Two cities, two individuals tormented by their memories, one due to the past and the other due to the loss of the past, come across each other in an enthralling encounter.
A tale of shielded past, vicious crime, disguised identities, deceit and bloodshed, tormented, unfulfilled memories, broken individuals, the power of the human mind, uncertainty of the past and the future and the failed attempts at creating a better world comes together in this enigmatic piece of work.
With the intricate formation of the plot, the character building and the overlapping of the past and present memories of the characters, the story reaches a climax beyond expectations. The plot at first is quite difficult to follow, one has to brain storm all throughout trying to figure out what happens next but the way suspense has been shielded till the end is really commendable. Once the actual story starts it requires a great deal of concentration to not lose a character.
A thrilling experience in itself, with twists and turns at every point. You may think, at many points that you have figured out the plot but its a mirage, you are in for another new experience.
This book is definitely a treat for all the thriller lovers, so you guys out there grab your copy and start reading. You wont be able to keep the book down till you finish it.
Characters-
Kevin- the protagonist, a God- fearing true Christian suffering from a memory loss ever since he met with an accident and hurt his head. Later his subconscious is triggered by a murder scene and he has trouble distinguishing between his personalities. He was diagnosed as schizophrenic by the local psychiatrist but is he actually mentally ill or is his past playing folly with his present.?
Neera- niece of the local psychiatrist, a nurse by profession, herself dealing with a brutal past ever since early childhood. She plays a vital role in persuading means to help Kevin revive his memories.
There are many other important characters like Dr Roy, the local psychiatrist, Father Lawrence, Kevin's Godfather.
Sister Margret, a socially active lady helping all those in need with her sermons of Christianity and encouraging insights. She was the one who saved Kevin from his past life and helped him build the new life he was living.
Dr Philomena, a psychiatrist and a crucial character in the entire story.
Diane, Kevin's wife and a few others.
Writing style-
I am completely awed by the writing style. The way story has been build up is beyond imagination.
The plot doesn't have any loopholes per se, it has a lot of Biblical references and a wide range of metaphors.
The writing is not only enriched literally with the absolute detailing of everything but it is also satisfying as a thriller.
There are no plot spoilers, only hints at making guesses. The best part of this book is its ability to play with the reader's mind taking it up to an ending which hints at starting of another story, a new life with a new mind.
A thriller to be mesmerized by.
About the author-
Srinvanti Pal Zaheer is a busy bureaucrat and her rare leisure time is dedicated to her favorite hobby, writing. A former student of Shantiniketan. Smt Zaheer has been writing since childhood. She writes in Bengali and English. Her poems, stories, articles have been published in various national and international magazines in Bengali and English language. Her radio play was broadcast from All India Radio Calcutta. She was awarded the Surama Hom Roy Medal for the best children's book written in Bengali. Her writings reveal the inner truth of life and intricacy of human behavior and relationships. Her husband and son, both engineers, are te driving forces of her life.
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