TITLE- TIME IS A FIRE
AUTHOR- VIKRAM KAPUR
GENRE- THRILLER
NUMBER OF PAGES- 265
PUBLICATION- SRISHTI PUBLISHERS
FORMAT- PAPERBACK
About the book-
On October 31, 1984 a sixteen years old Amrita Gill came home to find her parents murdered in the roits following Indira Gandhi's assassination. Since then, she has lived in Seattle for thirteen years, wanting nothing to do with the life she left behind in India. Now, however, she finds the past pulling at her. First, she receives a letter from an unknown man in Vancouver called Gurbachan Singh, who says he has something to tell her. Soon after that, she learns that Gurbachan Singh is dead, possibly murdered. Then, the next day, a man follows her and draws a knife, forcing her to flee. As bemused Amrita looks for answers, she finds the past start to unravel in ways she could never have imagined. Gurbachan Singh turns out to have been a close confidant of Beant Singh and Kehar Singh, two men involved in Mrs Gandhi's assassination. On the day before the assassination, he had actually met and talked about the impending assassination with none other than her own father. Then she learns that her father, whom she had always considered a police officer, had actually been with the intelligence. And that her parents were not really killed by roiters, it was only made to look that way. Set in Seattle, Vancouver and Delhi this novel blends mystery, romance and political history to tell the story of lives turned upside down by Indira Gandhi's assassination through a young woman's bid to lay to rest the ghosts of her own tormented past.
My rating- ★★.5☆☆☆
My review-
This is the story of Amrita Gill, who had witnessed the death of her parents at the age of 16 and has now been living abroad for the last thirteen years. She has left her past behind- or so she thought. As the story progresses we see her past catching up to her, only to create a havoc in the world she knew.
Set in the backdrop of Mrs Indira Gandhi's assassination the story focuses on the events leading to and the events following the assassination- the contempt faced by the Sikhs in particular, the roits that followed,the way the country was divided and the plight of a large number of people who fell victim to these roits, Amrita's family being one of them. Thirteen years later she gets to know that her parents were not killed in roits but were actually murdered. What follows is her quest to find out the truth behind her parents' murder.
The story has a very strong plotline, the protagonist is portrayed as this strong, self sufficient woman, there are detailed description of the past and present of every character, the historical facts are well researched and the author has done a good job using the fact that the intelligence knew about the assassination but didn't do anything about it.
Despite a strong plotline, the execution is not satisfactory. The characters seem to be introduced at the wrong time. The mystery builds up in the first half of the story and then just lies flat, the ending doesn't match up to the expectations built up in the first half. Yes, the story is capable of keeping the readers on edge, wanting more but the narration messes things up only to give away details prematurely.
The story combines a whole lot of subjects- mystery, history and romance but each part seems incomplete. However the history part is accurate, well researched and describes the events and effects in a very detailed manner. The author gives a lot of answers as to why there are more Sikhs in Cannada, what provoked the assassination and who and how they were responsible.
A tale of religious sentiments, call of duty, betrayal, hidden facts, the torment following an immoral deed and a 29 year old stranded amidst these trying to uncover the truth- this story takes a lot of turns to reach it's conclusion.
Characters-
Amrita Gill- the protagonist of the story, she is a 29 year old woman living abroad by herself. She is this strong, self sufficient, courageous woman who had not only left behind her past but also saw nothing but her future. When she learns about the death of her parents being a murder- out comes her determined self. She is a woman with morals, full of self respect and never afraid to work her way through situations.
Deepak Khanna- a journalist by profession, who wanted to write a book on the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi and thus by searching through sources ended up being led to Amrita. It was he who shed a great deal of light to the murder mystery and even helped Amrita in connecting the dots leading to the killer.
Gurbachan Singh- the dark Knight of the the story, he is not exactly the villain but he is the connection between the protagonist and the killer. He was the one who was not only involved in the plans of the assassination but was also the link through which intelligence had received the information about the assassination.
There are other characters in the story whose names you will know once you read the story- as these characters serve just their own purpose, revealing which would reveal the entire plot.
Writing style-
The writing style is very lucid, the past-present transitions are quite smooth. However the plot execution is not great. The characters are introduced at the wrong time and there is a great deal of detailing about them- which at times is unnecessary. At some points the detailing shifts the focus from the main story. The story involves a lot of historical information- which is very apt. The narration however fails to maintain the continuity and the thrill falls flat after a point- beyond which it remains the same.
Overall a very good attempt, considering this is the debut novel. A great plotline with a lot of potential and is apt for readers who have just started reading- this one is surely a great read for beginners.
Thank you Writers Melon for giving me the review copy.
About the author-
Vikram Kapur born in India, did his baccalaureate degree from Armstrong Atlantic State University and his masters in Mass communication from the University of Georgia. He has published articles, poetry and short stories in a number of magazines, newspapers and journals in India and United States. He has been awarded the Breadloaf scholarship for promising writers, the certificate of merit from the University of Georgia. He is the professor of journalism and faculty advisor to the student newspaper at Seattle Central community college in Seattle, Washington. This is his first novel.
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