The Book Quill

The Vietnam War made a lot of people lose their families, land, homes and their identities. The ones who became prisoner of war, most of them lost themselves in the lands they went to fight for their country. The way the Vietnam war changed several men is depicted through the character of Ernt Allbright in this moving piece. Being a prisoner of war made him something that he could not even accept he was, a monster. The story starts with the small Lenora depicting her woes of listening to her cribbing parents all the time about how this place is also not working out for them and they have to move to another place all over again, start afresh. All she can think of how not to be the new kid in school all over again but nothing is in her hands. Allbright has days on which he is the best father ever and on others he could be quite scary. A thirteen year old is not able to comprehend the fear in her mother’s eyes but with the years rolling she understands what it depicts. One...

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin,my soul. These are the opening lines of the book. The first line itself held me perplexed, astonished and extremely inquisitive to complete this book as soon as I can. Fair Warning- this is not the usual kind of a novel that has an understandable and agreeable storyline. Lolita is a story about a professor of English named Humbert Humbert who is tremendously attracted to small girls aged between 9-12, basically a pedophile. The man, who as an exceptional academic record, tries everything to get over this feeling of his, by seeing therapists, making himself understand that this is illegal and immoral and even by getting married. But nothing in the world makes his heart sway as it does when he sees a little girl, and he forgets everything for a second. This psychological stance of his, is connected to his younger years when he was a young boy and got attracted to a girl  named Annabel. They had their intimate moments and he was hea...

Suspected of his wife’s murder, Eli loses everything he had ever been or done. His life turns upside down as he loses his friends, livelihood, his identity and goes into a turmoil of grief. Claire had never been a good wife to him, and when he finds out that she has been cheating on him all along, he shatters into pieces and regrets his marriage to her. The day he gets to know about his conniving, deceiving and cheating wife, they both get into a big public fight. Eli goes to his house in the evening to get his family heirlooms back and as he steps out he watches in utter belief his wife cold on the ground in a pool of blood. The murder of Claire destroys whatever he had ever owned and makes him the biggest suspect in the murder. But, as his involvement could not be proved he is let off the radar but till then everything had come to an end. Trying to hold on to life, and fighting insomnia day in and day out. His life takes a turn when he has to go to Whiskey Beach because of a ter...

The Muse is a romantic drama revolving around a hidden tremendously talented artist, Olive Scholass. The story continuously shifts from the present day and almost three decades before. In 1967, Odelle, a migrator who came from the islands to London with her friend Cynth to find work aspired to become a writer. She was stuck in a shoe shop with minimum wage and a rotting ambition. One day, she received a job from an art museum, The Skeleton which changed her life forever. She meets a man at her friend’s wedding party who introduces her to his mother’s painting. The painting had such a striking presence to it that Odelle suggests him to get it to the Skelton. The year 1936, the Scholass family moves to the countryside of Spain. Harold Scholass, an art dealer is unaware that her daughter is one of the best artists one could ever see. Olive gets into the Slade School of Art but decides to not tell her parents. For some reason, she wants her talent to herself and the countryside sudde...

How wary it is to believe in a person, seen her, talked to her but the next day the person ceases to exist. No one has ever seen her or can remember her around you. It feels maddening to the extreme and then, you witness a murder. A murder no one believes in of a person who does not exist. Something similar happens to journalist Lo Blacklock on a business sea trip. This trip was meant to be the turning point of her career but accidentally she borrows mascara from the girl next door, which turned to be the biggest mistake she could ever make. In the middle of the night, she wakes up to a noise of splashing water like a body has been thrown into the water. As she looks through her glass door, on the window on the other side she notices blood smeared all over the glass. Frightened out of her wits, she calls the security shouting ‘bloody murder’. But when the security personnel tells her that no one ever checked into the room adjacent to her, she is terrified and confused. She tells him ...

Some books leave an emotional print on you, irrespective of the storyline, the plot or the ending. This is one of those novels. Ordinary Grace by Meloche is narrated by Frank Drum, the second child to the Drum family. Set in the year 1961, the story is told forty years later by Frank about the fateful summer of that year, in which murder took a joyous ride around the town of Minnesota. A small boy at the edge of young adulthood is confronted with experiences that are far above his age and understanding. The death of a small boy named Bobby Cole, shook the Drum family as well as the whole society. A child’s life lost affected the whole of the community. Jake, Frank’s younger brother was affected the most. Ariel, their elder sister had suddenly started showing suspicious behaviour. She did not talk about her whereabouts and sneaked away at nights to places known to god. Frank noticed her once and thought that she must be going to see her boyfriend, well he wished later that were the tr...

The Indian Literary space is dominated by romance, finding yourself, relationships and coming of age sagas – the whole nine yards of sweet corn syrups and then some more. Most of them are dreary and boring. Mostly, they are not close to reality and pander to the narcissistic instinct of the social media generation. Then, once in a while, like the door creaks in the old mansion [pun intended]  comes along a riveting suspense drama, which has a different take on human emotions and while it is doing that, also keeps you on the edge of your seat. I am talking about the book named “The Dark Road” by Mayuresh Didolkar. Mayuresh is a Financial Manager at his Day job in Pune when he is not strutting his stuff and jolly good stuff it is! The Dark Road is in the mould of Roman Polanski’s – Chinatown, I kid you not. It is that good. It is essentially a murder mystery in the Whodoneit  genre , but it also a modern take on modern, dysfunctional relationships. Who are the characters in the ...

This science fiction dystopian novel by Turner and Freedman is something to really look forward to. The book is set 50-60 years ahead from now, where most of the world as we know now has drowned. After the Great Technology War, when the powerful countries used their nuclear weapons, all hell broke loose and all the polar caps melted away submerging half the lands. This new World headed by one leader named Sobek Vesley, is propagated as the saviour of mankind and earth. He builds up Global Governance and takes over most of the world. In this new world, there are no diseases, no wars and no mayhem. Everyone lives peacefully and contented, but is that really the situation? The world is now divided into six communities with their assigned colours. The most powerful community is the ‘Protectors’ and they work directly with Sobek. Keeva Tee, who has just turned fifteen and has a vibrant life in the ocean community is about to get her life altered forever. As it happens to every kid at the ...

World War II was one of the most horrifying episodes the human history has ever seen. The German barbarism , wiped off millions from the surface of earth. The numerous struggles the war saw, the Nightingale is one of them. This story is about the Rossignol(meaning nightingale) sisters and how their lives upturned on the arrival of Germans in Paris in the summer of 1940. Vianne and Isabelle lost their mother young, and were abandoned by their father. Vianne grew to be the subtle and submissive one, got married and had a perfect life where as Isabelle turned out to be the rebellious one. She was constantly thrown out of schools for misbehaviour and being a big mouth. The war is the turning point of both their lives and makes them realise the necessity of family to both of them. With German invasion Isabelle is sent to her sister’s house in Carriveau, and their paths separated for years intertwine. Antoine, Vianne’s husband is prisoner of war now and a German officer billets in their hou...

Lying In Wait debut novel by author Liz Nugent is a perfect and simple example of ambiguous family relations. The best thing about Lying in Wait is the usage of a simple plot with high induced sub plots and mesmerising characters. She uses the concept of fear and loss interestingly to build her story. Laurence is a fat and chubby teenage boy who is the son of a renowned judge and lives in a mansion named 'Avalon'. His mother, Lydia, is obsessed with him and never leaves the house. His father doesn't like his obese condition. But one day everything changes for this very normal and joyful family. All of their lives turn upside down. A horrible crime is committed by his father and he eventually dies because of guilt. His mother is all alone with his only son and faces a hard time. Laurence being unaware of the crime has all his focus now on his mother. But later, when he discovers the truth of his father's offense, it shocks him. He carries the truth deep in his heart ...

To  Kill a Mocking Bird (1960) is an all time classic by the Author Harper Lee. Immediately on being published, it won the Pulitzer Prize. It is now considered as an all time American Classic. The story has been made into a movie starring Gregory Peck.  The movie has also achieved a cult classic status.The book discusses the themes that were relevant in the Depression era Racism, Poverty, Sexual Frustration and maintaining a moral compass even in the face of difficulty. The Author Harper Lee has brought about her thinking with such clarity that it makes for a compelling read. The story takes place during the 1930's in the Great Depression in the fictional town of Maycomb in Alabama.  It focuses on six-year-old Jean Louise Scout Finch who lives with her older brother, Jeremy "Jem" and their widowed father  Atticus Finch who is also a lawyer. Jem and Scout  become friends with a boy named Dill (Incidentally Dill is based on Harper Lee's friend Arthur Capote. ...

The Book Thief is one of those heart warming stories that will make you deeply smile and cry. It will keep you hooked to the pages as you intertwine with each and every character’s sorrow, guilt, love, affection and personalities. The book is a historical drama based in the Nazi Germany. The author’s use of words, analogies and his easy description of events will hook you to the book instantly. Liesel Meminger, and her brother are taken to a poor foster family as her mother is unable to take care of them anymore. On the way, her little brother dies and this incident is imprinted in the little child’s memory forever. She is handed over to the Hubbermans, an old couple with a big heart. Liesel is unable to sleep at nights and is constantly woken up every night by her brother’s dead face. The night her brother is buried, she steals a grave digging book, her first thievery from the more to come. She keeps it hidden at all times, but Papa (Mr Hubbermann) finds it. As she is not a good ...

The pain of losing a spouse is tormenting and soul-crushing. It must feel like the whole world coming down on you. To be left alone in the middle of the road with nowhere to go. Rachel Watson stands on the same crossroads. After going through a harsh divorce, losing your husband to another woman and becoming an alcoholic, all she does is breathing like a living corpse. Every morning she wakes up drunk and sleeps likewise. She never has a sense of space and time, and is so lost in her grief that she is unable to pull herself into reality. She boards the train to London everyday to go to an imaginary job that she was fired from months ago to make her renter/best friend think that she is at least working. Riding senselessly, across the vast stretching lands day in and day out , she keeps noticing a particular house every day. A joyful couple resides in that house as she sees them on the terrace, embracing hugging and kissing on different occasions. She feels the coldness sinking in as s...

Reckless is the third and the last book of the Whitney series preceded by Chasing Tomorrow and If Tomorrow Comes . One of the best selling series comes with its last enduring story of Tracy. This enigmatic, charismatic and enthrallingly rich character has definitely made a place in my heart. The brave heart soul is on another mission of her life that will either break her or make her forever. Known once upon a time for being one of the most conniving thieves, her past never leaves her side. She creates a happy abode with her son Nick in an isolated part of America and lives like a law abiding citizen. The CIA somehow unearths her and asks for her help to track down a dangerous group of global hackers who have started a murder havoc. She doesn’t want to be a part of this charade as she has left all of it behind her, but then destiny never fails to amuse her. She loses her son in a tragic event soon after. With nothing left to protect, she gives in to the authority and hence begin...

Chasing tomorrow is the second sequel to If Tomorrow Comes . The once enigmatic and flawless criminal Tracy decides to have a normal life together with her partner Jeff Stevens. Together they have accomplished the most notorious of cons, but leaving all of that behind they decide to settle down. Jeff starts working in the British Museum and Tracy’s focus completely shifts to start a family. They are in marital bliss but with time things start to crumble down. They constantly try to have a baby, which turns into a nightmare for Tracy. She slips into depression, constantly yearning for a child which sidelines Jeff into a corner. He starts losing his connection with her as she mostly remains withdrawn and lost. With the entrance of a person, their marriage comes crumbling down like a stack of cards. Tracy feeling betrayed vanishes into thin air, and with that she carries away a secret with her, never to be known to Jeff. For almost a decade she remains hidden from the eyes ...

Marriage is one of the most sacred of sanctums in human culture which eternally binds a man to a woman forever. Your spouse is the most prominent part of your life as you share your soul and life with them. But what happens if your partner becomes the opposite of what you have always believed him or her to be. What happens if you are afraid of them? Amy, a beautiful and rich New York girl, is meticulous, planned and observant. An only child to her parents falls in love with Nick Dunne. Nick is the opposite of Amy, cool, calm and likes life as it is. They complete each other like puzzle pieces. They have a perfect relationship and get married to live a happy life. But on their fifth anniversary, Amy suddenly disappears. There is not a single trace of her to be found. Has she been abducted? Has she been killed? Nick is all fanatical and on the edge of breaking as the days go by, without any trace of her. She is used to create a treasure hunt for her husband every year, and this year ...

We all have read the famous Mahabharata in school or heard by our parent or grandparents. The valour of great men being glorified, with their righteousness and dedication. Their commitment and chivalry, their sorrows and achievements. But what about the women? Their voice was curbed and they were there in the backdrop as supportive actors to make the men look good, I guess. The Mahabharata , never before comes with the voice of a woman and her perspective. Draupadi, tells her tale as she is born from fire with his brother Dhri and is prophesised to bring about the biggest and disastrous turn of events in history. She grows up telling her story about how she lived in the palace, being a princess, about her aspirations and desires. It merely comes out as a tale of a girl caught in the dilemmas of life. Panchaali (Draupadi’s another name), is constantly perplexed by the future she and her brother holds. She, having a progressive outlook criticises and condemns a lot of patriarchal stanc...

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest is the third sequel to the Salander series preceded by The Girl Who Played With Fire. For all the Larsson fans, this book is obviously a must to achieve Nirvana, by knowing what really happens to Salander in the end (you have to read the second part). The previous book leaves us scratching our heads to know what happens next and, as soon as I grabbed a copy to the sequel I was hooked. The book opens with Salander in the hospital, severely injured with multiple fractures. She is constantly drifting in and out of consciousness and just able to grab pieces of information that people around her are talking about. She is frustrated with this, and as soon as she regains complete consciousness she starts planning to get out of the hospital and the country. The police have been looking for her for two murders. She doesn’t want to end up in jail, nor in a mental asylum. The story starts unfolding the series of secrets that the Sweden security police has...

If Tomorrow Comes is the first book in the Tracy Whitney series by Sidney Sheldon. It’s succeeded by Chasing Tomorrow and Reckless written by Tilly Bagshawe. It’s a heart wrenching story about a girl with an ordinary happy life, whose life is turned upside down after a fateful ordeal. A very ambitious banker, she has a bright future and is going to get married in a few days to one of the most influential guys in the state. But everything she has ever dreamed of, turns into turmoil as her mother gets involved with the New Orleans mafia and loses her company to them in debt. Tracy goes to the Mafia leader, Romano to get her mother’s revenge and making him admit her mother’s innocence, but events turn out very differently and he tries to rape her. The police don’t believe her, as everyone is in the vicious circle and in control of Romano. She is sent to jail, for attempt to murder, where she realises she is pregnant with his fiancé’s child. Everyone abandons her in the very difficul...

The Girl Who Played With Fire is the second part of the Criminal Trilogy preceded by the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Larsson never makes one fall any less of their expectations from him. Lisbeth Salander is convicted for three murders, and whole of the Sweden police is after her but are unable to trace her in any way. Dag and Mia, both victims are friends with Mikael Blomkvist, one of the most popular and renowned journalists of Sweden. Mikael had worked with Salander and was clearly sceptical about the whole situation and about Salander being portrayed as a murderer. Dag Svensson, a hardworking and passionate journalist was on the verge of exposing a bag full of eminent people in Sweden for being a part of a Sex Trafficking Organisation in Sweden. The list of people contained judiciary officials, policemen, journalists, lawyers and people from every renowned field. A week before, his book was going to be published, someone comes into their apartment and shoots both him and Mia, hi...