So, I currently have no laptop. That’s right, my laptop isn’t working. So for now, I am using my little tablet to type my reviews. This means I’m a lot slower in writing and publishing my posts. Hopefully, my laptop won’t take too long to get fixed! Anyways, GoodReads recommended this novel to me based on my preferences, so I decided to give it a shot. I’m so glad I did!
On a cool evening in Kolkata, India, college professor Alok is befriended by a stranger who makes a bizarre confession: he is a werewolf. The stranger begins to weave a story, and Alok is enraptured caught up in the moment, in the storytelling. Curious as to how the story continues, Alok agrees, at the stranger’s behest, to transcribe a collection of notebooks and parchments, all related to the stranger’s story. From these documents emerges a chronicle about a race of people more animal than human, with their own rules and customs. The tale begins in 17th century Mughal India and depics the bond between a wanderer and a defiant woman – and how both of their lives are torn apart. What Alok doesn’t realize, as he faithfully transcribes this story, is that his own life may be destroyed by this undertaking.
What pulled me into this story was the richness of the prose and the descriptions. I may be from India but even I was caught unawares by the sheer detail involved and how much I learned from it all. Reading about these travellers as they walk past the construction site of the Taj Mahal, and describe Akbarabad….it was enchanting! The story intrigued me from the start with its unusual introduction and the beautiful prose kept me hooked. Every sensation was described so elegantly, so deeply, that I could almost feel it myself. Everything I read evoked a physical and emotional response in me so much so that I became just as invested in this story as Alok. This is a werewolf story like no other, and it has really given me a unique reading experience. While I usually whiz through books, I had to take my time with this one in order to truly appreciate its subtleties and nuances. I sincerely hope that you will all give this novel a chance to blow your mind away!
Happy reading ~