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A review by jlennidorner
The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This dark Police Procedural mystery-suspense has a good amount of tension and a medium pace. Chapters are subtitled with the name of the POV character (no subtitle means it's the POV of the antagonist). It is set in India, and the characters show the diversity of that country.
"A bar girl is a woman who is paid to entertain patrons in a bar, either individually or, in some cases, as a performer." - Wikipedia
A bar girl is not a prostitute, though some also do that job. There may also be human trafficking going on. A bar girl is also not a stripper. (I cannot find information on the comparison of a burlesque dancer.)
"Striptease is out of the question, table dancing an unimagined horror of Western promiscuity. Women who entertain men in India's nightclubs are supposed to do so more or less fully clothed, with a vague nod to an ancient art of suggestion." - sfgate.com
Though I have no mental visual of what a bar girl is, and no cultural reference, I was able to conclude from the story that someone with that job is discriminated against and is offered no respect by the people of India, that they become unwanted outcasts who are shunned.
The Blue Bar is where the main characters meet. The cover shows the midnight blue-colored sequins of a saree. The female main character, Tara (Noyontara Mondal), is wearing one, along with a silver blouse with a two-string back that shows off her midriff, a blue petticoat, a shawl, and silver heels. She then takes off the shawl and has to pose wearing this outfit. (It's possible this is supposed to be humiliating, despite being fully dressed. Perhaps it's a lack of modesty in public? This is an example where my lack of cultural knowledge hindered the fullest potential enjoyment of this novel.) Tara is a bar girl. She is doing what is called "night work" in that first chapter, work beyond her bar girl job which she was offered because of her position as a bar girl.
Arnav is the male main character. He became a police officer (inspector) after his sister Asha was raped and, consequently, committed suicide after the crime was covered up. He and Tara had a relationship of some kind, but she left, vanishing from the city, and he didn't go looking for her.
"Could a policeman and a bar girl make a home together? Impossible. No one would accept it." - Tara (Thought by the character.)
I do not read a lot of mystery books, or police procedurals. I have limited knowledge about the culture of India (based mostly from a handful of friends who live/d there and some movies/tv). I'm sure there are some subtle nuances that I missed or didn't understand. Yet I enjoyed reading the book because it is well written and I grew attached to Tara's story. Though "bar girl" is somewhat a choice (as quitting happens in this book), I could best relate to her because she's an outcast and I know what that's like. The significance of "three minutes" is revealed in Chapter 64. The antagonist reminded me of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter character-- no cannibalism, but the way the character thinks, feels the police are idiots, and hides in plain sight are reminiscent of that character. It's also obvious the antagonist is very wealthy. The book holds a mirror up to society because there are multiple dead females and, if not for Arnav, their murders would go unsolved because they aren't important enough to society to spend money having the police investigate properly. Discrimination allowed a killer to keep killing because the victims weren't important enough. (Though, with a slightly different ending, it could be a whole other story.)
The sapphire with the M or W threw me off the "whodunnit" trail. I also glossed over the memory that explained the term "Item Number" is what a director calls a female dancing in short clothing in a raunchy Hindi film-- it's in Chapter 12.
The book has a well-written viewpoint on how the police function in India. It feels incredibly well-researched.
"As the crow flew" -- There's a measurement I haven't heard used in some time. I love it, though I've only known older people to use it. Good to see it coming back.
"Fourteen years was the term of a life imprisonment in India." -- That's something I learned from this book and never would have guessed. (In the USA, life means until they're dead, though parole might happen after 25 years in some cases. Of course, everything has loopholes and exceptions.)
This novel mentioned Diwali as the night of good over evil, of light over darkness. Interestingly, the same day I read that line, it was an answer on Celebrity Jeopardy! This book was free on Amazon Kindle First Reads in December 2022. This author and I have followed each others' blogs for years. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
A great quote from the book:
"In Mumbai, everyone performs for someone else."
Trigger warnings should include child sexual assault, cutting, body dismemberment resulting in death, and torture. There is a car "accident" when someone is run off the road. It is strongly suggested that one character has a physically abusive relationship. Tara's father sold her for alcohol. Several chapters include a kidnapping. There's a shooting outside the police station (at the police, not all survive). Controversial gang violence is included. A character has cancer and is getting chemotherapy. There is a fire. Someone becomes paralyzed. There is always violence in books of mystery/crime genre, and this is no exception. The theme feels like this novel is about how adults can mess a kid up, and adulthood shows how well someone adjusted from childhood traumas.
I hope the next book explores Zoya more. It feels like the ending left her with a raw deal. This book is realistic fiction with a "happily-for-now" ending.
The Blue Bar is where the main characters meet. The cover shows the midnight blue-colored sequins of a saree. The female main character, Tara (Noyontara Mondal), is wearing one, along with a silver blouse with a two-string back that shows off her midriff, a blue petticoat, a shawl, and silver heels. She then takes off the shawl and has to pose wearing this outfit. (It's possible this is supposed to be humiliating, despite being fully dressed. Perhaps it's a lack of modesty in public? This is an example where my lack of cultural knowledge hindered the fullest potential enjoyment of this novel.) Tara is a bar girl. She is doing what is called "night work" in that first chapter, work beyond her bar girl job which she was offered because of her position as a bar girl.
Arnav is the male main character. He became a police officer (inspector) after his sister Asha was raped and, consequently, committed suicide after the crime was covered up. He and Tara had a relationship of some kind, but she left, vanishing from the city, and he didn't go looking for her.
"Could a policeman and a bar girl make a home together? Impossible. No one would accept it." - Tara (Thought by the character.)
I do not read a lot of mystery books, or police procedurals. I have limited knowledge about the culture of India (based mostly from a handful of friends who live/d there and some movies/tv). I'm sure there are some subtle nuances that I missed or didn't understand. Yet I enjoyed reading the book because it is well written and I grew attached to Tara's story. Though "bar girl" is somewhat a choice (as quitting happens in this book), I could best relate to her because she's an outcast and I know what that's like. The significance of "three minutes" is revealed in Chapter 64. The antagonist reminded me of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter character-- no cannibalism, but the way the character thinks, feels the police are idiots, and hides in plain sight are reminiscent of that character. It's also obvious the antagonist is very wealthy. The book holds a mirror up to society because there are multiple dead females and, if not for Arnav, their murders would go unsolved because they aren't important enough to society to spend money having the police investigate properly. Discrimination allowed a killer to keep killing because the victims weren't important enough. (Though, with a slightly different ending, it could be a whole other story.)
The sapphire with the M or W threw me off the "whodunnit" trail. I also glossed over the memory that explained the term "Item Number" is what a director calls a female dancing in short clothing in a raunchy Hindi film-- it's in Chapter 12.
The book has a well-written viewpoint on how the police function in India. It feels incredibly well-researched.
"As the crow flew" -- There's a measurement I haven't heard used in some time. I love it, though I've only known older people to use it. Good to see it coming back.
"Fourteen years was the term of a life imprisonment in India." -- That's something I learned from this book and never would have guessed. (In the USA, life means until they're dead, though parole might happen after 25 years in some cases. Of course, everything has loopholes and exceptions.)
This novel mentioned Diwali as the night of good over evil, of light over darkness. Interestingly, the same day I read that line, it was an answer on Celebrity Jeopardy! This book was free on Amazon Kindle First Reads in December 2022. This author and I have followed each others' blogs for years. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
A great quote from the book:
"In Mumbai, everyone performs for someone else."
Trigger warnings should include child sexual assault, cutting, body dismemberment resulting in death, and torture. There is a car "accident" when someone is run off the road. It is strongly suggested that one character has a physically abusive relationship. Tara's father sold her for alcohol. Several chapters include a kidnapping. There's a shooting outside the police station (at the police, not all survive). Controversial gang violence is included. A character has cancer and is getting chemotherapy. There is a fire. Someone becomes paralyzed. There is always violence in books of mystery/crime genre, and this is no exception. The theme feels like this novel is about how adults can mess a kid up, and adulthood shows how well someone adjusted from childhood traumas.
I hope the next book explores Zoya more. It feels like the ending left her with a raw deal. This book is realistic fiction with a "happily-for-now" ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide and Abandonment