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jainandsdiary 's review for:
Hotel Arcadia
by Sunny Singh
Hotel Arcadia by Sunny Singh is a Crime Thriller/Suspense book that is set in Hotel Arcadia during a terrorist attack. It is the story of Sam - a famous war photographer, known for hauntingly beautiful pictures of the dead and Abhi - the hotel manager, who never wanted to be a hero and just wants to avoid the disappointment of her father and brother, who are stuck among some gun-wielding terrorists. What will happen when they are forced to work together, to not only save their own life but of Billy, a five-year-old as well who is found alive under the bodies of his parents, because if they make it out alive, they would never be the same?
The story was very well crafted and with the gradual character development, the reader could understand the intensity of the actions outside the rooms more intensely. The cautious connection build-up between Sam and Abhi was a delight to read and made the readers more invested in their journey. The nuisances of the profession of Sam as a war photographer were gruesome to read at times, reflecting the master storytelling of Singh, though it left some cravings for more personal stories of the childhood of Sam, which in contrast was thoroughly covered for Abhi, making it more intimate and empirical.
Being a reader who prefers knowing the nuisances of protagonists' personalities and every detail of their actions and the psychology behind it, there comes a bias where I prefer not reading much about the surroundings and minor objects as the majority experience has led the details to nowhere, lacking the connection between them and the protagonist, and thus makes it mundane for me. Until this book. Singh very effortlessly interlined the surrounding objects and otherwise to the protagonists' journey, which gave a whole new dimension to their personalities. And something that I thoroughly enjoyed after a long time.
Overall, it was a very engaging read from beginning to end (especially some last chapters) which shows the psyche of people facing the repercussions of terrorism directly without getting into the political narratives, its roots and causal factors, surprisingly, thus making it more personal and humane. I will give it 4/5 stars.
The story was very well crafted and with the gradual character development, the reader could understand the intensity of the actions outside the rooms more intensely. The cautious connection build-up between Sam and Abhi was a delight to read and made the readers more invested in their journey. The nuisances of the profession of Sam as a war photographer were gruesome to read at times, reflecting the master storytelling of Singh, though it left some cravings for more personal stories of the childhood of Sam, which in contrast was thoroughly covered for Abhi, making it more intimate and empirical.
Being a reader who prefers knowing the nuisances of protagonists' personalities and every detail of their actions and the psychology behind it, there comes a bias where I prefer not reading much about the surroundings and minor objects as the majority experience has led the details to nowhere, lacking the connection between them and the protagonist, and thus makes it mundane for me. Until this book. Singh very effortlessly interlined the surrounding objects and otherwise to the protagonists' journey, which gave a whole new dimension to their personalities. And something that I thoroughly enjoyed after a long time.
Overall, it was a very engaging read from beginning to end (especially some last chapters) which shows the psyche of people facing the repercussions of terrorism directly without getting into the political narratives, its roots and causal factors, surprisingly, thus making it more personal and humane. I will give it 4/5 stars.