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_askthebookbug 's review for:
Penumbra
by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay
• r e c o m m e n d a t i o n •
Having read The Disappearance of Sally Sequeira previously, I thought I knew what to expect before diving into the world of Janardhan Maity but boy, was I surprised! In the previous book, the narrator Prakash introduced me to the mysterious and enigmatic world of Maity but I was curious about how the two ended up meeting in the first place. Penumbra tells us how and under what circumstances did they meet and later went on to become good friends. @bhaskarchattopadhyay is a simple writer but one who makes the readers lose sense of time and place. Penumbra is a classic whodunnit novel, with a murder taking place in an isolated bungalow forcing the guests to be couped up with the murderer. The tensions are palpable, people snapping at each other while Mr Maity gets down to investigate the situation. What follows next is brilliant.
Post receiving a letter from his long-lost uncle, inviting him to attend his 60th birthday party, Prakash decides to pay a visit to know more about his mother who died at childbirth. Upon entering, he becomes acquainted with a varied set of people. It is here that he meets Maity whom he first considers to be odd but later turns to rely on him heavily. Before he can truly unwind, a murder occurs scaring the living daylights out of him. But things turn overtly complicated when there's a second murder. The atmosphere outside doesn't allow the guests to venture out, making the entire scenario very sinister. As the guests try to figure out who the murderer can possibly be, Prakash does his own research and works with Maity. Maity doesn't disclose much of his investigation but welcomes Prakash under his wing from where he observes people and their motives. It's worth noticing how Maity is a mix of Holmes and Poirot but is not overly/completely like them. This is what makes him utterly special where he snugly fits within the Indian literary world. One can guess who the murderer is or even try as much to contemplate the motive but it eventually fails when Maity reveals the two aspects himself. A true murder mystery is bound to be fast-paced and extremely thought provoking. This was both.
4.7/5.
Having read The Disappearance of Sally Sequeira previously, I thought I knew what to expect before diving into the world of Janardhan Maity but boy, was I surprised! In the previous book, the narrator Prakash introduced me to the mysterious and enigmatic world of Maity but I was curious about how the two ended up meeting in the first place. Penumbra tells us how and under what circumstances did they meet and later went on to become good friends. @bhaskarchattopadhyay is a simple writer but one who makes the readers lose sense of time and place. Penumbra is a classic whodunnit novel, with a murder taking place in an isolated bungalow forcing the guests to be couped up with the murderer. The tensions are palpable, people snapping at each other while Mr Maity gets down to investigate the situation. What follows next is brilliant.
Post receiving a letter from his long-lost uncle, inviting him to attend his 60th birthday party, Prakash decides to pay a visit to know more about his mother who died at childbirth. Upon entering, he becomes acquainted with a varied set of people. It is here that he meets Maity whom he first considers to be odd but later turns to rely on him heavily. Before he can truly unwind, a murder occurs scaring the living daylights out of him. But things turn overtly complicated when there's a second murder. The atmosphere outside doesn't allow the guests to venture out, making the entire scenario very sinister. As the guests try to figure out who the murderer can possibly be, Prakash does his own research and works with Maity. Maity doesn't disclose much of his investigation but welcomes Prakash under his wing from where he observes people and their motives. It's worth noticing how Maity is a mix of Holmes and Poirot but is not overly/completely like them. This is what makes him utterly special where he snugly fits within the Indian literary world. One can guess who the murderer is or even try as much to contemplate the motive but it eventually fails when Maity reveals the two aspects himself. A true murder mystery is bound to be fast-paced and extremely thought provoking. This was both.
4.7/5.