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A review by shreyabaldwa
Assassin by KR Meera
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Set during the early days of demonetisation in 2016, K R Meera’s Assassin (known as Ghathakan in Malayalam) tells the story of investigation of an assassination attempt on the lead character and narrator, Satyapriya. Meera has dedicated the book to journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead outside her home in 2017. The note ban is a recurrent theme in the book and often is used to depict Satyapriya’s internal turmoil. She frequently (and oh so beautifully) uses similes and metaphors to let the reader enter the minds of the characters.
Through Satyapriya and her mother, Meera has tried to call out misogyny, patriarchy, child sexual abuse, caste biases, domestic violence and its impact on women. Satyapriya’s mother Vasanthalakshmi goes against the stereotypical image of a mother and is my favourite character from the book.
Demonetisation, increasing intolerance in the society, power hungry politics, the Hindutva discourse, Maoism are some of the issues that provide the background while the lead character sets out to find her assassin. In her pursuit of the assassin’s motive, she has to unravel the covers of her past and this forms the crux of the book.
J Devika's translation is smooth and keeps us interested in this political crime thriller. I love how Meera has made repeated references to the socio political climate in India and easily mixed it in the story without disrupting the flow.
My only issue with the book was that at times I was lost among the too many characters in the story and had to trace back the origin. But this doesn't take away the charm of the book. Go, give it a read.
Through Satyapriya and her mother, Meera has tried to call out misogyny, patriarchy, child sexual abuse, caste biases, domestic violence and its impact on women. Satyapriya’s mother Vasanthalakshmi goes against the stereotypical image of a mother and is my favourite character from the book.
Demonetisation, increasing intolerance in the society, power hungry politics, the Hindutva discourse, Maoism are some of the issues that provide the background while the lead character sets out to find her assassin. In her pursuit of the assassin’s motive, she has to unravel the covers of her past and this forms the crux of the book.
J Devika's translation is smooth and keeps us interested in this political crime thriller. I love how Meera has made repeated references to the socio political climate in India and easily mixed it in the story without disrupting the flow.
My only issue with the book was that at times I was lost among the too many characters in the story and had to trace back the origin. But this doesn't take away the charm of the book. Go, give it a read.