BARABANKI: The Professor, the Pandit and the Policeman by Anuj Tiwari (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

 

3^rd Book of 2023

 

It is almost 1.25 decade since I am reading books. There are few authors whom I am reading right since their 1^st book and seeing their progression with content and subjects with each book. One of them is definitely Anuj Tiwari who has just released his 5^th book named “Barabanki”. It is published in around 185-pages by Rupa publications. The book also has a tagline which says “The Professor, the Pandit and the Policeman”. The story basically revolves around these three characters in a thrilling concept where right in the beginning of the book, a student dies in mysterious condition at the Indian Engineering college located in Lucknow. And from here begins investigation which revolves around these and many other important characters named Raghav and Jayanti. This is the 1^st time Anuj has attempted a thriller and I am glad he experimented at the right time.

 

The book is nicely sectioned into different chapters which makes our experience easier as you can easily pace your reading accordingly. Author has not complicated the story by making it switch into different timelines or going through unwanted narration – as it’s generally done in the thriller books. As obvious from the 185-pages length, the writing is crisp and focuses on the main plot. The location of Barabanki and the whole aesthetics around it and Lucknow is wonderfully utilized. Though there could have been a lot being done with the locale but still, author manages to make you understand people belonging from the region. The use of religious topics in conversation between characters makes you interested in how it is going to be related with the situation the characters are in.

 

The characterization and the small romantic angle between Raghav and Jayanti are very beautifully handled – which I believe is author’s strength point too. Anuj has been quite vocal about the religious angle in the book for which I must applaud him for not talking in whispering voice but spoke what needed to be spoken. There are many such instances where you can relate the sub-plots with many things which we hear in news everyday from the region of Uttar Pradesh. Hence, the book sounds realistic.

 

Now talking about the thrilling aspect, I must say how the three different cases are interlinked together is really interesting. The backstory of Jayanti’s father really adds up flavour to the story. The camaraderie between Awasthi and Naveen is superb and hilarious. There are many places which will make you giggle. Author’s research on how police department and legal sections work in our country is commendable. Unfortunately, you guess the culprit too soon in this thriller which takes away the charm of the climax. It only leaves for you to understand how exactly things took place but you already know the mastermind behind them. That’s the only thing I wish author could have worked more or the editor from the publishing side could have helped in reframing the narration of the story.

 

Overall, this is a light thriller and you can enjoy it while traveling or if you are new to the genre. I give the book a fine attempt 3.5 stars out of 5. Author has also given a clue in the end that there might be 2^nd part of this story releasing soon. So let’s see how story further unfolds.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

 

Thanks!

 

WRITING BUDDHA