Book Review: Until I Find You by Kanchana Banerjee

 

Book: Until I Find You

Author: Kanchana Banerjee

Publisher: Om Books International

Pages: 257

Price (Amazon): ₹212 (paperback)

Genre: Thriller

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

'My story is too insane to be true. Except it's true. Real life is way crazier than fiction. I've lived it.'

(From the book)

The Story (blurb from Goodreads):

When Jenny sees the picture of a boy in a travel magazine, she is stunned. He is a dead ringer for her friend Rubina. But the boy is supposed to be dead. Ten years ago, Jenny had failed to save Rubina and the infant from the clutches of the charming leader of a dangerous cult who led his flock to a mass suicide. Jenny’s journey to find the boy leads her to a sleepy village in Rajasthan, where she comes across Virat, a police officer investigating the discovery of a decomposed leg from a construction site. Are the two cases linked? 

Taking off from the notorious Peoples Temple mass suicide-murder led by the charismatic Jim Jones, Until I Find You is a grim and brutal thriller where the arid landscape of Rajasthan is as much a character as the shadowy dramatis personae.

Kanchana is a very experienced writer and it's her fourth book. I like her writing style: it's neat and engaging. In this book, she creates vivid imagery of a sleepy, imaginary town Bannod (Rajasthan) through her skillful writing.

The story is told from multiple points of view: Jenny, Harsh and Virat; the points of view switch frequently yet seamlessly. The chapters are short, which makes the reading experience easy and smooth. Every chapter tells something significant, helping the story execute smartly. They often end with intriguing cliffhangers, keeping you hooked till the end. 

The characters are interesting and carefully crafted. They are not really likeable but real, as though picked up from the world around us.

The last part of the story unravels itself rather dramatically. You begin to think, 'that't it!' but here comes a shocking climax, unpredictable and open ended (not sure if I liked this open ended thing, as it left me a little unsatisfied for some reason). 

My only problem with this book is the timeline. Jenny's past has a very important role to play, and the story frequently switches from present to past and vice versa. When exactly did that happen? I found it a little difficult to grasp. It would have been better if the time frame was mentioned at certain places. I'm not a fan of a prologue, but I think this story required one. 

Also, the story begins with a scene where a severed leg is found in a pit of a construction site, and the cops intend to dig the site for the possibility of finding other parts, but it never happens. I can understand some influential people might have tried to deter the investigation, but we briefly needed to see that tussle.

The title is so apt, but the cover could have been more interesting. 

Overall, it was an entertaining and engrossing read. If you enjoy reading crime fiction, you will like this story, which is full of twists and turns.

I received this book from Writersmelon for an unbiased review.