Author: Deepti Menon
Rating: 4 Stars
The Begining...
'Shadow in the Mirror' has the quality to draw in the reader. It will suck you in with the opening scene where a girl commits suicide. At the cost of sounding morbid, I must say that Ms. Menon has done a wonderful job in ..err... killing her. The description of a girl falling down to the flow of her thoughts during her last moment has been beautifully penned.
"The descent seemed unending and with a sinking feeling, she sensed the ground speeding up to receive her. Soon it would all be over, her life and that of the tiny one she carried within her. Her last, surprisingly calm thought was that of the man she loved, her husband who worshiped her."
This will also attach you to the victim throughout the story. Even as you wade through the mystery and the influx of characters, Nita will never leave your side. She is one powerful character, even in her absence.
The Characters:
Ms. Menon, like a true artist of the thriller genre, has weaved a tapestry of characters. Each taking the story a bit further. And here lies my one peeve. Till the Chapter Friends and Rival, I was lost to the world of Nita, Krish, and Aunty. I could feel my heartbeat quickening for I knew disaster would strike anytime and I wanted to get to the moment, to feel the fear that Nita was feeling. And then, suddenly in the above-mentioned chapter, Vinny and Roma are introduced. In stories, which follow the art of foreshadowing, one of the biggest problem I find, is the introduction of characters that don't go till the end. I read and re-read this story twice, just to make sure, but I could not for the world understand what one of the characters was doing in this book. Cannot give out the spoiler even though I am burning to do so. You can see how much this book has affected me. I was romancing the killer, the plot and then suddenly like an abandoned wife, I have to wait for the story to reach its full circle. This I object to as a reader.
The Plot:
Is gripping. Deepti Menon can write. There is no doubt about the way she creates her characters. The fear factor and the senility in few of the characters have been brought out so well, that I had goosebump moments. I could almost hear the crackling laughter and the way the title of the story has been introduced in the middle has an 'aha' moment. If I am not mistaken in my analysis, it's the two main characters walking towards each other, after many incidents occur in their life. And I am even awed at the fact that whom I thought to be the main character, is just a past in our hero's life. This Ms. Menon has done full justice to.
Thriller, Mystery, and Ambiguity...
Like many thriller writers, to keep the readers guessing, often one falls prey to unnecessary subplots. Here too has been the case. At least the subplot of Roma and Meghana and Rohit puzzled me. So though the mystery element did not work for me, the thriller did. You have got to read this book till the end to actually grasp the full essence of this story. One thing I can truly say, that there is no ambiguous ending to this story and for that I am grateful. My peanut brain could not take that after the roller coaster ride I had to go through to reach the cause of death of Nita. :P
Would I recommend this book:
For the beautiful language and characterization of the villain, this book is definitely worth a read.
Ms. Menon, like a true artist of the thriller genre, has weaved a tapestry of characters. Each taking the story a bit further. And here lies my one peeve. Till the Chapter Friends and Rival, I was lost to the world of Nita, Krish, and Aunty. I could feel my heartbeat quickening for I knew disaster would strike anytime and I wanted to get to the moment, to feel the fear that Nita was feeling. And then, suddenly in the above-mentioned chapter, Vinny and Roma are introduced. In stories, which follow the art of foreshadowing, one of the biggest problem I find, is the introduction of characters that don't go till the end. I read and re-read this story twice, just to make sure, but I could not for the world understand what one of the characters was doing in this book. Cannot give out the spoiler even though I am burning to do so. You can see how much this book has affected me. I was romancing the killer, the plot and then suddenly like an abandoned wife, I have to wait for the story to reach its full circle. This I object to as a reader.
The Plot:
Is gripping. Deepti Menon can write. There is no doubt about the way she creates her characters. The fear factor and the senility in few of the characters have been brought out so well, that I had goosebump moments. I could almost hear the crackling laughter and the way the title of the story has been introduced in the middle has an 'aha' moment. If I am not mistaken in my analysis, it's the two main characters walking towards each other, after many incidents occur in their life. And I am even awed at the fact that whom I thought to be the main character, is just a past in our hero's life. This Ms. Menon has done full justice to.
Thriller, Mystery, and Ambiguity...
Like many thriller writers, to keep the readers guessing, often one falls prey to unnecessary subplots. Here too has been the case. At least the subplot of Roma and Meghana and Rohit puzzled me. So though the mystery element did not work for me, the thriller did. You have got to read this book till the end to actually grasp the full essence of this story. One thing I can truly say, that there is no ambiguous ending to this story and for that I am grateful. My peanut brain could not take that after the roller coaster ride I had to go through to reach the cause of death of Nita. :P
Would I recommend this book:
For the beautiful language and characterization of the villain, this book is definitely worth a read.
Rubina, thank you so much for this wonderful review of my Shadow in the Mirror!
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