Novel – Elephants in the Room
Novelist – Suraj Laxminarayanan
Year – 2018
Book Published by – The Write Place
My Overall Rating – 3.7/5
I have been a student of Economics and, more or less, the literature that I have to go through in my academic pursuit reflects the qualities of mainstream English literature. That’s why my interest in literature is deeper compared to the students of any other subjects. Now, this novel by Suraj Laxminarayanan, Elephants in the Room, came to me previous month. I began reading it and completed it in a week, almost. It took a little more time than expected because it is bulky, fat and voluminous. It could be shortened by the author, I believe so. However, as it’s the debut by Suraj, I believe he will get better with time. I will share my honest opinion as a book reviewer.
Absurdity reins the novel. Macabre dominates the novel. And its length, to an extent, ruins the novel. Suraj’s attempt is worth and worthy of being read once. However, it cannot hold together the things that it begins and the same is true about the conclusion. There is a collapse between two gangs of robbers who do not know each other at all but still, after the initial round of battle, come to form an unlikely or rather temporary alliance just to rob the bank and get the wealth of their lifetime. However, that fails and we see too much violence, murders and grotesque – extreme violent at times as well.
Sounds good as a crime thriller, doesn’t? Yes, Elephants in the Room is certainly a crime thriller beyond the elementary level ones. Suraj has worked well on his debut and he has certainly made his place as possible potentials for the future of Indian crime writing in English. Still, I will make it clear that the author has not balanced his theme and the plot. He has, at times, been caught lacking.
To conclude, let’s talk about the length and the language of the novel. Length is certainly not okay. The language is somehow manageable and it’d work just fine for the beginners (in fiction reading) as well as pros, the ones who have been reading for a while now. Suraj has worked the best on his theme and it has come so well. He managed to manage a fiction out of a single-scene scenario and that’s something to be proud of!
You can get a copy of this novel from Amazon by clicking the link below. I have rated the novel with a 3.7/5 because I liked it in totality or in an overall manner. The author deserves due credit!
Click here to buy the novel from Amazon
Posted in – Book Reviews, Literature, Contemporary Fiction, Crime Thriller
