Sunaina Luthra ON Sep 27, 2023, IN BOOK REVIEW,ASSASSIN BY K.R MEERA-FICTION
With intense curiosity and a deep-sense of inquisitiveness, Satyapriya asks us, “Have you ever faced a killing attempt on your life? A pity, if you haven’t”. She highlights the irony of life entangling her into a web of deceit, lies, shame and uncertainties of life.
Yes, the fateful night of 16Th November, 2016; exactly eight days after the government announced demonetization to break the grip of corruption and black money. Satyapriya’s destiny undergoes a metamorphosis. She evolves from an everyday working woman standing in long queues for new currency notes to a one making it to the headlines.
She is attacked by an armed man!
What for? Who was Satyapriya to become a target of this attack?
Is she really that vulnerable, maybe because she is woman or there is something else to this ignominy? What could be the motive, isn’t it a foolhardy nuisance in the middle of the road?
Or it was a plain revenge?
Not to be attacked by the frisson again, she leaves for her parents’ home in Kerala. The frippery of the incident does not leave her there too. She is warned by her bed ridden father of another gnarled attack, foresting his own ordeal of twenty four years ago. It’s disturbing! The incident takes her by surprise and opens a can of worms; a desideratum to investigate her assailant’s motive.
The deeper she goes into her investigation , Satyapriya finds herself peeling off the layers of her life; flamboyancy and the paedophile nature of her father, her family’s fall from grace, a crushing debt trap leading to bankruptcy ,series of misfortunes, her sister’s Sivapriya’s untimely death and attack on her father’s life. In pursuit of her attacker, Satyapriya further delves into the intricacies of her past relationships with individuals and also close relatives who hold significance in her life, albeit with compelling motives to harm her.
The list of potential suspects grows extensive with each shred of investigation:
- Sriram – a college senior who persistently pursues her breaching both her physical boundaries and trust
- Samir Sayyid—a rebel with a criminal record who is currently a fugitive
- Prabhudev Maheswari—a mentor who sought her unwavering dedication
- Swami Mahipal Shah Baba—who sought her compliance and submission
Is the attacker an unknown enemy or someone close to her?
Awell-crafted thriller with a diverse array of characters, in the book ‘Assassin’ by K.R Meera all the answers are concealed for the readers to unravel. The philosophical tone of the book will make readers ponder and relate to Satyapriya’s struggles and how her emotions drawthem effortlessly to the book’s narration.
The book is also a treatise on numerous social and cultural prejudices, such as misogyny, patriarchy, caste biases, domestic violence and child rape and how it affects a women’s life in a varied ways. Some succumb to maudlin self-pity but few like Satyapriya are indefatigable warriors. They break barriers, forging their path with unwavering strength to break the rigid of idiosyncrasies of the society.
TAKEAWAY
Inspired by Robert Frost’s wisdom ‘The woods are dark and deep, but I have promises to keep’,
Join Satyapriya on her quest to uncover her ‘Assassin’ and allow her to inspire you to reach your own milestones.
An engaging read…