The Patomskiy Crater by Khemkarann (Book Review: 4*/5) !!!

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Well, when you chose a 400-pages book to read, you just pray before starting that it turns out to be good. And more so when you understand nothing by its title, it’s scarier. And when you are also reading the author for the first time, it’s all God’s play now how your long reading session shall end like. Thankfully, I can say that I didn’t have bad experience reading the book titled “The Patomskiy Crater” by the author, Khemkarann. The book is published by The Write Place publication house. The book is all and out a complete thriller and makes it clear within the first few pages itself.

The author must be appreciated for the fact that he had enough guts to give a title to his book which is tough even to pronounce the same but the confidence is quite evident which reflects in the way the story is been written. Right from the 1^st page, author has come directly on the point where you realize that the story is going to be a tough read due to the kind of suspense it is going to hold and it does that. I liked how author has chosen to keep the narration for specific group of characters in parallel through different chapters that you feel like you are watching a movie which doesn’t have background music where everyone is walking and chasing and running from someone and is yet scary being noiseless. I liked how author didn’t narrate the whole story in a continuous timeline but chose to bring all the characters together by treating everyone as protagonist in their own timeline of events.

The book is divided into 80 different chapters. Yes, you heard it right. 80 DIFFERENT CHAPTERS and each chapter describes a scene about specific group of characters which makes you know more about what happened with them but in the next chapter you have similar excitement for different group of characters which are discussed and at the end of the chapter, now you want to know what happened with this set of people. This is what makes this book amazing and I would call it the USP of the story-telling of the author.

The way each character is introduced in the first half of the book is amazing. It becomes little difficult to remember each of them as names used are not Indian whereas I am used to reading books with Indian characters but post that, there are no unwanted characters inserted in the book which makes it easier to connect with the characters. Author plays with only those characters who are meant to enrich the story. The good thing which helped in the way the background of the story is developed is author’s background- as the Author is a Mumbaikar but has been staying in UK since last 16 years, the book had flavour of both- though the characters were based in foreign but their emotions were very much Indian.

In the pre-climax and climax, the way the story unfolds when all the characters end up meeting and the game of run and chase ends, makes you jump and sit to know who would end up being the criminal of all. I am glad author ended the book with some facts revealed which actually excites you and makes you believe the story rather than shrugging it off the way it generally happens with Indian-based authors. I am also glad that even though the book was initially about friends, author didn’t waste time in the useless friendship tales and flashbacks.

Talking about the drawbacks of the book, I must say that the book could have been edited and shortened very well by almost 100 pages. Yes. The biggest problem is that the synopsis or blurb, whatever you call it, mentions too much which is then elaborated in book for too long which bores you at times. Also, in between, the run-and-chase becomes too monotonous with nothing much getting revealed but only the same cycle getting repeated. Similarly, I felt that Vin’s father’s role could have been used more to twist the story as he was a key character. Similarly, the mask men are hyped too much even having them on the cover page but they are also too under-utilized in the story. The title of the book gets mentioned in the final part of the book but it could have also been made the centre point of the story right from the beginning.

Saying it all, I would say this is one of the genuine thriller I read which is written with heart. I give this book 4* out of 5.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA