A Thousand Splendid Suns - Book review

Today I am writing about novel 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by famous Afgan-Americal novelist Khaled Hosseini. His debut novel 'The Kite runner' is the one which is probably most famous and also has been adapted into a film with same name. 

Personally, 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' affected and left lasting effect on me than 'The kite runner', may be because the former is more feminine oriented. 

As an Indian, whenever we hear Afghanistan, we think of it as a dry country that is full of unreasonable religious extremist, gun-carrying bearded men traveling in jeeps and burqa-clad women. All of Khaled's books give a very good glimpse of how prosperous, nature-blessed and rich cultured this country was at once upon a time.

The story gets unfold on the background of era in Afghanistan when the Soviets took over in 1980s through post 9-11 Taliban control.

Mariam and Laila, who are protagonists of this story, are from different generations with no blood relation but their lives meet at the crossroads due to unfortunate turns dictated by their own fates. In a way, it mirrors and reflects back as a metaphor for their country's brutal and bruised history. Along with the story of their lives, you get an outline of socio-political situations that conquered this once beautiful country to devastated conditions. 

Khaled's narration is absolutely gripping, mesmerizing and builds a vivid picture which can be easily visualized throughout the book. 

Even if you may have heard/read about the oppression of women under the Taliban regime, it will still bring a real shock to get full measure of it through the eyes of Mariam and Laila.

Below are some quotes that I would like to mention here as they provoked my deep thoughts - 

"Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter. Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always."

“Marriage can wait. Education cannot...Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated. No chance.”

“A man’s heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isn’t like a mother’s womb. It won’t bleed. It won’t stretch to make room for you.”

This novel is certainly not a fun read but a very deep, incredibly infuriating and emotionally challenging one. It weaves thirty years of turbulent Afghani history through an intensely powerful story of families, friendship and ultimately, hope.

The Thorn Birds

As part of my reading goals of 2020 (reading at least few classic books), the recent one I picked up was 'The Thorn Birds'.

It is an epic novel by an Australian novelist 'Colleen McCullough' written in 1977.

The novel is the best selling book in Australian history, and has sold over 33 million copies worldwide.

This post is not a book review but my own perception and views about leading characters and their entwined story.

It is an opera-ish saga spanning over 3 generations of Cleary family, set in the Australian Outback

Though primarily it will fall under 'romance' genre, it is much more than just a passing romance. 

It has its bit of a romance but more of relationships, struggle of loyalties and beliefs, morals and sacrifices.

The character portraying is what makes this book stand apart. Every character is so well detailed, you can see them come alive while reading the novel.

The protagonist is the daughter of Cleary family, Meggie. The story swirls around Meggie and Ralph de Bricassart who is a catholic priest.

Both these lead characters are very well portrayed and the book sketches emotional struggles, defeats and affection from both of their views.

Personally I could not relate to the eternal love between Meggir and Ralph with their 18 yrs of age difference, but what appealed the most is the theme it is based on - knowing very well what can never be yours and still not knowing who you'd be without it

The plot is well weaved and irrespective of whether you like the turn of events or not, you are bound to accept them as they happen.

The 3-genrtaions of Cleary ladies with distinguished characteristics make their lasting impression very well throughout.

So it is indeed an engrossing and captivating story. The eagerness to uncover Meggie and Ralph's destiny won't let you put down the book till you finish it.

There is also a TV-mini series adapted based on this novel, broadcasted n 80's.

Kindle - Reader's Companion in lockdown

After I posted my 'Gone with the wind' review, many people asked me that in the current lock-down situation, how am i getting hold of good books.
The answer to this is my dearest gadget 'Kindle', the e-reader.
So in order to answer the curious reader's questions, I have listed below some FAQs about Kindle.

• * What is Kindle?

'Kindle' is a special e-reader device, designed and marketed by Amazon. Kindle enables users to browse, buy, download and read the ebooks/newspapers/magazines.
It uses special technology of e-ink and LED back-light which is different than the technology used in smartphones/tablets. The battery life of Kindle is amazing and you can go on for many weeks on one full charge.

• * Why should you buy Kindle?

If you read lot of books, you are qualified to buy a kindle.
Now what qualifies as 'lot of' is open to interpretation. But if you read everyday for an hour or so, you have a valid case to go for kindle.
if you don't read quite as much or you pickup a book only if someone recommends you, you may not rip all benefits of owning a kindle.

• * What are the benefits of Kindle over having collection of paper books?

The most obvious reason for buying kindle is that you can carry nearly unlimited amount of books around in your pocket. If you tend to read outside, while traveling, while waiting in lobby/reception/lounge or read in the dark regularly, the Kindle gets upper hand over the paper book.
All of the current Kindle models have atleast 4 GB of storage space. With even large books often sizing under 1 MB of space, that’s an absolutely huge shelf space you get for your books and you can carry it all around with you wherever you go.
Honestly, as much as I love to have nice paper collection of books, with my tiny house in Mumbai, it is nearly impossible to spare decent size space for storing books. Also the simple maintenance like dusting, covering can also be tiresome.

• * Should you buy a Kindle device or just use the Free App?

If you are a lite reader, or the smartphone back-light doesn’t bother you, then Kindle app may suit you rather than buying expensive gadget.
Using it on your phone is not ideal, but it can certainly be done.

App has 2 major advantages - 1) app is absolutely free. Of course you still have to pay for the books that you download (unless you’re planning to read only the free stuff available). 2. app resides on the device that you already have ie your smartphone.
Kindle is small and light, but it’s still another device that you’ll have to charge and carry with you if you want to take it anywhere.

The biggest drawback of using the app, is the backlight on your phone. it’s just not as nice as the e-ink and LED lighting that Kindle provides. You can definitely read in the dark on your phone, but it is pretty harsh and will take a toll on your eyes.
Now a days, we all are already spending too many hours looking at a screen, and reading on one will not be preferred. Also reading on phone can be extremely difficult in direct sunlight.

Probably the best way to figure out if you should buy a Kindle is to try using the app first. Read couple of full books over the course of a 2-3 weeks to see how you like using the app on your phone or tablet, and if you think you’d prefer a Kindle, then you can decide about buying.

• * Do you need constant internet/wifi connection to use Kindle?

No. The books are downloaded on your device similar to how we have photos stored on phone. So no Wi-Fi or internet required in order to open already purchased and downloaded books . You can also turn pages, search for words and view all notes/marked paragraphs within each title without an Internet connection

• * Does kindle affect eye health?

The e-ink screen and built-in LEDs of the Kindle provide soft lighting that is very easy on your eyes without making it hard to read at night. The high-end models like Oasis have adaptive light sensors to automatically adjust to your current lighting.

• * If you are a night reader, should you buy Kindle?

Lot of us read at night before going to bed. Reading paper book would require night lamp to be kept on and that may be irritating/distracting for your partner. The LED light of Kindle is mild enough to not wake up or cause distraction.

• * All good so far, but how much does it cost?

Kindle is available in various models, ranging from approx 8000 INR till 22,000 INR.
The high-end models provide major feature of having compatibility with 4G, that means you can use data SIM in the device.
If you have to go economical, I will recommend to go with intermediate model (like Kindle Paperwhite) that provides decent amount of features along with affordability of around 12000-13000.

• * and how much does it cost to buy books?

The books price varies largely, starting with millions of free books to in thousands for rare books.
However, most of the common and famous self-help, novels, children's books range from 0 to 500 rupees each.
The good news is, every day, Amazon sells a wide range of top-tier novels and non-fiction books at knockdown prices.
When you browse Amazon for eBooks, you will stumble upon 'Deal of the day', 'Monthly deal', 'Lightening deal', 'Limited time deal' and many such.
If you keep close watch on the book you want to get hold of and have little patience, you will certainly break a pocket-friendly deal within days.
This is based on my own experience of using Kindle for 5 years. I personally have not bought any book for more than 120 rupees and I have decent collection of famous titles as well as authors.
In any case you will notice that almost always, Kindle edition price will be way lesser than paperback price.

• * After purchasing a book, can you copy/access them on multiple devices?

Yes. You can access your Kindle library on up to 6 devices, and these can be actual Kindles or PCs, tablets or smartphones running the Kindle app

• * what about aftersales service?

Regarding service centers, there are close to no service center for Kindle in India. So, you can trust kindle for one year as long as it is in warranty. After that, trust with 'All is well!!!'. But there is rarely any problem in e-readers because they are not very-complex devices as smartphones. Buy a good cover for your device and you can let go the worry of clumsy handling.
I have been using my device for 5 years now and never ever faced a slightest issue.
In case you really try hard and manage to damage your device, no worries about purchased contents. They are linked to your Amazon account and stored on Amazon cloud. So can be easily retrieved on new device using same account.

• * What more features Kindle has?

Apart from being great e-reader, it has many more features. It is integrated with 'Goodreads', in-built dictionary, 'most highligted passages' etc

• * Is Kindle only option in e-reader?

There are other e-readers available in the market like Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Clara HD, Nook etc.
But like 'Colgate' is synonym to tooth-paste, Kindle is to e-reader. :)

• * So is it worth making investment?

That’s going to depend largely on your budget and how much time you spend reading.
I spent around 10K on device few years back, it has been giving highest ROI since then.

If you have taken efforts to read such a long post, i reckon that you can try with reading a good book too.
So happy reading and remember - “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

Gone With The Wind (GWTW)

One of my reading goals of 2020 is reading at least few classic books. It seems only fitting that the first one I finished in this category is truly epic and classic  'Gone With The Wind'.
GWTW is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936.

Before going into the book and movie details, let me put down some interesting facts about GWTW -
- As of 2014, a Harris poll found it to be the second favorite book of American readers, just behind the Bible.
- More than 30 million copies of this novel have been printed worldwide
- it received the prestigious the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937
- The author 'Margaret Mitchell' wrote no other book after GWTW, it is the only novel she wrote in her lifetime
- She started writing it in 1926 and eventually finished in 1936. Also the book's final moments were written first and then wrote other events that led up to them
- The book is accused of being 'racist' and has great deal of racism, in content as well as language. The N-word and the euphemism “darkie” are all over the place
- The movie with the same name was released in 1939. It received 10 Academy Awards (eight competitive, two honorary) from thirteen nominations.
- For movie, casting took 2 years and the "search for Scarlett" led to 1,400 women being interviewed for the part.
- After the first release in 1939, the movie has been re-released many time with improved technology and restoration. But there is no known re-make.

Now coming to the novel - frankly this post is not a book review. There are ample reviews available on net that describe the story-line, characters and era context. What i have put down is how I have perceived the characters.

As an Indian, I didn’t study the American war history in my academics. What I know about it has been cobbled together from bit of my reads and research lately.

GWTW is a war era novel but undoubtedly remarkable and unique reading experience.
It is indeed a long read, near to 1000 pages. Took me 4-5 times the time compared to what I take for any std size novel.
But I have never been so enthralled in any book. In spite of its length, I was never bored and constantly picking it up for reading as and when I could.

It is very difficult to place this book in a single genre. GWTW is not just a romantic story involving Scarlett, Ashley and Rhett but also a well researched account of the American civil war.
Along with portraying the era, characterization and artistically-drawn relationships are the best things about this book. Each and every character is so brilliantly portrayed, and the lead characters are so fully rounded that you can barely believe they're fictional.

Both Scarlett and Rhett, bounce off the page and overwhelm your thoughts even after you finish reading the book.
During the read, you may like or dislike these lead characters, but they encroach your mind throughout.

There is everything in here. A brutal war and its aftermath, moving romance, virtues of ethics and morality, all centered around one of the most complex characters in all of literature, Scarlett O’Hara. It is a bold of author to sketch the protagonist female as selfish, spoiled brat, materialistic bitch.
But in spite of all this, she still emerges as powerful, fiery woman.

Then there is Rhett, the only character with the ability to conquer Scarlett. He is an absolute alpha mate.
Just like the ladies in Atlanta I found myself at times entranced by his charms, but at many occasions I did not like him as well. I sympathized with him and was often amused by his sarcasm and satire. A classy anti-hero.
The evolution of his relationship with Scarlett is so carefully and artfully structured that the final 100 pages will make your heart ache.

I haven't watched the whole movie yet, but have seen few clips on web.
Both, Vivien Leigh and  Clark Gable, seem perfectly fitting in the characters of Scarlett and Rhett.

So overall, an incredible classic converted into equally epic movie, immensely special and the one that will posses you for a while.

Stream/college selection after 10th std

In the morning, I read news that CBSE 10th results are going to get declared today.
The news triggered 2 yrs back memories and so thought penning-down this post for benefit of all students and their parents.

For our children, the first struggle or decision we make regarding their education is while deciding which board/school to be chosen while admitting them in school in KG/1st std.
we do all kind of RnD through various modes, discuss with colleagues, relatives, internet forums, parenting groups.
Once that is sorted, the feeling is of 'done and dusted' remains on mind for a while.

However deciding next course and taking appropriate admission after passing 10th is also equally imp milestone and decision has to be made with good amount of introspection and very wisely.

Once the respective board declares the results, most of the students/parents start struggling about their next course of action.
Which stream to choose, which college to choose, how to select coaching classes - these are some of questions that linger.

Below I have noted few points and tips which I feel should help the anxious students as well as parents.
Though some of the things are very much Science stream specific, but it is common that science students face the dilemma the most.

So here are my notes -

- Do not decide the stream (Sci/commerce/Arts) based on your 10th %.
These % are mere indication of how you have written your board papers and may not reflect your interest/inclinations in true sense.

It is quite a common perception that if student gets say above 80-85%, he/she is fit to go to science.
But eventually if the student is not interested in any of science driven careers, he/she will struggle later to decide career choice after 12th.

So choose the stream based on student's inclination, ability towards doing hard-work, mental-ability.

- Do not fall for peer pressure. Students tend to decide choice of stream by getting influenced by their friends, siblings, cousins, even parents.
Parents need to carefully make them aware of  future career options of every stream than blindly choosing stream because someone else is doing the same.
Do seek professional advise from career counselor in case you are not aware of various career choices of every stream.

- Next question is how to choose college.
I would like to bring another aspect about choosing right board before going for college selection.

Now since most of the students are taking their 10th education from diverse boards, it is also important to choose right board for 12th.
So make a cautious choice if student should continue in his/her current board like CBSE or ICSE, or whether should opt for moving to state board.

most of CBSE schools have jr college ie 11th/12th attached to school.

My recommendation will be to stick to 10th board unless there are valid reasons like no availability of  jr college offered by 10th board.

Otherwise I do not see a good reason to switch to different board after getting well-versed with your 10th board for last many years.

- The admission process for central boards like CBSE is different than centralized process of state board colleges.
So in case student decides to continue with same board as of 10th, the admissions are carried out individually by respective colleges. They do not have centralized process.
eg Every college has their own forms to fill in, own schedule of deciding admission lists, fee structure etc
So do your pre-study of which all colleges offer the stream you have decided and the apply to those colleges individually.

- If the student decides to enroll into state board, he/she has to follow centralized admission process driven by Maharashtra govt.
The main dilemma in centralized process is which college options should be given.

I will highly recommend to choose colleges which are in close vicinity of your residence.
There is no point in wasting students precious time and energy if he/she has to change 2 trains, hop-in/hop-off train/bus and take 1-1.5 hrs to reach best college chosen.

Remember that for science students, 11th/12th are not for enjoying college life, rather focus on studies.
So don't get bogged down by aspiring for best college which may be far away.

- Let us say the student has decided to go for science stream.
The next huddle is to decide about coaching classes.

Since last few years, many new patterns have emerged in institutes like integrated, semi integrated, non-integrated.
let us see what these terms mean.

1. Semi Integrated model - Since few years now, the renowned coaching institutes like Fitjee, Allen, Lakshya started collaboration with local colleges.
In such allied model, the core subjects like physics, maths, chem are taught  by institute professors.
Non-core subjects like languages are taught by college professors.
All the practicals are carried out by college and in college premise.
The core subject classes are held in college premises or at institute facilities.

The advantage of above model is enormous saving is student's time. As they do not have to attend double lectures ie at college as well as classes
The con is that the institutes focus largely on preparing students for common entrance exams ie jee, KVPY, mh-cet, NEET etc.
So in case the student has inclination towards aspiring some other field besides engineering/medicine, this model may not be of much help.
Also, getting into semi-integrated model comes with high tuition fees. Combined fees for 11th-12th can range from 3 lakhs to 5 lakhs. The college fees is has to be paid separately.

So in case if financial constrains, please opt for non-integrated model.

2. Integrated model -
Some institutes like PACE (IIT&Medical) offer coaching classes as well as college benefits ie non-core subject teaching, conducting practicals.
The student doesn't have to seek admission in any other college if enrolled in such institute.
In Maharashtra, PACE is affiliated to state board. So in case student has inclination to stick to non-state board, the decision has to be re-evaluated then.
The typical fees for integrated model can range from 2.5-5 lakhs for 11th/12th together.

3. non-integrated model -
this is traditional model similar to 10th std format that student would have followed.
The student has to attend college for all subjects and attend coaching classes separately.

- in integrated as well as semi-integrated models, the corresponding institutes carry out qualification entrance test. The tuition fees would vary as per the score in these exams.

- So in case student decides to take up semi-integrated model, choose the institute carefully.
Some of the institutes offer collaboration with sub-standard colleges with not-so-good facilities.
The college matters a bit as after-all student is going to spend 2 yrs there.

I hope above points will help in clearing some of the common confusions that arise during 11th class admissions.

Top 10 new things in my life

If you ask anyone around you - 'what has been new in our life compared to earlier/childhood days?' - the obvious answers would be mobile phones, internet, computers, social media, digital gadgets, eCommerce, automobiles etc.
But even if we leave aside these obvious things which have become integral part of our daily life, there are many eccentric things that have also occupied a place in our day-2-day life. People in my generation would certainly be able to relate to my selection of top 10 such things listed below.
For newer generation, they probably can't imagine now life without these.

Below compiled list is of course purely my choice of top things. I am certain everyone will have their own personalized such list :)
I have split the list in 2 types, one is food related and another one non-food related.

These food items have over the time become so much defacto in households/daily life, it is really hard to believe that none of these even heard of in our childhood.

1. coffee - like i have mentioned in one of my earlier post, coffee was always considered as special drink, only to be offered, consumed on special occasions and may be for certain people. It was never a part of day-to-day life. Today it is essential part of office routine, social catch-ups and for many more reasons. Truely, a lot can happen over a cup of coffee.
2. Paneer - I probably had not even heard of this substance till few years back. My mother would have gone crazy at the idea of spoiling a full liter of milk to get the bowlful of paneer, what a waste!. Now a days, any vegetarian meal is incomplete without a dish of paneer.
3. maggie - this special food entered during very late days of our childhood. and frankly it didn't appeal at all at first taste. But later during onsite travelling days, this yellow packet became life-saver. I have seen most of the next-gen kids love maggie and to my surprise many dada-dadi and nana-nani also love this instant food.
4. Biryani - in my childhood and pre-marriage life, non-veg used to be eaten only in curry style. 'starters' and dishes like chicken tandoori or kebabs started becoming part of plate little later when hotelling become more frequent. Biryani was still looked upon as alternate of having plane rice. however had not got hooked to this delicious one-dish meal until very late. But once tasted, then there was no looking back. From lucknawi/hyderabadi biryani to Jaffer bhai's speciality, it was the door opener to wide world dedicated only to this classic amalgamation of meat n rice.
5. Bottled water - like all above items, this is integral part of life especially when you are on road or travelling by any mean. In my childhood days, during travel times, water need used to get fulfilled by big jars/bottles/plastic gallons. 'Bisleri' was pioneer in India to launch packaged drinking water. So much so that just like every toothpaste is 'colgate', every bottle of packaged water is referred as 'Bisleri'. Few years back, if anyone would had dared to predict that this nation will be buying their water for drinking, he would have got considered as a big fool.

Non-food - it was hard to pick these 5 items, barring the obvious onces like mobile, apps etc. I have picked up these 5 considering their penetration in my daily life.

1. sanitary pad - Undoubtedly it deserves the top position in the list. All the woman of my generation have seen and experienced the transformation from home-made cotton napkin to industry-made/super easy-to-use sanitary pads. 
2. Hair conditioner - remember how we used to clean hair? Most of the time with Shikakai beans/powder boiled at home or with Shikakai soap. Use of shampoo was considered as luxury. I heard the word and substance called 'Conditioner' first time when SunSilk (one of top shampoo brand of 90s) introduced their new range of products as shampoo+conditioner. But what does this product supposed to do was unknown for many. Now for women as well as for men, it is essential product of daily cleansing regime.
3. Denims /Jeans - Our daily-wear clothes used to be frocks/skirt-tops etc. Denims were one of dress type which used to be optional, one may have it or may not. Do you know anyone now who doesn't own a pair of jeans? It is not a choice anymore but defacto clothes for youth. Not just us and our next gen, but even many of previous gen also got used to comfort of this sturdy attire.
4. air conditioners - in earlier days, AC used to be present only in selected restaurants and offices. It was certainly looked upon as luxury or rare occasion to be in a AC room. Now every flat/apartment has AC installed by default or provision is made to install one. Even the older buildings of Girgaon have made space for AC installation wherever possible. It is no more looked upon as luxury but very much part of must-have's in house.
5. Air travel - overall the travel modes and means have evolved to a great extend in last 20 years. With the revolution in automobile domain, the once unimaginable things like owning a vehicle or commuting in a private taxi is no more a thriller. But air-travel was always looked upon as a high-end luxury meant only for celebrities, politicians and richest of rich folks who have no better things to do with their money. and look at today! every person around me have been in air atleast once incl folks in previous gen. Now travel plans, be it business travel or family vacations, start with air booking option first.

Hope these 10 things made you travel through your own memory lanes and you have already started making your own list to match :)
Do let me know whats on your list.

#lifechanging

समांतर

सुहास शिरवळकरांच्या 'समांतर' कादंबरीवर वेब सिरीज येतेय अस वाचलं आणि पुस्तक घेऊन आले.

सु.शि. च्या इतर कादंबर्यां सारखीच 'समांतर' पण थरारक, उत्कंटावरधक , वेगवान आहे.

सतत येणारी वळणे, सुरेख व्यक्ती चित्रण यांनी रंगलेल्या या २०० पानी कांदबरीचा शेवट जरासा abrupt असला तरीही कथा नक्कीच page turner आहे.

पुस्तक २ दिवसात संपलं आणि मग सिरीज पाहीली.

थरारक घटनांनी फुलवलेली आणि अनपेक्षित वळणांनी जोडलेली अशी कथा सिरीज साठी अगदी योग्य होती

त्यात दुनियादारीचीच टीम. 

पण कादंबरीच्या तुलनेत मालिका जाम फसलीय

स्वप्निल जोशी ला ‘कुमार महाजन’ सापडलाच नाहीये. त्याचे सततचे अचंबित expressions २-३ भागांनंतर कंटाळवाणे व्हायला लागतात.

खर तर कादंबरीमधे एक एक प्रसंग इतका खुलवलाय की पुन्हा पटकथा लिहायची गरजच नव्हती.

पण नको त्या क्षणांवर अती focus, over dramatisation आणी मेलोड्रामा ने पुर्ण मालिकेचा बाज बिघडवून टाकलाय .

पन्हाळ्याच्या खाणावळीतल्या माणसाची भेट , सुदर्शन ला खोक कशी पडली - ही काही उदाहरणं जे प्रसंग उगाच ताणले आहेत .
त्या उलट कुमार आणि सुदर्शन ची भेट - जी घटना milestone आहे ती अगदीच गुंडाळून टाकलीय .

सिजन १ चा शेवट मात्र perfect twist वर झालाय

पुस्तक आधी वाचलं नसतं तर कदाचित मी मालिका enjoy केली असती. 

पाहुया आता पुढचा सिजन कसा असणार आहे ते

#samantar #mxplayer #marathi 

Bird Box - book review

Recently finished a book ‘Bird Box’  by Josh Malerman.

Later I discovered that its been converted into netflix movie too starring Sandra Bullock.
The book can be described in 1 word as ‘creepsville’. It is incredibly engaging, horror/psycho suspense novel which takes post-apocalyptic theories to next level.

I do not want to disclose whats so scary about it but imagine a world in which you are constantly threatened and you need to train yourself to defend without seeing what are you fighting against.

On my first day of reading rather on first night, had to shut off after few pages as i was s***t scared to read further. On 2nd night I progressed with more chapters but when i woke up in the morning.. the first thought that crossed my mind was not to open my eyes.

The whole story and its climax leaves many open questions and perpetual desire for more answers. But it still succeeded in keeping me fully engaged till the last chapter.

To sum it up, its an extremely interesting, unsettling, fast paced read that will keep you on the edge.

Do let me know if you have also read this book or watched the Netflix version and how did you find it.

#2020readinggoals