The Killings in November: A Play- Review
Book: The Killings in November: A Play
Author: Rajesh Talwar
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 131 pages
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
Recommend: Yes
Snapshot:
This is a short novel and it is narrated in the form of play. The story starts with a scene at Delhi Police Headquarter where Police Commissioner is holding a high-level meeting with the two famous detectives- Col. Ranjeet and Herlock Homes (sounds familiar, Right?). The meeting discussed the fact that how Delhi witnesses an enormous amount of murders in the month of November. The killer behind all the murders has a unique style and is no ordinary killer. The killer also has a different sense of dressing style. He is tall, puts on a red lipstick and always wearing a grey suit with a red tie. He has grey Mercedes and before killing a person he puts out his guitar and started singing a song. His targets are generally women, children and elderly people. Factors like religion, status, etc. is irrelevant to the killer. The story moves forward by introducing new characters in the play and how they were affected by all the killings happening in the month of November.
Review:
I personally enjoyed reading this book. There are many factors in the book which I really liked. I liked that the play is a satire and how a murderer is used as a metaphor in the play. The scenes in the play are short and easy to read. The play gave very fewer clues to find out the identity of the killer, It only became clear in the end.
In between, I felt that some of the chapters were irrelevant and I didn't understand where the story is leading the readers. In the end, it becomes crystal clear that why those chapters were inserted and how it serves a great role in the play.
Writing style:
The book is written in a form of a play, so instead of the chapters, there were scenes. Every different scene has a different set of people in it. The scene depicts how the lives of the people are affected by all the killings. The play is well written and keeps the reader hooked till the very end.
Pollution- A major concern
The Play talks about the environmental issues mainly pointing out the increase in pollution in Delhi. Being a Delhite, I know how bad the weather gets in winters and especially during November, when we were advised to avoid exercising in the parks and try to indulge in indoor activities. The play brings a light on the reasons for the increase in pollution in Delhi and sooner or later the grey monster will come and get you. Nowadays, to live and breathe in the clean air seems like a luxury. In the play, the author emphasized that political parties, instead of using the slogan like "Roti, Kapda aur Makan", they should use "Hawa, Paani aur Bijli" i.e air, water and electricity. This is an alarming situation and the author did a very splendid job on his part by giving us a reality check and telling us to do something to save our environment.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to everyone.
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