Crossed & Knotted - Book Review
Title: Crossed & Knotted
Authors: Various
Publisher: Kurious Kind Media Pvt. Ltd.
ISBN: 9788192997520
Number of Pages: 255
Price: 250
Type: Composite Novel
The Blurb:
Crossed & Knotted is India’s first Composite Novel, a book written by fourteen authors in close collaboration with each other. The chapters, each a story in itself, are knotted with one another through characters, events, settings and emotions. The result is a read that criss-crosses through a multitude of emotions bringing out deep rooted human desires. They narrate tales of love and betrayal, suspense and mystery, courage and dilemma, along with hope and resilience. Read it for a taste so tantalizing, that your mind will surely be craving for more!
My Review:
Crossed & Knotted is the India's first Composite Novel. It is a collection of 14 stories written by 14 different authors, yet there is a link between these, which makes the novel complete. Here are the 14 stories that make this novel:
1. A Curious Dalliance - Sutapa Basu
The first chapter is always important, as it sets the mood of the novel and it is up to it to grab the attention of the readers and keep them engaged. Sutapa Basu did a very good job in this attempt. The story of a shy guy, Sudip, who falls prey to the plans of bold girl Megha. I loved how the story is developed, from their initial days, their marriage, Sudip's agitation and the final act which sent a chill down my spine!
2. The Diary of Joseph Varughese - Ayan Pal
Shivi, daughter of Sudip, from the previous chapter takes over from here. Her obsession with a Diary she found and the diary entries itself make an interesting read. The turn of events as the chapter progresses towards the climax was another chilling moment. This one though was little unbelievable for me (Yeah! I am skeptical!)
3. The Web of Life - Sanchita Sen Das
This chapter takes a leap in time and is set in a different location. It is about Siya, Shivi's friend and her life as a journalist, who goes to cover to plane crash in Kochi. The series of events that unfold make the readers' heart wrench with pain. But there is more to it - a story that Siya discovers, about the death of Varu, who came in search of his lost girlfriend Iliana. And also the story about Siya's son. All these are woven into a neat tale and this was one of the chapters that I liked.
4. The Real Fiction of Iliana Braun - Arvind Passey
This covers more about the life of Varu and Iliana, before Iliana moved to Kochi. Their meetings, their life together at the university where Varu writes the Diary of Varyghese. It covers the mystery behind Shivi's Diary but not about what James said as the concluding lines of chapter 2. I was a little confused here.
5. A Burning Candle - Mithun Mukherjee
A new character comes into picture here - Catherine. She meets up with Iliana, who seems to think that she was somehow Lily, the protagonist of Varu's stories. This story speaks about Catherine and Iliana's friendship before the story takes a sharp turn! The ending was a jaw drop moment for me!
6. Relics to Ruins - Avanti Sopory
The story goes on, giving us more insight about Catherine as an individual. It also makes a link back to Sudip's family, reminding us that there will be more about them in the coming chapters. The war torn scenes of Afghan and the life there are described well. Also, there is a small story of Jameela, the brave woman of the village. Catherine's struggle and Jameela's conditions are described well.
7. Leap of Faith - Bhaswar Mukherjee
We get to know more about Jameela and her life before she met Catherine in this chapter. Also, what happens to Ruskhana, who had disappeared in previous chapter, is narrated here. There are no loopholes left and the story progresses beautifully, engaging the readers.
8. Reclaiming Life - Anupama Jain
A completely different setting with more new characters - Pankaj and Poorni. But still there is a link back where Dimpy (Rukhsana) comes into picture. The journey of Poorni, who was living as per Pankaj's control to a new Poorni, who is confident is brought out well.
9. The Dragon Lady - Deepti Menon
This one was a little hilarious and one more of my favorites. This story takes us back in time to reintroduce the characters from the previous chapters - Karuna, Pankaj and Poorni. The way the story is written leaves the readers asking for more.
10. For a Speck of a Moment - Amrit Sinha
Binoy, the runaway child of Karuna, stars in this chapter. With his struggle to find a footing of his own and his determination, he makes a place in the hearts of readers. The tragic occurance that takes place not once but twice, leaves a deep impact.
11. To Ma & Pa, Con Amore! - Monika Nair
As Mona Lisa starts a new journey of her life, she meets Binoy and they fall in love. But as the story progresses, you can't help but wonder if it leads to another tragic event, as it happened with Binoy before. But the story takes a different one, and ends on a happy note.
12. Look Beyond - Amar Lakshya Pawar
Again a set of new characters are introduced and the link is given back to the plane crash that was mentioned in the 3rd chapter. This, perhaps is the shortest story of the novel.
13. Dawn at Dusk - Bhuvaneshwari Shankar
Meena, the wife of Adithya, who died during the plane crash meets Sudip under some dire circumstances. Friendship grows slowly, which soon turns into love. The author has done a great job in steering the story towards the point from where it all began. Bringing Sudip and Shivi back was needed at this point to give a sense of oneness to the whole story.
14. The Last Act - Arpita Banerjee
This was probably the toughest chapter to write considering that the author had the responsibility to tie all the loose knots together and I must say, Arpita has done a splendid job. The last act that Sudip pulls out, lightens the mood in the end and thus closing the novel on a lighter note.
All the chapters are well written and the narration is also splendid. Each chapter, though written by different authors, blends with each other smoothly, which was very important to make this one complete novel. The effort that the authors have put in behind the whole story has paid off beautifully. There were some queries that remained even after I completed reading the novel - like what about James? What happened to him? Apart from one or two such skips, the novel was great. I recommend this to those who are looking for something different to read. I must say, its not a quick read but it is worth it.
My Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
1. A Curious Dalliance - Sutapa Basu
The first chapter is always important, as it sets the mood of the novel and it is up to it to grab the attention of the readers and keep them engaged. Sutapa Basu did a very good job in this attempt. The story of a shy guy, Sudip, who falls prey to the plans of bold girl Megha. I loved how the story is developed, from their initial days, their marriage, Sudip's agitation and the final act which sent a chill down my spine!
2. The Diary of Joseph Varughese - Ayan Pal
Shivi, daughter of Sudip, from the previous chapter takes over from here. Her obsession with a Diary she found and the diary entries itself make an interesting read. The turn of events as the chapter progresses towards the climax was another chilling moment. This one though was little unbelievable for me (Yeah! I am skeptical!)
3. The Web of Life - Sanchita Sen Das
This chapter takes a leap in time and is set in a different location. It is about Siya, Shivi's friend and her life as a journalist, who goes to cover to plane crash in Kochi. The series of events that unfold make the readers' heart wrench with pain. But there is more to it - a story that Siya discovers, about the death of Varu, who came in search of his lost girlfriend Iliana. And also the story about Siya's son. All these are woven into a neat tale and this was one of the chapters that I liked.
4. The Real Fiction of Iliana Braun - Arvind Passey
This covers more about the life of Varu and Iliana, before Iliana moved to Kochi. Their meetings, their life together at the university where Varu writes the Diary of Varyghese. It covers the mystery behind Shivi's Diary but not about what James said as the concluding lines of chapter 2. I was a little confused here.
5. A Burning Candle - Mithun Mukherjee
A new character comes into picture here - Catherine. She meets up with Iliana, who seems to think that she was somehow Lily, the protagonist of Varu's stories. This story speaks about Catherine and Iliana's friendship before the story takes a sharp turn! The ending was a jaw drop moment for me!
6. Relics to Ruins - Avanti Sopory
The story goes on, giving us more insight about Catherine as an individual. It also makes a link back to Sudip's family, reminding us that there will be more about them in the coming chapters. The war torn scenes of Afghan and the life there are described well. Also, there is a small story of Jameela, the brave woman of the village. Catherine's struggle and Jameela's conditions are described well.
7. Leap of Faith - Bhaswar Mukherjee
We get to know more about Jameela and her life before she met Catherine in this chapter. Also, what happens to Ruskhana, who had disappeared in previous chapter, is narrated here. There are no loopholes left and the story progresses beautifully, engaging the readers.
8. Reclaiming Life - Anupama Jain
A completely different setting with more new characters - Pankaj and Poorni. But still there is a link back where Dimpy (Rukhsana) comes into picture. The journey of Poorni, who was living as per Pankaj's control to a new Poorni, who is confident is brought out well.
9. The Dragon Lady - Deepti Menon
This one was a little hilarious and one more of my favorites. This story takes us back in time to reintroduce the characters from the previous chapters - Karuna, Pankaj and Poorni. The way the story is written leaves the readers asking for more.
10. For a Speck of a Moment - Amrit Sinha
Binoy, the runaway child of Karuna, stars in this chapter. With his struggle to find a footing of his own and his determination, he makes a place in the hearts of readers. The tragic occurance that takes place not once but twice, leaves a deep impact.
11. To Ma & Pa, Con Amore! - Monika Nair
As Mona Lisa starts a new journey of her life, she meets Binoy and they fall in love. But as the story progresses, you can't help but wonder if it leads to another tragic event, as it happened with Binoy before. But the story takes a different one, and ends on a happy note.
12. Look Beyond - Amar Lakshya Pawar
Again a set of new characters are introduced and the link is given back to the plane crash that was mentioned in the 3rd chapter. This, perhaps is the shortest story of the novel.
13. Dawn at Dusk - Bhuvaneshwari Shankar
Meena, the wife of Adithya, who died during the plane crash meets Sudip under some dire circumstances. Friendship grows slowly, which soon turns into love. The author has done a great job in steering the story towards the point from where it all began. Bringing Sudip and Shivi back was needed at this point to give a sense of oneness to the whole story.
14. The Last Act - Arpita Banerjee
This was probably the toughest chapter to write considering that the author had the responsibility to tie all the loose knots together and I must say, Arpita has done a splendid job. The last act that Sudip pulls out, lightens the mood in the end and thus closing the novel on a lighter note.
All the chapters are well written and the narration is also splendid. Each chapter, though written by different authors, blends with each other smoothly, which was very important to make this one complete novel. The effort that the authors have put in behind the whole story has paid off beautifully. There were some queries that remained even after I completed reading the novel - like what about James? What happened to him? Apart from one or two such skips, the novel was great. I recommend this to those who are looking for something different to read. I must say, its not a quick read but it is worth it.
My Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
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Until the next review,
Keep Reading :)
Love,
Swathi :)
Labels: Blog Tour, Book Review, Composite Novel, Indian Authors, The Book Club
posted by Swathi Shenoy @ 10:27
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Sounds like an interesting novel and the theme about different authors writing short stories that are linked together has piqued my interest :)
Thank you for your review. I'm sure your readers will now know how intriguingly interesting the concept of a composite novel really is.
Arvind Passey
www.passey.info
Thanks a ton! its an honour to know that you liked my story !
Thank you for your detailed and wonderful review Swathi.
Glad to know you loved it so much! And yes - what happened to James? Are you sure you wanna know ;)
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