You Beneath Your Skin
Dead bodies of women with burnt faces dumped in trashcans in Delhi. Who did it? A gang? A psychopath? A mentally troubled person? These are the questions which rung in my mind after reading the blurb.
You Beneath Your Skin unfolds in Delhi, we are introduced to Anjali Morgan, a psychiatrist, struggling with her autistic son Nikhil. We get a glimpse onto her relationship with Police Commissioner Jatin Bhatt. How despite their hectic life, they fulfill each other's void and find peace their forbidden romance. The complicity of their relationship is portrayed well throughout the story. Apart from bring his soul partner, now Anjali has become his associate in solving the mystery of women found dead with burnt faces. Sadly, the struggle of Anjali isn't just limited to dealing with her son's behavioural problems shortly after she becomes a victim of a ruthless acid attack. Her introspections following her attack are very impactful, which aptly explains the title of the book. Anjali is much more than her burnt skin and she doesn’t give up despite all odds. Through Anjali’s thoughts, the author opened a window to the inner emotions and turmoil of acid-attack victims.
The denouement and search for clues, leading to the suspects is commendable.
Being a cloak and dagger enthusiast, I loved how she maintained the suspense and managed to throw suspicion other characters making the reader riveted to the book.
The story also brings out the life of two adolescent Nikhil and Varun, how each of them undergoes paralell changes throughout the story. One is bound by disease and the other by scourge, each characters develops his own whims, making you stop and think whether you can really judge someone at face value.
The writers encompassed many different topics like crime, mystery, corruption, acid attacks in the book without making it seem crammed. The couplets thrown in by Jatin were a nice addition.
I felt the story was dragged a tiny bit at few places; maybe it was my impatience to get to the roots of the whole mystery, which got the better of me.
Overall an awesome read and a page-turner!
~*~
Buy the book here: