The Tales Pensieve

When The Tales Pensieve gave me the opportunity to review this book, I was completely unaware of what to expect. I have never read a book like this before. The author had sent me a signed copy, so as elated as I was, I started reading not knowing what a ride I was in for.

The protagonist is fatigued by his existence. He feels like an old man trapped in a young man’s body. He is hunting for ways and procedures to end his grieve. Every minute of his life, he feels is a waste. Every minute there is somebody to make him realize that his life is not worth living. But everytime he looks at ending his life, his inner voice thinks otherwise. On this journey, how he meets a few people and how he then decides and plans his cessation, is the story of The Suicide Diary.

I must confess that initially when I started reading I felt a little blasé. I felt that I had done a mistake by picking this book. Since I had taken it up for review so I had to under any circumstance finish reading it. I really thought that this book would be a drag. But I was proved wrong. The book picked up and how. Gradually I understood the style of the author and what he wants to infer.

The characters are developed strongly by verbalizing the entire novel superlatively. The cynical thoughts that go on in the protagonist’s mind scares the reader because of the way it is written. The horrendous encounters by the lead character leave you flummoxed. The entire storytelling is unexpected. The author weaves the entry and exit of each and every character so well that you are left gobsmacked and you wait for a moment, to let your grey cells  comprehend what has happened. Each and every word can be visualized and you feel that those things are happening right in front of your eyes. The sadism of the protagonist leaves you frozen. Mildred, Estella, his wife all have been drafted impeccably. Infact, even the short role of the inspectors have been drafted to perfection.

During the the whole length of the book, the protagonist conveys his feelings a many times and 9 out of ten times it is the same but you don’t feel it to be repetitive even once. This is the art of the magician Hari Prasad. His usage of words and metaphors are pertinent. They create such an impact on the readers mind that the visuals of the narrative leave you with goosebumps. Description of certain incidents are penned flawlessly. Couple of them stay with you forever. Like the lust which the lead character is engulfed with for a young girl at the beginning while travelling to the petrol pump. The feelings that he gets while uploading the pictures on the internet. Kudos to Hari Prasad for this. I am in awe of his writing.

The author had sent me a copy signed: “Let literature Inspire and enrich your life always”. I would like to request the author to continue writing and inspire amateurs like us with his wisdom because it is a rare gift and something worth sharing with the world. I would also like to thank Tales Pensieve for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity to review such a piece of art. This is not a genre that can be read and re-read. But just for the writing style and the sheer vocabulary you would want to re-read it. It is a learning experience and I feel myself fortunate to own a copy of this masterpiece.

Title: The Suicide Diary
Author: Hari Prasad
Publisher: Lifi Publications
Pages: 258
Genre/ Sub-Genre: Fiction/Thriller
Rating: 4.75 of 5
Reviewed for: Author

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