Thursday, 2 April 2020

You Beneath Your Skin by Damyanti Biswas -- A multi-layered , gripping crime story


                                           
You Beneath Your skin is a story involving  crime and corruption in New Delhi , capital of India.  It is the story of a single parent , an Indian American psychiatrist Anjali Morgan who  has an autistic  and maladjusted child. It is also the story of Jatin  Bhatt, who is the  Police Commissioner of New Delhi. Jatin  , who started his career  in police service as an honest young man , slowly  changes into a corrupt officer due to political corruption as well as personal weaknesses. The  character of Jatin Bhatt is so  typical  in Indian situation that those familiar with Indian police hierarchy will find it real. Anjali becomes a  struggling  acid attack survivor.
                 The book  explores changing India , while fully exposing  hypocrisy , corrupt and  patriarchal  mindset of male lead character  Jatin Bhatt while  Anjali  Morgan   tries her best to be fair , non-blaming and forgiving. It is then you begin to see the real person beneath his or her skin. Though it can be  classified as  a crime story , it is multi-layered  and  multidimensional   story of human frailties , betrayals , poverty , inequality, misogyny , corruption , child abuse and other social issues of  India  and third  world   and   also  forgiveness.
 Told with sensitivity and suspense, it is a book which  grips you till its end. Highly recommended.

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