BOOK REVIEW:
Abyss by Sabarna Roy is a haunting reminder that we can never truly know the inner workings of another human being, no matter how well we think we know them.
The year 2020 kicked off with an uninvited guest - coronavirus which hospitalized more than 17 million individuals around the World and killed more than 667 thousand worldwide.
But, one incident that shocked India was the untimely death of actor Shushant Singh Rajput. On 14 June 2020, Rajput, aged 34, was found dead, hanging from the ceiling fan in his home in Bandra, Mumbai. No suicide note was found. He had reportedly been suffering from depression, and according to Mumbai Police, medical papers, and anti-depressant pills were found in his house.
Was it a suicide or a murder? The question is still unanswered. But, you will be surprised to know that something similar happened in this book Abyss which was originally published in 2011.
It is a Crime Thriller that will keep you guessing, was it a suicide or a murder?
The storytelling is so powerful that it will keep you hooked until the very end. Each character has a motive to kill the protagonist but was she killed? If she was, they who killed her? and why?
It is a full-length quick-paced play that will play with your brain and emotions. Multiple twists and turns will shape the unpredictable plot of this book and will leave you in shock.
You will be fascinated by the characters of this book. They are strong, powerful, and deadly, painting a sobering picture of corruption, greed, and lust.
This play is so finely crafted, that it will give you chills even if you are a Murder Mystery fan. If you love reading crime thrillers, then this book is essential for you.
Overall, Abyss by Sabarna Roy is a captivating, enticing, quintessential, gripping, riveting, and enthralling read. It is one of the best crime books and is very relatable to the actor Shushant Singh Rajput suicide.
RATING: 4.5/5
FORMAT: Kindle Edition
PRINT LENGTH: 118 pages
PUBLISHER: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd
LANGUAGE: English
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Abyss is a full-length play in two acts with an interval in between. It is essentially a racy crime thriller full of gritty suspense. Act one builds up slowly to result in a crescendo of conflicts between personalities and ideas finally to end with an unnatural death before the interval. Is it a suicide or a murder? Act two evolves through a series of incisive interrogations to unravel the truth, which is deeply disturbing and affecting. As the play unfolds into a very well crafted situational thriller, underneath is the debate about using land for agriculture or industry, the ethics of a working author and the nexus of a modern state all wonderfully enmeshed into its storyline and the personal lives of its subtly etched out characters. The highpoints of the play are its central conflict between a mother and her daughter and its female sleuth? Renuka.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sabarna Roy was born in Calcutta on December 15, 1967. He is presently working as a Senior Vice President of Business Development at Electrosteel Castings Limited.
He took to creative writing in the year 2007. Thereafter, between 2010 and 2019 he has published five literary books: Pentacles, Frosted Glass, Abyss, Winter Poems, and Random Subterranean Mosaic: 2012 – 2018 Time Frozen in Myriad Thoughts. The five books were published by Leadstart Publishing. His books cover all genres: prose, poetry, and plays.
Sabarna Roy has also published a technical book: Articles on Ductile Iron Pipelines and Framework Agreement Contracting Methodology, with his co-authors Rajat Chowdhury and Basanta Bera. This book has been published by Scholar's Press and is a collection of nine articles published in peer-reviewed national and international journals.
LIST OF BOOKS BY AUTHOR SABARNA ROY:
Book - Pentacles
Publisher - Leadstart Publishing Private Limited
Pentacles comprise one novella and four long narrative poems.
Book - Frosted Glass
Publisher - Leadstart Publishing Private Limited
Frosted Glass comprises one story cycle consisting of 14 stories and one poem cycle consisting of 21 poems.
Book - Abyss 1
Publisher - Leadstart Publishing Private Limited
Abyss is a full-length play in two acts with an interval in between. It is essentially a crime thriller full of suspense.
Book - Winter Poems 1
Publisher - Leadstart Publishing Private Limited
The poems contained in this collection were inspired by the relatively mild season that prevails in Kolkata following the season of festivities, the Durga and Kali Puja, and portray myriad shades of human life.
Book - Random Subterranean Mosaic 2012 - 2018
Publisher - Inkstate Books
It is a kaleidoscope of random, yet structured to a pattern, fiction, semi-autobiographical, and autobiographical pieces, covering poems, short-shorts, opinions, observations, and conversations.
Book - Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020
Publisher - Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd
It comprises a novella and a poem cycle. The novella deals with the dualism of life and the poem cycle is a duel between the poet and his alter-ego.
EXCLUSIVE AUTHOR INTERVIEW: SABARNA ROY
Q. When did you first realize you wanted to write your book Pentacles?
June 2007. When it occurred to me if I did not write, I would die.
Q. Your book Frosted Glass is set in Calcutta. Tell us why Calcutta (Kolkata) is so important to you?
Calcutta [Kolkata] in more ways than one has formed my persona and my sensibilities although in my growing up years between 1974 and 1982 I have been away from Calcutta.
Q. What was your experience of writing a full-length play Abyss? Will you write a full-length play again in the future?
Abyss gave me the unique experience of writing realistic conversations to build up the crescendo of suspense in the play. Yes, I plan to write a full-length play in 2022. Although, Conversations between Dr. X and Mr. Y in Random Subterranean Mosaic is no less than a play.
Q. What inspired you to write Winter Poems?
I love writing poems in the mild winters of Kolkata, generally. A way of time passing. A way of collecting my thoughts.
Q. What does your family think of your book Random Subterranean Mosaic 2012 – 2018?
My wife is in love with the book. She likes the format - the diary format; the anecdotal format of the book. Also because it is an easy read. The most complex things have been expressed very lucidly.
Q. Tell us something about your upcoming book.
The book that is getting published in June 2020 is titled: Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020/Letters, Ideas, Conversations & Poems. It consists of a Novella titled: Duality and a Poem Cycle titled: Winter Poems 2020.
Q. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I am a natural writer. When my thoughts are flowing through my mind harmoniously and melodiously I continue writing as long as it takes. Otherwise, I do not write.
Q. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I like reading, watching movies, international TV Series, and listening to music. The last book that I read was Stephen King's Outsider; the last movie that I watched was Sergio; the last TV Series that I watched was Better Call Saul [Season 5]; among music, I have been listening to Coldplay, Poets of the Fall & Tchaikovsky.
Q. Out of all the books that you have written. Which is your favorite one?
I forget about my books after I have written them. So, there is no clear-cut favorite.
Q. What’s the best way to market your books?
I have no thorough understanding of marketing my books. That is the reason I look forward to professionals.
Q. Future of SALISMANIA.com through your eyes.
I think it has a great future because of your energy, sincerity, and dedication to the work and your keenness to support good literary works.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 Book Review
Fifteen years back, when I was in class 5, I was introduced to this NEW WORLD of BOOKS called 'LIBRARY'. It was way bigger than my class and was full of books of all colors.
We were asked to take 1 book of our choice to our house for a week and replace it with another one another week. The goal of this task was to create a reading habit.
But, I was not interested in books. I was more interested in the bird sitting on a huge tree outside our Library window. We were also asked to ask any question to our librarian during the entire period, so I kept asking him how much time is left for the period to get over.
Who would have thought that after 15 years, the same boy will get a copy of a yet to be released book, written by award-winning author Sabarna Roy and published by one of the leading publishers in India - Leadstart.
I would like to thank Sabarna Roy for giving me this beautiful opportunity and this is something which I will never forget because it is my first review of an unpublished book.
BOOK REVIEW:
Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 by Sabarna Roy is a celebration of emotions and a truly delectable reading experience. It is fresh and something out of the box which I believe will rule the bestseller lists.
One thing that makes this book stand out from the crowd is the fact that it has an ordinary man's point of view about extraordinary things.
Reading it made me feel like how we can take charge of our life by making some simple changes in our lives and how one healthy conversation can lead to multiple healthy conversations.
In Part A of the Duality section, the author was seen requesting her Step-daughter for a cup of coffee and desserts which leads to the birth of Part C - Nocturnal Conversations between a Step-father and Step-daughter over desserts and coffee.
It proves, that the World is listening to you, all you need is to ask what you want. This is what I learned from this book, and I believe you will also learn a lot from it.
I was so intrigued by the fact that this book is focused on home, love, family, and thoughts. You will be swept away by the opinions and leave you thinking with a series of thoughts.
Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 is like an art. There is no one word to define it. Every time you read it, your perception of the book might change. You can love one thing, and you can hate another. It's more like a real human, not a robot.
There are letters, opinions, thoughts, discussions, and multiple poems covering multiple topics. It is unique and captivating.
Talking about Winter Poems 2020, it is thrilling and full of action, just like the year 2020. There is a poem on Jallianwala Bagh, Dr. X, Sam Mendes, Death, and Civilisation.
All the poems are written between January 11, 2020, and January 31, 2020. With every passing day, the quality of poems improves. It shows growth and how doing something repeatedly can improve your writing game.
It is a great example for budding poets who are still dreaming about getting published. Everyone who loves poetry should read this book and get inspired to create more poems because poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.
A journal entry from 1998, 2005, 2009, 2012, and 2015 published in this book proves how unpredictable life is and there is nothing like perfection in this world.
Overall, Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020 is a MUST READ!
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