Blurb:

Ten-year old Lakshya Gaitonde dreams of following a career in cricket like his idol, Sunil Gavaskar. But destiny has other plans for him. He loses his father, Police sub-inspector Rajaram Gaitonde in the Mumbai terror attack of March 1993. He decides to follow his father's footsteps and becomes a police officer. In the July 2006 serial train blasts on the Mumbai suburban network, he loses his mother and fiancée. In consultation with the Commissioner of Police, he devises a diabolical plan to crush the menace of terrorism at its roots. Does he succeed? How does he manage to avenge the killing of his parents and his beloved? Why does he finally don saffron robes?

Review:

The Monk is the story of Lakshya Gaitonde who dreams of becoming a cricketer but life has different plans for him. Forced by circumstances, he chooses another path but tragedy strikes his life again and he is left with no one to call his own. The story is about his journey of avenging the wrongs done to his family due to terrorism and finally embracing saffron robe.

The story begins on one fine day which is like any other normal day in a middle class family and then moves on to the lives of the protagonist and also the people surrounding him. I will start with the cover of the book which is highly intriguing and creates a natural urge in the reader to read the book with its cover image. The title of the novel is in total contradiction with the image of a gun and the trigger ready to be pulled. This gives the impression that the book is a thriller. However, the book is much more than any other thriller.

The concept and the plot are interesting and the writing style is impressive, but the execution could have been better. However, the author shows promise considering the novel is his debut book. The author has been successful in portraying the struggles and post-traumatic stress disorder of the protagonist Lakshya he undergoes after the death of his father.

The story is captivating and the book is a sure page turner. I enjoyed reading the book.

I received a free copy from the publisher in lieu of an honest review.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Other Details:

Author: Akshay Shroff
Genre: Crime, Thriller & Mystery
Format: Paperback