The
opening line of The Art of the Novel
a nonfiction discourse on the titular subject by Milan Kunder invokes the
brilliant lecture given by Edmund Husserl in 1935 about a crisis that gripped
what he identifies as "European Humanity". What Husserl identifies as
the crisis is the perspectives adopted by his contemporaries. The perspective
in question is that for the Europeans, everything, including the world as a
whole is a question to be answered. This interrogative spirit is a historical
reality also. Husserl addresses the great damage behind the motive of this
interrogation-the passion to know.
The Red Line is
a thriller which instils a passion to know in its readers. Following the
controversial subject of India's involvement with East Pakistan's freedom struggle
(Now Bangladesh), and the present crisis existing between the India and
Pakistan, the novel connects a world-wide plot that attempts to demolish
India's high powered defensive mechanisms. Set, part in the realist tradition
and part in alignment with the super successful genre fiction style of
thrillers, The Red Line is a
remarkable achievement.
From
the introduction to the story in the Prologue, the reader is being ushered into
the world of espionage and international geopolitical intrigue, which settles
down as the novel unravels in the neighbourhoods of Delhi. Two officers of
Delhi Police, Hanumant Sastri and Azhar Ansari take up an investigation of a
man mysteriously murdered in Delhi Metro.
Every
character steps in with a bunch of surprising twists in the story. Along with
suspense, the novel offers some high-octane action sequences that are written
with expertise. With not a single passive scene, the novel offers a fast-paced
reading and I finished it within my newly established "a book a week"
regime. The Red Line weigh quite
heavy but its typesetting is easily traceable in a moving bus or train.
The
engaging plot of the novel inquires into the death of Rakesh Kumar, which turns
out to be a rabbit hole into a horrifying cyber attack on India by a terrorist
organisation. Through the suspense and thrill, however, one is given a glimpse
into the family of Hanumant and Azhar. The moral dilemma faced by Hanumant, a
failed police officer is at the core of this story. Hanumant Sastri is a man of
his ideals and moral principles. However, we will see him face a moral tragedy.
Through the narrative, we find out if he can regain his lost self-respect in
front of his family. With Azhar, his colleague, he even traverses the dark and
murky landscape of bribery and corruption, succumbing to the evils. This causes
a painful rift between the two friends. Azhar even decides to get a transfer to
work away from Hanumant because even he thinks that Hanumant's ideals are
certainly impractical in the modern world.
A
deeply moral and ethical tale, The Red
Line constructs a perfect recipe for an intense example of storytelling. If
this book becomes a Bollywood movie ever, I wish to see actor Sanjay Dutt play
the role of the police officer, Hanumant Sastri and Arshad Varsi play Azhar
Ansari.
Published
by Inkstate, an arm of Leadstart Publishing Corporation, The Red Line has a glossy paperback cover. It is available in Rs
349 but great discounts shall be availed form online shipping sites like
Amazon.
Author
Tanmay Dubey is the bestselling author of Just
Six Evenings (2015) and The Amigos
(2017). He is a motivational speaker and lives in Gurgaon with his family.
Contact: @Author_Tanmay (Twitter), @leotanmayd (Instagram).
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