Thursday, March 20, 2014

Book Review :The Missing Connection

This novel is by an anaesthetist, Dr Ketaki Patwardhan Nirkhi.This is  her second novel after her debut book, "Those  enchanted four & half years ".Poems & short stories by Dr Ketaki have been published in numerous e magazines like Indus Women writing,Bloggers park,Litizen,Muse India,Wishbo,Writer's Cafe`,etc.

It is published by Moment Publishers based in Ahmedabad,Gujarat.On the reverse of the  cover page ( the cover page at the end of the book ),is a list of the numerous  partners in Media,Magazine Online Social Media,Community,Technology etal.

The cover of the book shows a woman whose eye is blue or reflecting a blue light from something at which she is staring.Her lips are slightly open.Strands of her hair are covering her upper cheek & parts of   her face.Behind her, is another image of a woman with down cast eyes & a hand, which seems to be hanging as if helpless.The title of the novel is printed on the cover with mirror image of N in the title.The author's name is also printed.At the upper part of the cover, on the left hand side is the logo of the publishers M in red & a bit of yellowish orange below a ziz zag  blue line.

The story is about a doctor,Dr Neha Dixit,  who is an anaesthesist at a Mumbai hospital.A patient ,named Susan, is brought in one day, for treatment & she seems familiar.Yet Dr. Neha, cannot recall, why she seems so familiar. And then, Susan disappears from the hospital.Now Dr Neha cannot contain her curiosity & she starts searching for Susan.Dr .Neha learns that Susan was haunted by something.What is  that,Dr Neha wonders.Dr Neha seems to spot Susan at some places .Is it real or just a figment of Dr Neha's imagination ? Will Dr Neha be able to locate Susan ? And who is Susan ? Dr. Neha's husband is perturbed that his wife is taking more than a professional interest in her patient. He feels that his wife desperately needs to see a psychiatrist. Does he give in & support his wife ?Does Dr Neha seek the help of a psyschiatrist ? What happens to Susan ? Is she finally cured ? What was that which was disturbing Susan ?

This book opens with a few lines penned by Mother Teresa.Next, is the Acknowledgement wherein Dr Ketaki thanks all who have helped her in penning this novel & getting it published.She thanks the publishers,her family ,her colleagues etal.This is followed by Prologue& then the novel begins....with date & time.The book goes back & forth in time as there are some past diary entries.This is like flashback & present scenes.Admirable.The chapters are short & eggs the reader on.Yet the tale, seems too predictable to some extent if not fully.

It introduces hypnotic age regression which is regarded as unreliable  by some.One excellent thing about the book is the postivity about adoption.if many adopted ,there would  be less orphans ...perhaps, no one will be an orphan any more .And that is saying a lot...the world would be a much better place!

this book review has been done for the e magazine Storizen.

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