When I received the review copy of Nazakat by Sasha H Singhal, I thought it would be the story of a women’s plight as a prostitute who eventually carves out a life out of it. But when I actually started reading the book, I realized that my perception about the book was not correct. It is a very complex tale of a prostitute, one can understand only after reading the book.
Unlike thousands of women everyday are pushed into the line of flesh trade,Nazaqat, whose original name is Naazani, has not been pushed or forced into the profession of prostitution. Obviously I was curious then how and why she choose such a profession. The author do reveals the reason but the real cause is known at the end and believe me it will leave you shocked.
The style in which the story of Nazaqat has been told is unique but complicated as well. The book starts with the third person format but suddenly, out of the blue, switches to first person. Obviously I was confused what is this happening. But after reading a few more pages things became more clearer.
The book is indeed written in the first person format. Nazaqat is narrating her story to an author Mathews whom she has hired to write her biography and it is Mathews who is telling the story to us. Now this is a very unique style of presenting the story but has some loopholes.
Mostly when the story is written from the first person style, the readers just get one sided views but Sasha, instead of concentrating on just one character has managed to infuse life in all the characters of the story. We get to know each and every character of the story which gives a lot of substance to the plot of the novel.
But writing style is not flawless. How come Nazaqat knows about the conversations between her friends Priyanka and Biplab when she is not present but narrates to the author Mathews. Then Nazaqat also knows about the feelings of Biplab about her when they first met or shared some intimate moments together. Now how that is possible.
Also proofreading is not done properly. There are few spelling and grammatical mistakes.
But if I keep aside these flaws then the novel has a very strong story line coupled with great characterization and narration. In fact the narration and dialogues will keep you hooked to the book till the end. The climax of the story was out of the box. I never manage to predict the end of the book. And the way it ended left me flabbergasted.
The author has portrayed Nazaqat’s character in such a way that I never fall for her or develop any emotional attachment with her. This is what the author also want and the reason I came to know at the end.
There are few twists in the story but it is the final twist at the end which is mindblowing. I don’t want to reveal that twist as it will take away the charm of the book.
Verdict: The USP of the novel Nazaqat is its solid plot. It is bold and unusual. Not once author lost her control over the plot of the book. It has all the material to startle the reader from time to time.
The author seems to be big hollywood romantic movies fan and seems to be inspired by the movies like Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached. I will recommend this book to any one who have loved these movies. Though there is no connection between the book and the movie but still you can relate the concept.
