Saturday, 20 August 2016

Book Review : Never Again by Shreyan Laha

Book- Never again : Tale of a Stranded Legend

Author- Shreyan Laha

Genre- Fiction

Publisher- Dream House Publication



Blurb-

The secrets are hidden in the pages of an old diary which is with an old librarian. There are many people who are after that but only a historian gets his hand on it first to decode the hidden things.

Kasper Hartman, a Nazi soldier, narrates his life right from his childhood revealing the best and worst days of his life.

What happens when there are many people involved to claim the old piece? Will things be revealed? Or the story of “The stranded legend” will remain buried?



Title and Cover-

The title contain the main aspect of the book. It is working literarily and otherwise too as well. And as far as the cover is concerned it contains the important things, like a target, a soldier, a city ahead of him. I liked the visuals, loved the elements and most importantly I liked the rough colour scheme.



Characters-

When the story contains the background of a war or a war zone than it is certain to see some very great personalities and it happened in the book “never again” as well. I was surrounded by tough and determined soldiers who were ready to do anything.

From the major leads I loved, Kasper and Aarav. Kasper had all the traits of being in the top charts. He was showing colours of magnificent degree.

And from the minor leads I liked Saira, Siddha Maharaj, Klara and Petra.



Narration-

The narration was smooth and not hasty. I liked the concept of using third person narration while the life of Kasper was decoded. The author was really clear about the presentation of the story and it can easily be seen in the well divided chapters and incidents.



Review-

Never again is not a simple book which you hold in your hand every other day. It is one of a kind historical fiction which unleashes some different aspects of different countries. The book had opened up some really serious issues which remains answerless even in the 21st century. The way the author has mixed genres to bring out the best of both worlds is seriously a great attempt to make.

I liked the idea of the book. I think that it is the background or the base which the author created, which has lifted up the book. How the things connect and move ahead is really noteworthy. The best part of the book was the life of a Nazi solider that was shown very nicely. Witnessing the surrounding they are into, the kind of life they lead produces a really nice impact.

A historian is on the verge to decode the meanings but then that is not all. There are a lot of inner dimensions which are working simultaneously to bring the best in front. I found the approach of author to lift the story in a raw and rustic manner really radiant. It made things more engaging. If the flashback technique with simple narration would have been used then things wouldn’t have reached the present level for sure.

The advancements in the story are not at all predictable and it makes you glued to the book. Only if the author hadn’t used the Italic font the book would have taken less time. Nevertheless, it was the inspiring story of Kasper that made me read it in spite of all the hurdles.

I loved the harshness which his life had. I loved the phases which his story passed from. I loved his childhood, adolescence and adulthood. I loved him when he was at his darker side and I loved him even more when he was fully committed.

What impressed me the most was the ending or I can say the concluding pages. They were very promising and delicate. It shows the transition of a person in a very extravagant manner. The problem in the book arises when the secrets are revealed one after the other. I felt that if the secrets were opened in a more systematic manner or from time to time than it would have created a different effect altogether.

Summing up- The book is a complete treat in all terms. The chapters were divided well and the concept of putting in front one incident at a time worked perfectly. Never again is a very interesting book in all terms.



Eye-catchers-

• “People do not change. The changed self is always within us, unknown to us.”

• “Maturity is the worst barter we have in life.”



Turn-on’s-

• Concept of the book.

• Different shades of characters.

• Mystery of high order.



Recommendation-

A vintage thriller with a love story of different order, well yes the book can be highly recommended to any book lover.



About the author-

Shreyan Laha is a MBA student of XIMB and has completed his graduation from Ravenshaw University, Cuttack and hails from Jamshedpur. He marked his literary debut with a paranormal romance novel ‘The Adventures beyond Existence’ which earned him the Rajiv Gandhi Youth Literary Award in 2014. He has continued his literary voyage with several short stories and his second novel ‘Never Again’.


Buy the book-

• Amazon link- http://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/9384180696/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471706391&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=never+again+by+shreyan+laha&dpPl=1&dpID=51ED91GDhKL&ref=plSrch

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