“The most eccentric part of life is its ways of interfusing our present with our past. This unwanted reunion most often pushes our future into a dungeon…”
It will not be wrong to state that the above sentences summarize the essence of the novel titled, Autobiography of a Paedophile penned by Partha Prawal Goswami.
Writing is tough. Writing a whole book is tougher. And writing a novel with a protagonist that is not only flawed but could become ‘unlikable’ is something that needs special courage. The book tells the story of Raktim, who has been accused of being a Pedophile. As the story progresses, it unveils the details of what happened.
The story starts when he was a teenager and how various events lead him to a court case where he was alleged as a Paedophile. Sonali and Pranti are two strong female characters in the book and bring out different aspects of Raktim’s personality.
The topic chosen by the author needs a tremendous amount of research and background work, and author Partha Prawal has done a splendid job of doing this right. With a character like Raktim and a story such as grey, the author’s writing keeps you hooked until the last minute.
On many pages, the reader will be ‘literally’ hanging by the cliff. Especially the last part of the book takes you to another level. You will hear your mind saying: Don’t do it… Don’t go for it, Raktim. You will love and hate the main character at the same time, but you will not be able to ignore him for sure.
The language is simple and lucid. The title and the cover were apt. The switch between past and present was seamless, and soon the reader would feel like a character in the novel.
I commend the author of this wonderful book. Very well researched and bold at the same time. There were a few editorial overlooks, which I am sure will be rectified in the next edition. Best wishes to the author. I look forward to reading more thrillers from the author.