THE WITCH IN THE PEEPUL TREE BY AREFA TEHSIN

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BOOK NAME: THE WITCH IN THE PEEPUL TREE

AUTHOR NAME: AREFA TEHSIN

GENRE: MURDER MYSTERY

PUBLISHER: HARPERCOLLINS INDIA  

BOOK BUY LINK : https://www.amazon.in/Witch-Peepul-Tree-Arefa-Tehsin/dp/9356992401



BOOK REVIEW:



Dada Bhai and his wife, Mena Bhai, are a reformist couple sought out by women and minorities while criticised by the rest of the village. It is the year 1950, and on the day of Mahar Sankranti, Dada Bhai's son Ahad finds his sister, Sanaz, dead in her room. Just before Sanaz's lifeless body was discovered, Dada Bhai's house was flooded with visitors. From Rao Sahib - the Zamindar, to Hariharan - the middleman, Khadija - Dada Bhai's childless sister, Parijat -the nightsoil worker, Ismail - the housemaid and Nathu - the Bhil, was seen inside Dada Bhai's house on the same day.


Inspector Tanendar Tapan Singh investigates the murder starting from Dad Bhai to everyone else, including Dad Bhai's widowed mother, Sugra and his housemaids, Badi Bi and Ismail. As the investigation unfolds, everyone seems to have a motivation for the murder, including the witch that supposedly lives in their peepul tree. 


Unlike the title suggests, this book is more of a social commentary than a murder mystery. I felt the witchy element and murder plot were only accessories to the main plot of social criticism, and the story has more to deal with the lives of people and their morale hidden under the veil of honour and pride. The book touches upon the treatment of people considered low caste by those who consider themselves the upper caste. But it is sad that the book is also mirroring today's society though it is set in the 1950s in the city of Udaipur. 


As much as I liked the ending and its essence, I would have preferred the first half to be even more precise and paced. The descriptions of their everyday lives and the poetic narration were good. Still, in an attempt to be metaphorical, the narrative became a bit complex, and the outlandish writing sometimes left me confused. The problems seemed to be less in the latter half of the book, which had to deal more with the mystery than the character development. 


Overall, the climax and the social criticism part are beautiful and stand out in the book, if not the rest of it.



MY REVIEW: 3.5/5

This review is a part of Blogchatter’s Book Review Program

I am participating in Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

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