BATSHIT BY KRITIKA KAPOOR

-

BOOK NAME: BATSHIT

AUTHOR NAME: KRITIKA KAPOOR

GENRE: FANTASY THRILLER / FEMINIST FICTION

PUBLISHER: PANMACMILLAN INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK: https://amzn.in/d/fiNpAeY


BOOK COVER IMAGE



BOOK REVIEW

Pia Bhandari is in her thirties, facing a midlife crisis because her mother is forcing body standards on her, and her boyfriend is cheating on her with an Instagram influencer. She has had a troubled childhood because of multiple issues like her abusive mother, a friend who was perfect in all ways and a sister who had an ideal life. Now, it’s her chance to get what she wants, but only if she listens to the demon inside her. It grants her one wish per sacrifice she is willing to make, but how far can she go till the demon ceases to exist?

This is the author’s debut book and my second one by her. I have noticed one thing in common in these books: they both have strong substance, but the execution somehow isn’t balanced. The second half of the book was great and intense, but the first half wasn’t very impressive. 


The theme of mental health, body issues, toxic parenting, and eating disorders was fine, but at some point, it just became too much of everything, and I didn’t know what the author was trying to concentrate on. It became like too many cooks spoiled the broth, and instead, the author could have chosen just a few of these and could have elaborated on that. As with her previous book, the first half was very inept and casual, and I couldn’t feel for any of the characters. However, the second half was reasonable and justified the theme of horror. Only the feminist portion is not found in the book as it was marketed. 


I couldn’t love the book entirely, but I don’t hate it either. If you can bear with a rather clumsy start and have a good ending, then you can go ahead and pick it up. 



MY REVIEW: 3.5/5

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHAPTER 1 - ALIZA AND AHMED

-
Image
Their eyes met for the second time in the day. Every time this happens, Aliza feels a ticklish sensation in her stomach. It's not that they have not been closer than just eye contact, but the jitters won't leave her alone. Her mother-in-law was busy scooping out the last few morsels of chicken from the bowl with a creaking noise that numbed Aliza's ears. Her father-in-law was lost in thoughts enjoying his chicken malai korma and tempered ghee rice.   ‘Aliza, can you get me some warm water?’ Aliza comes running with a jar of water to fulfil her new wife's duties, and Ahmed finds his moment just when Aliza is filling his tumbler and his parents are busy eating. He pokes her in the hip, which is faintly visible between her saree fold and her blouse. Aliza winces and moves behind quickly. She turns around to ensure no one has witnessed it and promptly returns to work, flashing a smile. Ahmed had to steal moments like these between daily activities because the house was alwa...
Read more

CHAPTER 4 - DISTANCE MATTERS

-
Image
'Congratulations on your promotion and transfer. We are looking forward to your full commitment to us. Do get back to this letter at the earliest with your answer.' Read the crafted piece of paper. Ahmed's parents were delighted and jumping with joy. They were chanting 'Alhamdulillah' fervently while Aliza stood confused. She could not make anything of this news because Ahmed's promotion meant everything to her. But his transfer would only mean that Aliza must stay back with her in-laws while he would visit only during weekends. She would happily do so, too, if not for her unsupportive mother-in-law. Aliza wanted to cry, and her eyes brimmed with tears that the world looked like a smudged canvas laying still in front of her. She looked at Ahmed pleadingly and waited until 10 to ask him if he really wanted to go. Asking in front of her in-laws would only mean the end of her good days. Ahmed did not look up because he knew what his transfer meant for both of them....
Read more

CHAPTER 2 - THE BACKSTORY - ALIZA

-
Image
  Aliza is the middle child of her family, with two older siblings and two younger ones. She did not always get her parents' attention because the oldest or the youngest sibling often stole it. She was mostly brought up by her oldest sister, Razia, who made sure she bathed, ate, and went to school on time. After Razia's marriage, her next older sibling Fahim brought home his wife, who had sworn to taunt Aliza all her life. Her younger twin siblings Samir and Ameera were at school, and they often stayed outdoors playing. So Aliza grew up to be the one taking care of her siblings while also managing to thrive herself. After finishing high school, she wanted to join college because her friends were also planning to, and they said studying in college will help a lot in the future. She was also the captain of her school's volleyball team and was a tough player. Aliza thought she could pursue her ambitions after school if she managed to convince her father. But her relatives had ...
Read more