'Elephants in the room' crime thriller by Suraj- Book Review
“Elephants in the room” is a captivating crime thriller with extensive intricate details of planning, execution and investigation of a bank robbery, plotted by Suraj Lakshminarayanan. It is a really long book with 600 pages but the amount of detailing done in the course of plotting and narration justifies the length. The core story is about a bank robbery that doesn’t go as per plan. To give you a sense of the narration, first 130 pages are all about planning the robbery. Actual event happens after that and rest of the book details the aftermath.
You might have read thrillers that involve bank robbery for sure. But have you read a story in which 3 different gangs attempt to rob same back on same day, same time? Well, that is the core of Elephants in the room. Most of the robbers are amateurs and have decided to rob the bank due to their own financial struggles. Each of them have a story, priority and compulsions. The minute by minute narration of the incidents post robbery attempt constitutes second half of the book. If I write too much I might reveal the plot, hence not going into details. But be assured the plot has enough twists and turns.
The plot is centred around Chennai. Most of Chennai’s landmarks and historical places find a mention in the novel, along with additional details or their historical significance.
One useful thing authors can do, particularly while writing super long novels is to provide an index or reference page detailing the character names and some brief description- like who are they, what group/team or gang they belong etc. A 600 page book can’t be read in one sitting- if I resume after a week, I will have to refresh who is what.
I couldn’t figure out what happened to Sarathy, or who used the tunnel, if at all. It is there, just that missed it. Also some authors often mix a track with romance to keep certain section of the audience engaged. But this book focuses almost fully on the core plot. There is an iota of love story but deviations from core plot are negligible.
You will like “Elephants in the room” if you like crime fictions, extreme detailing and easy narration. Language used is fairly simple; no complicated words are induced unnecessarily. Many Tamil lines are used with translation to give authenticity.
The plot is centred around Chennai. Most of Chennai’s landmarks and historical places find a mention in the novel, along with additional details or their historical significance.
One useful thing authors can do, particularly while writing super long novels is to provide an index or reference page detailing the character names and some brief description- like who are they, what group/team or gang they belong etc. A 600 page book can’t be read in one sitting- if I resume after a week, I will have to refresh who is what.
I couldn’t figure out what happened to Sarathy, or who used the tunnel, if at all. It is there, just that missed it. Also some authors often mix a track with romance to keep certain section of the audience engaged. But this book focuses almost fully on the core plot. There is an iota of love story but deviations from core plot are negligible.
You will like “Elephants in the room” if you like crime fictions, extreme detailing and easy narration. Language used is fairly simple; no complicated words are induced unnecessarily. Many Tamil lines are used with translation to give authenticity.
Summary:
Title: Elephants in the room
Genre: Crime Fiction
No. Of pages: 599
Publisher: The White Place
MRP: 350 (Rs 299 on Amazon+delivery-buy here or click link below, kindle version also available)
ISBN13: 978-9-38728-242-1
Now an interesting part. I had the opportunity to review this book before its official launch, so I could give my feedback. Author has been kind to give my feedback a mention in the opening page of the book. Feels honored.
The other book where my feedback is quoted is Dada
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