The Unsolved Case Of An Indian Woman- Book Review

I recently came across “The Unsolved Case Of An Indian Woman” by Puneet JH and decided to give it a shot.

Three people, Three lives, One person connecting them all.

The book tells the story Meenu- the daughter of a poor fisherman, Sneha- an orphan living with her sister and her sister’s husband, and Tandel- an advocate whose main intention in life is to get criminals their just deserts.

In Meenu, we see the innocence and naiveté that can be detected only in children. She’s a little girl who is bullied by her elder sister and shown no affection by her hard-working and busy mother. As the sisters battle for their mother’s affection, their family tries to cope with financial struggles.

Sneha is a beautiful, bright and ambitious young girl, whose parents are dead. She lives with her insecure sister and her husband. Sneha’s sister is envious of her and in order to get rid of her, doesn’t let her go to university and keeps forcing her to marry a no-good crooked drunkard. When she contemplates suicide, a number dialled wrong connects her to Krishna, who seems like he has a solution for every dilemma of hers.

Tandel is a model superwoman. She is clever and hard willed. She fights cases, not for wealth or glory, but to get the perpetrators of crimes punished. Lately, she has been receiving death threats, but no one believes her when she tells them, not even the police. Finally, she decides to go to a psychologist to find out the answer,” Is she going crazy? Are the letters a part of her imagination? Or is really someone out there waiting to harm her?”

The book was an engaging read and I found the parts about psychology and its various branches especially informative. The writing is simple and lucid (There were a few grammatical errors, but the absorbing narrative makes up for it) and the three stories converge effortlessly and beautifully. The plot is immensely absorbing and the twists are intense. The fact that there have been genuine events used as catalysts in the story gives it an increasingly realistic feel. We feel Meenu’s longing for maternal love, Sneha’s immense desolation, and Tandel’s fear about the notes and her determination to seek out the guilty.

The turbulence that Tandel faces makes us feel that, like her, we are trapped in a maze of mirrors. Our hearts clench for Sneha and Meenu.

When the truth is revealed, our veins buzz with anticipation and our hearts ask one question, ”What happens next?”

The one thing that really drew my attention was the representation of the misunderstanding and lack of awareness about mental illnesses that is depicted by the characters. They conclude that mental illnesses and madness are synonymous. Be it the police or even Miss Tandel. One dialogue of her especially draws attention, when she says, “She is depressed sounds better than She is mad”. Although people are more aware now, the old stereotypes about mental illnesses still have a strong grip on people’s minds.

I would give it a score of 4/5 (as there were some parts which I felt could be better presented and communicated.)

If you enjoy books that interest as well as inform you and (like me) prefer mental thrills, risks and adventures, then be sure to add this one to your reading list!

#psychologicalthriller #bookworm #bookreview #mentalillness