The Sun Shines Down by Sankha Ghosh- Review

Political thrillers are the latest trend in Indian literature. The increased demand for political thrillers as well as the increased attempt by the authors could be the result of the boom in political awareness among the youth. One more feather to the political thriller wing is Sun Shines Down.


The book takes off with the serial murders of Civil Service Aspirants, which is a cover-up for a scam. Meanwhile, readers get to see Sreya Basu being the Chief Ministerial candidate and how they assort PR services to build an image. A parallel tale of Faiz whose brother is murdered in the Civil Service scam develops. These two parallel plots lead the book.

The author has let the worms out of the political horse trade and the other decaying rotten side of the system. It is not a hidden fact that advertisement agencies are used in image building by all political parties. The new surge of taglines and other ads is witness to the same. The characters have a lot of possibilities that could have been made use of. Their craft is good yet it leaves space for more development. The second inning of the book starts in Balochistan. The author’s attempt in connecting the geo-political scenario there is commendable. Nonetheless, the shift from India to Balochistan is sharp-edged and hence creates confusion initially. Further, it becomes clear that it was a deliberate attempt to create suspense but needed a rework on that note.

Verdict

A political thriller for light read lovers


Scenario:   4 /5