Its been some time since I read anything as disgusting as this book. Its however also been some time since I read something as spine chilling as this. This is pretty much a one line review of 'The Mine' by Arnab Ray, known to the Indian Blogosphere as 'greatbong.'
The book is shameless about its sexual imagination, immature in its ability to handle language, conversations and mood and yet somehow it manages to hold on the reader through a heart thumping page turner. The success of the book lies in its all out tenacity to bring out the worst of our inhibitions, hidden deep inside us right on to the surface - which also happens to be its plot in the first place.
The strength of the book is its setting, cliched as it may get, the mine in 'the mine' goes a far way in establishing its prime mood. In the shining, Stephen King's brilliantly written horror novel (later adopted by Stanley Kubrick with Jack Nicholson in the lead) a family of three is in a lonely Hotel far away from society and what kills them are not the monsters of the Hotel but the monsters that reside within them. The theme here is similar and brought out very well.
While most of the characters utter lines that are out of place and childish, the author compensates for these with thrills and revelations that just about make sure that the page is turned. Like the epilogue, which is unnecessary yet brutal - the book too is a series of events that make one question why they are reading the book in the first place, yet making them complete it almost as if going through the motions.
For the Indian Writer, Ray has opened new avenues that will hopefully be explored more and further.
The Mine - Tough to read, tougher to put down.
No comments:
Post a Comment