Book Review: Ashvamedha by Aparna Sinha

ASHVAMEDHA

Author: Aparna Sinha
Publisher: Srishti Publishers
Rating: 3.5/ 5

All men must choose between two paths. Good is the path of honour, heroism, and nobility. Evil… well, it’s just cooler.
-Megamind (2010)

Remember this dialogue from the movie ‘Megamind(2010)’? No? Well, Google it. This animated film was not only enjoyable but also engaging. The very first quoted lines in the blurb of ‘Ashvamedha’ reminded me of this movie. Keeping in mind the mint condition of the movie, I hoped the same for this book. And yes, my wish was fulfilled when I started reading the very first chapter.

Ashvamedha is a strong word that signifies horse sacrificing ritual. Hence, the title is reasonable. The story is about a pawn- Ashwin Jamwal, who is played upon by betrayers. His life is owned by evils until he finally decides to call quits and join the ugly and jeopardized game of Politics. He succeeds but at the cost of something. With some really thought-provoking incidents and realistic descriptions of the scenes, the story is relatable. But on top of everything, the climax made me feel like the cat that got the cream.

The plot reeks of avarice, perjury, amour, politics and rancour. With all these emotions, the story is definitely a blockbuster. Short and crisp dialogues are the strength of this book. The author has taken care to avoid lengthy monologues which can often turn out to be stodgy in such genre of books.

However, this book has a major drawback in printing and spacing. There are some errors in the language too but are not that notable. The font is different for some of the chapters and also the page numbering has not been done in a standard format.

Overall, the story is more like a motion picture and is alluring and compelling. A good read.

Best wishes to the author!

Buying Link: Amazon