Book Review: Curse of the Blue Sapphire by Avik Davar

Curse of the Blue Sapphire
Author: Avik Davar
Publisher: Rupa Publishers
Rating: 3/5

Writing block is something that every writer experiences. To overcome that block and give closure to the piece is the real talent that only authors/ writers possess. With an unanticipated climax, Curse of the Blue Sapphire is one of the most creative stories I have read recently. Very rarely does one come across a story that is set in the modern times and then the narrative takes us back to the ancient times of the kings and the queens. This story is just that! It oscillates between the present and the past, merging many stories together and eventually connecting all dots and leading to a conclusion.

Curse of the Blue Sapphire is a story that is based on oblivion and also the power that can be contained in the gemstones (or in the objects to be more precise). The history of gemstones dates back to the time when the belongings of the last emperor of Punjab, Maharaja Duleep Singh, were found. Amidst many items was a locket and nestled inside it was a blue sapphire. This story narrates how the locket ended up with Gurleen Rambal, the protagonist. It doesn’t take us rocket science to figure out that the locket is cursed. Another segment of this story traces Gurleen’s life, her struggles and her indomitable spirit. The author deftly ties the two segments together explaining subtly how the locket is the root cause for Gurleen’s sufferings.

Strong and unbreakable, Gurleen takes quite a few spills, figuratively. After losing her husband, she is met with a precarious situation. The story follows Murphy’s law and every possible thing that can go wrong with Gurleen, goes wrong. Her son leaves her, she becomes the new target of the loan sharks, she is accused of manslaughter when, in reality, she makes an effort to save someone’s life. Fast-paced and logically sound, Curse of the Blue Sapphire is intriguing yet verbose. Owing to too many descriptions and details, I was unable to finish the book in one sitting. But the wait was worthwhile as the climax offered something quite unexpected. The characters are impressive.

Overall, this story touches upon many themes. It gingerly points out the flaws in our system, the prevalent casteism, invisible boundaries of patriarchy and the stereotypes that define the women. Interesting and palatable, Curse of the Blue Sapphire holds information in abundance. Hence, it might not be like by all types of readers.

Best wishes to the author!

Link to buy: Amazon