Book Review: 'End of Story?' by Arjun Shekhar

What if your daughter has gone missing? And your boss is murdered on the same day? And while you’re trying to investigate all this (because you have to testify in court) you come across a sinister plot much deeper than you could have imagined?

Gripping – one word which describes Arjun Shekhar's 'End of Story?'. A thriller woven with precision, this book is unlike most fiction books you read; it has a touch of reality in it. It is especially intriguing for those who don’t trust mainstream media anymore. It’s courageous of someone to indicate what is happening in the real world by means of a story.

I’m not fond of fiction, but this book left me curious. I’ve stopped believing the media It wasn’t captivating enough for me to finish it at one go, but had me coming back to it; one novel in which I wanted to find out what happens in the end.

End of Story?

It starts off with Shukrat Ali, an anchor at the news channel ‘Khulasa’, worried about having to testify in because his boss was murdered a few months ago. He reflects of the events of the past few months, which begin with his daughter being kidnapped and end with the killing of his boss Satya Saachi Sengupta. As the events transpire, Shukrat Ali unearths a nexus between the media and the government and decides to expose it. Each chapter begins with a question posed in the courtroom to Ali, and his answer forms the rest of it. The plot, albeit left a little wanting for substance, is well woven and leaves no loopholes. Also, the description of the Gond tribes and the Vidarbha region, where most of the book is based, are awesome! Not only does the author describe the characters with amazing accuracy, he also uses language which matches the quality of renowned thrillers.

It would be mean to give away the plot. So no more details about it… It did not keep me awake at nights wanting to read more, but is powerful enough to ensure who picks it up finishes it. Like Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, the book becomes really slow at times. But be patient and pull through those pages because the climax more than makes up for them. It’s heartening to see Indian authors write books like this which don’t hand the story on a platter to the readers, but make them connect the dots and draw the author’s conclusion for themselves.

This book is a definite 3/5. So if you’re not reading a thriller currently, pick it up and enjoy a good break from your reading list. You will be left refreshed.