MEMORIES OF CORSICA

Michel Bussi’s suspense thriller, Time is a Killer, opens in the summer of 1989, before the tragic car accident that claimed the lives of all its passengers, except one — Clotilde Idrissi, 15. Now, 27 years later and with her own 15-year-old daughter, Clotilde returns to the scenic island of Corsica for the first time since that dreaded August day, to revisit the horrors of her past. 

However, she is not only forced to deal with the upsetting memories evoked from the site of the crash but must also face the disturbing possibility that it may not truly have been an accident. When she receives a letter from one of her supposedly deceased parents, she tries to unearth the truth, and so does the reader. 

The narrative shifts between the past and the present through entries from adolescent Clotilde’s diary in the weeks leading up to the crash, offering us an insight into the complex nature of Corsican culture, and the marital and familial tensions that come with it. It’s an engaging and well-crafted thriller, in which Bussi progressively blurs the lines of chronological time to build up tension, though perhaps sparing too much time when doing so. Despite this, Bussi definitely manages to keep the reader on tenterhooks until the very end with the riveting twists and turns.

Emma Thomson

THE SURVIVOR

A gripping tale of loss and recovery, the novel follows a young girl’s evolution from a victim of trafficking from Thailand to a detective seeking vengeance. Barry Eisler uses sex as a ploy to grab the reader’s attention before drawing them into a more serious read about modern slavery. 

The rape of protagonist Livia’s younger sister and her emotional trauma is told delicately but it is still horrifying. Eisler also effectively narrates sexual abuse from a childlike perspective, like when Livia wonders “once they were alone, were all men like this?” and the descriptions of her struggle with physical affection and romantic love later on are heart-rending too. 

There are some great satirical moments. Describing the reaction of policemen to Livia’s rejections, Eisler ironically writes “a woman who didn’t share a man’s inflated opinion of himself could only be a lesbian”. The novel’s ending is sombre and painfully realistic, but it also leaves room for a sequel.

Eisler uses too many short chapters in an attempt to create tension in the middle of the novel. The steamy passages are also awkwardly misguided in places, particularly when describing Livia’s sexual climax. Some of the plot twists are a little far-fetched, but are engaging nonetheless. The fast-paced narrative and moments of raw emotion make it a captivating  read.

Natasha Livingstone

SON TO FATHER

In Scent of a Story: A Newspaperman’s Journey, Shankar Ghosh pays tribute to his father S.N. Ghosh — the first Indian editor of one of the oldest English newspapers in India, Pioneer. A part memoir-part biography format is explored through the voice of the journalist who reported on the Bengal Famine and helped his wife smuggle rice to Calcutta, to help those in need. More than a son’s tribute to his father, the book pays homage to journalism and looks back at an era when daring and grit defined the profession. 

SHORT & SWEET

After the roaring success of a collection of stories by different authors, Terribly Tiny Tales joins hands with Penguin Books again for readers looking to lose themselves in eloquent poetry reflective of our times. Ninety-Seven Poems (TTT and Penguin Books, Rs 250) is a compilation of poetry by different contributors, and there is a poem for every emotion here, making it relatable for millennials. On a rainy night, sit in the dark with a reading lamp, a cup of coffee and this book for company.