'Witness the Night' is worth an interesting read

Title: Witness the Night
Author: Kishwar Desai
Publisher: Harper Collins
Price: Rs 225
Rating:  ***1/2

Being her first novel and longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize, 2009, Kishwar Desai's book Witness the Night is an interesting read. The storyline narrated through the first person voice of two characters — 14 year old Durga, the prime suspect in a murder case and Simran, a free spirited social worker. The novel starts at a murder scene where a family of thirteen has been murdered and proceeds onto Simran trying to get to the bottom of the matter. The plot bends into intriguing twists and turns often throwing up baffling questions in the minds of the readers. The author gives a lucid insight into the mind of two women from two different age groups and reveals secrets that have been hidden in the deepest corners of their hearts. There is intelligent use of metaphors that delve deep into the personality types of the two protagonists and phrases like "I wear my idealism like a brahmastra, ready to slay all the rakshashas." and "The bubbles of dense unforgiving water will rise and grab each urn with greedy fingers…" are plenty.

Desai's attempt to throw light on one of the country's major concern — gender prejudice and men-women equality — is quite commendable. The book is a realistic account that explores the length at which some Indian families could go to ensure they are not "burdened" with the female child. A hard-hitting storyline along with harsh reality paves the way for Desai as one of the authors to watch out for.