A RIVETING MYSTERY READ ABOUT AN ARCANE SCULPTURE

Book Review: ' The secret of the sculptures' by Monika Thakur

The theme of mysterious sculptures stolen from the museums, and of suave detectives following the trails of the mystery is an often depicted topic in movies and television shows. However, this theme hasn’t been explored much in books and novellas. The author Monika Thakur comes up with the book “The secret of the sculptures”, which is an occult fiction dealing with the supernatural mystique and mystery of a sculpture stolen from a museum, and has an unusual and interesting premise in which the protagonists are the prime suspects of the heist.
The storyline follows the adventures of the protagonists Aditi and Maitreyi. The friends meet up in Delhi when Maitreyi returns for her holidays. The holidays start with innocent fun but then the girls are embroiled in the theft of a priceless sculpture that is stolen from Aditi’s college. Mr. Seth, a mysterious stranger with hypnotic eyes, also keeps crossing their path and for him, the sculpture seems to be more than just a relic of history. Events unfold rapidly and the girls are implicated to be the prime suspects. Being at the centre of crime and priceless history, the inexplicability of the situation rises manifold when the protagonists are also transported into a supernatural world, and they realise that there is an extramundane aspect to the sculpture that is directing the fates of everyone involved. What is the esoteric mystery of the sculpture? What will be the outcome be? Will Aditi and Maitreyi be able to find out about this mysterious sculpture, why it was stolen and by whom? The narrative then goes on to answer these questions.
The front cover of the book is captivating but shows only one protagonist, however in the story both Maitreyi and Aditi are intensively involved in finding about the sculpture’s secret. The blurb at the back cover also provides a genuine insight into the story, and people interested in mystery reads and occult fiction will surely pick up the book.
The plotline is refreshing, and adding elements of fantasy and mysticism to the historical perspectives and archaeological details of the sculpture makes the narrative more captivating. The subplots are also incorporated in the story very seamlessly. The sentence formation is good and the writing style elegant, and this is quite impressive given that this is the debut book for the author. However, deft editing needs to be done at places. The characters of Aditi and Maitreyi are well-drawn, and Mr. Seth also comes out as a mysterious, yet intimidating character. The narrative also abounds with gripping twists and turns, and riveting surprises.
This is a book which is an amazing blend of whimsical fantasy, suspenseful narrative and layered writing. This is an entertaining read with a chilling climax and a page-turning storyline, and should be read by readers interested in reading books with an amalgamation of mystery with fantasy.