A BOOK WITH A RIVETING STORYLINE

Book Review: "Rootless" by Kaushik Roy

The 1971 Liberation war, which spliced the erstwhile East Pakistan from West Pakistan and led to the formation of Bangladesh, has been written about a lot in non-fiction books, but has not been catered to much as a backdrop for a fictional premise. The author Kaushik Roy comes up with the book “Rootless”, which is based on the facts of the 1971 Bangladesh war, merging it with a fictional narrative.

The storyline follows Shahil Kabir, a young IT professional who has grown up in a middle class family with his father and grandmother. After his grandmother passes away, he discovers a bunch of personal letters, and reading them, he senses that his biological grandfather can be someone else than he knows. He decides to visit his grandmother’s birthplace in Bangladesh to solve the puzzle of his grandfather’s identity. Will he succeed in resolving his identity crisis? Will the journey turn his life topsy-turvy? The narrative then goes on to answer these questions.

The front cover of the book is interesting and artistically appealing. The blurb on the back cover is intriguing, which will make readers pick up this book. The storyline of the book is gripping, and will keep the readers on their toes. The characters have also been explored in depth, and the readers will root for the characters. The language used is lucid and adorned with good phrases. However, there are a few editing glitches and deft editing could have been done.

This is a book which should be read because of the riveting story and the frank portrayal of the hardships faced by the refugees, and their emotional journey. The author has also described about the horrifics of the 1971 Liberation war, and is deeply moving. This book with striking prose, engaging characters and a gripping narrative is highly recommended.