It has been a while since I read a Ravi Subramanian novel. I have been a fan of his work since his first novel. His writing style, his characterisations, the tension he builds up – everything is top notch.
And so when Ravi decides to "present" an author, it was something I was looking forward to.
"Body of Work" is written by Mansi Babbar and presented by Ravi Subramanian. With a length of only 166 pages, this one was a quick read. Here's my take on the novel.
PLOT
The basic plot revolves around my favorite theme – BOLLYWOOD. And so it was only natural I would pick this book. The story revolves basically around two characters – a journalist named Raina and a superstar actress named Hera. While the entire world raves about Hera, her acting, her stardom and her generous contribution to the film world, Raina thinks otherwise. She thinks Hera is not at all what she presents to the entire world. Infact, she thinks she is more twisted than what others assume. Who amongst these two is right and who is wrong forms the crux of the plot.
WRITING & LANGUAGE
Debut writer Mansi Babbar does a good job under the mentorship of Ravi Subramanian. Her writing is crisp, clear, effective and grammatically sound. She vividly describes scenes, structures, portraits and all of that is effectively communicated.
POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES
The best part of the book is the urgent speed with which it proceeds. I guess that was the aim – to present an unputdownable novel which gives you hardly any time to breathe and think, and which makes you read the book in one go – binge-read. The author succeeds at most of the places in doing that.
The short length was another plus point. It made things easier rather than unnecessarily stretching a plot after it loses its steam.
On the flipside, I felt the descriptions of the portraits were a bit gruesome. Also, I might be wrong, but maybe this book was written with a thought in mind that maybe one day, some director might adapt it into a movie. Now that is a great thing no doubt! However, I felt at places the book felt too filmy – as if inviting filmmakers and telling them – "Look look! I have got you a novel you can convert into a movie."
Also, the big reveal in the climax is well done, but it was visible from a long time.
OVERALL, "Body of Work" is a fast-paced well written novel which can be easily finished in one single sitting. Nothing extraordinary, but a good read which you can finish on a train or bus ride or a lazy Sunday.
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