The Cliffhangers - a Novel by Sabin Iqbal - a book review

I know I mostly read light books but once in a while, I take challenging work. When I saw cover and blurb of cliffhangers by Sabin Iqbal published by Aleph books, I know the book will belong to a critically acclaimed book world, the ones I read once in a quarter. The topic covered one of the sensitive issues that India faces in the current time.

From the book blurb, I thought the book would be a murder mystery, but it was a completely different material. Though the story was based on a murder mystery, most of the parts cover the cultural and social background of that village/town. I know even I am writing the plot in a mysterious style. Let me give you a clear idea. The Cliffhangers that title mentioned are our 4 core characters, who belonged to a Muslim community. Their village has reached a limit where small mischief from either Hindu or Muslim community can bring violence & riots. Cliffhangers were notorious but not aligned to Muslim radicals that were prevailing in their area. They understood that religion was there the biggest problem in their area. 

The book covers various characters that interacted with Cliffhangers. It shows how each character had affected these teenagers' life in good or bad ways. There was a village where people considered taking a job in gulf countries or marine business was the ultimate goal in life. But cliffhangers wanted to change that same destiny. Read the book to know more.

Coming to the writing style, it is a descriptive narration. The story is not the case mentioned in the blurb but the life of the Cliffhangers. The pace of the story is slow to medium. The author has taken the time to develop characters and sub-characters. The sub-characters kept spawning until the last chapter, which makes you read until the last page. There are multiple sub-stories giving details of those areas and their people. It correctly shows the delicate religious matter that India is facing today.

The books may not be the best choice for beginners. But book lovers will love it. 

I am giving 3.5 out of 5 to the book.

Book Links - Goodreads & Amazon