Special Book
In our July bookshelf this week stands Jacob Hills, the new novel by Ismita Tandon Dhankher. Filled with an assortment of characters, Jacob Hills is centered on an army station that houses a war college. The time period of the book is set around India of the 1980’s. The writer herself belongs to the army background. Ismita’s father served the army for over 36 years and we can see that the writer is well acquainted with the inner workings, social structure and the culture that used to pervade in the army during the time period in which the novel is set.
The writer also clarifies her stand on the novel’s shocking, horrific events, fictional as they are, “The book is not about a particular organization, but about people and the choices they make.” The writer also extols the army in the introductory note, “Not many know that this unique organization has an excellent support system that looks after the families of its officers, both retired and deceased. My mother has experienced it first-hand ever since my father passed away. I have high regard for this institution and I am proud to be an army daughter.”
Moving on to the story, Jacob Hills unfolds in the darkness of the most mysterious crevices known to humans – the mind. It unearths uncomfortable, unfathomable truths about human behaviour. In an exclusive interview to BookChums, Ismita sheds light on the writing, “All writing is a reflection of the times we live in. The seventies and eighties was an era of great suppression, men and women were not allowed to mingle freely. All over the world the hippie movement was on a roll since the sixties but premarital sex in India was seen as an aberration. Jacob Hills is the story of Lotharios in uniform.”
The array of characters gives the book a feel of an Agatha Christie novel. Apart from the shocking events that are set on the roll with murmurs a possible murder and an alleged child abuse, the novel has its share of suspense and spine-chilling moments. The scene at the abandoned church, the falling of a drop of blood in the darkness and then the subsequent discovery of the bleeding body of a woman are all engrossing moments. Another factor that works wonders and keeps us guessing is the multi-narrative technique employed by the writer. We discover, much to our alarm, that none of the narrators can be taken for granted. In summation, Jacob Hills is a novel that is not to be missed.
The writer also clarifies her stand on the novel’s shocking, horrific events, fictional as they are, “The book is not about a particular organization, but about people and the choices they make.” The writer also extols the army in the introductory note, “Not many know that this unique organization has an excellent support system that looks after the families of its officers, both retired and deceased. My mother has experienced it first-hand ever since my father passed away. I have high regard for this institution and I am proud to be an army daughter.”
Moving on to the story, Jacob Hills unfolds in the darkness of the most mysterious crevices known to humans – the mind. It unearths uncomfortable, unfathomable truths about human behaviour. In an exclusive interview to BookChums, Ismita sheds light on the writing, “All writing is a reflection of the times we live in. The seventies and eighties was an era of great suppression, men and women were not allowed to mingle freely. All over the world the hippie movement was on a roll since the sixties but premarital sex in India was seen as an aberration. Jacob Hills is the story of Lotharios in uniform.”
The array of characters gives the book a feel of an Agatha Christie novel. Apart from the shocking events that are set on the roll with murmurs a possible murder and an alleged child abuse, the novel has its share of suspense and spine-chilling moments. The scene at the abandoned church, the falling of a drop of blood in the darkness and then the subsequent discovery of the bleeding body of a woman are all engrossing moments. Another factor that works wonders and keeps us guessing is the multi-narrative technique employed by the writer. We discover, much to our alarm, that none of the narrators can be taken for granted. In summation, Jacob Hills is a novel that is not to be missed.