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Hotel Arcadia
Sam is a war photographer famous for her hauntingly beautiful pictures of the dead. After a particularly gruelling assignment, she checks into an expensive hotel. Unfortunately she has chosen the exact moment terrorists attack the hotel. Abhi, the hotel manager, begs her to stay quiet and stay put. Abhi has never wanted to be a hero; a disappointment to his army father and brother. He thought he'd come to a safe haven at the hotel, a place where he could be himself. Now stuck inside the sealed-off manager's office in the middle of a terrorist attack, he is desperately trying to keep those still alive safe. His lover Dieter is amongst the hostages in the bar and the photographer Sam, refusing to stay in her room, is roaming through the hotel taking pictures, potentially coming face to face with the terrorists at any moment. A small child, Billy, is found alive under the bodies of his dead parents and Abhi has to persuade the non-maternal Sam to bring him back to her room. He's hurt and Sam has no clue how to look after a child. As the tension mounts and more people are killed, the bond between Sam and Abhi, between Sam and Billy, grows. If any of them get out alive, none of them will ever be the same...
232 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2015
6 people are currently reading
254 people want to read
About the author
Sunny Singh
12 books39 followersSunny Singh was born in Varanasi, India. Her father's work with the government meant that the family regularly moved, living in various cantonments and outposts including Dehradun, Dibrugarh, Along and Teju. The family also followed her father's assignments abroad, living in Pakistan, United States and Namibia.
She attended Brandeis University where she majored in English and American Literature. She also holds a Masters Degree in Spanish Language, Literature and Culture from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and a PhD from the University of Barcelona, Spain.
She worked as a journalist and management executive in Mexico, Chile, and South Africa before returning to India in 1995 to focus on writing. She worked as a freelance writer and journalist until 2002 in New Delhi, publishing her first two books in that period. She moved to Barcelona in 2002 to work on her PhD and published her second novel in 2006.
Singh is currently the Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in Creative Writing at the London Metropolitan University.
She attended Brandeis University where she majored in English and American Literature. She also holds a Masters Degree in Spanish Language, Literature and Culture from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and a PhD from the University of Barcelona, Spain.
She worked as a journalist and management executive in Mexico, Chile, and South Africa before returning to India in 1995 to focus on writing. She worked as a freelance writer and journalist until 2002 in New Delhi, publishing her first two books in that period. She moved to Barcelona in 2002 to work on her PhD and published her second novel in 2006.
Singh is currently the Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in Creative Writing at the London Metropolitan University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 11, 2015
An evocative and very intense thriller, Hotel Arcadia is heavily character driven and beautifully written. One of those books that completely consumes you during the reading of it, this is one that will stay with me.
Sam, a war photographer, finds herself caught up in a siege. Her very real need to be at the heart of things makes her take unneccesary risks – meanwhile on the other end of the phone is Abhi, hotel manager, who is determined to keep her and as many others as possible, safe from the terrorist threat. Both bound by their background and experience, haunted in a lot of ways by the past, the relationship between these two is perfectly timed and very intriguing.
The sense of place is pitch perfect, you can almost feel the fear, the adrenalin and put yourself right into the moment – as things develop, the army outside waiting to see where things go, it is almost as if these two, Sam and Abhi are apart from all that – in a little bubble of their own making and yet still affecting the environment and those around them. When Sam discovers a child, alive and in need of help, things take an even more emotional turn, now she is responsible for more than just her own life. Powerful and elegant writing here as she makes her decisions and things move ever onwards..
Overall this is a powerful and thought provoking novel, a literary thriller that will both keep you on the edge of your seat and leaving you feeling emotionally drained in the best way possible. A really really terrific story, exquisitely constructed with two amazing and memorable characters at its heart I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
Sam, a war photographer, finds herself caught up in a siege. Her very real need to be at the heart of things makes her take unneccesary risks – meanwhile on the other end of the phone is Abhi, hotel manager, who is determined to keep her and as many others as possible, safe from the terrorist threat. Both bound by their background and experience, haunted in a lot of ways by the past, the relationship between these two is perfectly timed and very intriguing.
The sense of place is pitch perfect, you can almost feel the fear, the adrenalin and put yourself right into the moment – as things develop, the army outside waiting to see where things go, it is almost as if these two, Sam and Abhi are apart from all that – in a little bubble of their own making and yet still affecting the environment and those around them. When Sam discovers a child, alive and in need of help, things take an even more emotional turn, now she is responsible for more than just her own life. Powerful and elegant writing here as she makes her decisions and things move ever onwards..
Overall this is a powerful and thought provoking novel, a literary thriller that will both keep you on the edge of your seat and leaving you feeling emotionally drained in the best way possible. A really really terrific story, exquisitely constructed with two amazing and memorable characters at its heart I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
March 8, 2015
Hotel Arcadia, by Sunny Singh, is a work of discernment and contrasts. Set largely within the sterile opulence of a luxury hotel in an unnamed city it tells the tale of war photographer Sam and hotel manager Abhi who are caught up in a siege when a group of terrorists storm the building killing many of the staff and residents. As the country’s armed forces gather outside to deal with a volatile situation these two hunker down in the relative safety of their respective rooms building up a rapport over the telephone. Although their lives are very different it turns out that they have much in common.
Sam is well used to danger having spent many years touring conflict zones around the world to photograph the dead. Initially she views the unexpected mayhem of the hotel in which she had hoped to anonymously unwind as just another assignment. She leaves her room to explore and capture the images which have become her life’s work. However, as her empathy with Abhi penetrates her carefully constructed protective veneer she chooses to take a risk that could be her undoing.
The story takes us back to other assignments and to how Sam came to follow this macabre career. She is strong and resilient but damaged, feeling misunderstood and rejected by those she has loved. She has little time for romance seeking out men for her satisfaction rather than love.
‘happy love stories are only so because they end with the first consummation. Those aren’t really love stories but rather tales of chase, of gratification delayed’
She shields herself from the bloody gruesomeness surrounding her photography by capturing the peace and aesthetic beauty of the dead. She rarely photographs the living who still embody the terror that has befallen them. Her defense against the horrors that surround her requires that she should never become involved.
Abhi was raised in a loving home, a quiet child who appeared to happily follow where his lively brother led. Their father was a much decorated soldier who expected his sons to follow him into the military. When Abhi secretly arranged to go to a university it was regarded as a betrayal. Abhi has not spoken to his father since.
He enjoys the life that he has carved for himself in the hotel and had hoped to find love with one of the regular guests with whom he had become intimate. As he struggles to carry out his duties in the aftermath of the attack he must deal with the knowledge that his lover was likely in a bar where the terrorists have rampaged. It is possible that his lover is dead.
The writing is evocative and powerful. The reader feels the heat, smells the fear, experiences the beauty which remains despite the gruesome scars that war cuts through lives. The author avoids cliches, building characters with the flaws and hurts that life inflicts. By remaining vague about exactly where the hotel is situated, by not dwelling on local styles of dress, preconceptions are avoided. This is a story about people, not race.
I loved the character of Sam. She was atypical of females in literature seeming true to life with her suppressed hurt and determination to survive. When she encounters a living child among the dead she shows humanity but does not suddenly revert to some societally expected maternal type. She is a woman but does not allow her sex to define her.
Abhi is just as strong. A male hero who shows courage and compassion without having to leave the office from where he can be the most use to survivors. He is refreshingly different to the all action heroes beloved of so many fiction writers. He came across as believably real.
This story is of two disparate lives drawn together in a crisis. It explores familial and societal expectations and the profound effects these can have. It looks at loss, the transience of memory, the comfort of mementos. It contains an undercurrent replete with anger and defiance against a society schooled in archetypes
It is rare for any book to move me to tears. That this one did so, in the best possible way, highlights the power of the story and the quality of the writing throughout. The plot is fast moving and compelling. It shows that the hardest battles are those we fight with ourselves.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Quartet Books.
Sam is well used to danger having spent many years touring conflict zones around the world to photograph the dead. Initially she views the unexpected mayhem of the hotel in which she had hoped to anonymously unwind as just another assignment. She leaves her room to explore and capture the images which have become her life’s work. However, as her empathy with Abhi penetrates her carefully constructed protective veneer she chooses to take a risk that could be her undoing.
The story takes us back to other assignments and to how Sam came to follow this macabre career. She is strong and resilient but damaged, feeling misunderstood and rejected by those she has loved. She has little time for romance seeking out men for her satisfaction rather than love.
‘happy love stories are only so because they end with the first consummation. Those aren’t really love stories but rather tales of chase, of gratification delayed’
She shields herself from the bloody gruesomeness surrounding her photography by capturing the peace and aesthetic beauty of the dead. She rarely photographs the living who still embody the terror that has befallen them. Her defense against the horrors that surround her requires that she should never become involved.
Abhi was raised in a loving home, a quiet child who appeared to happily follow where his lively brother led. Their father was a much decorated soldier who expected his sons to follow him into the military. When Abhi secretly arranged to go to a university it was regarded as a betrayal. Abhi has not spoken to his father since.
He enjoys the life that he has carved for himself in the hotel and had hoped to find love with one of the regular guests with whom he had become intimate. As he struggles to carry out his duties in the aftermath of the attack he must deal with the knowledge that his lover was likely in a bar where the terrorists have rampaged. It is possible that his lover is dead.
The writing is evocative and powerful. The reader feels the heat, smells the fear, experiences the beauty which remains despite the gruesome scars that war cuts through lives. The author avoids cliches, building characters with the flaws and hurts that life inflicts. By remaining vague about exactly where the hotel is situated, by not dwelling on local styles of dress, preconceptions are avoided. This is a story about people, not race.
I loved the character of Sam. She was atypical of females in literature seeming true to life with her suppressed hurt and determination to survive. When she encounters a living child among the dead she shows humanity but does not suddenly revert to some societally expected maternal type. She is a woman but does not allow her sex to define her.
Abhi is just as strong. A male hero who shows courage and compassion without having to leave the office from where he can be the most use to survivors. He is refreshingly different to the all action heroes beloved of so many fiction writers. He came across as believably real.
This story is of two disparate lives drawn together in a crisis. It explores familial and societal expectations and the profound effects these can have. It looks at loss, the transience of memory, the comfort of mementos. It contains an undercurrent replete with anger and defiance against a society schooled in archetypes
It is rare for any book to move me to tears. That this one did so, in the best possible way, highlights the power of the story and the quality of the writing throughout. The plot is fast moving and compelling. It shows that the hardest battles are those we fight with ourselves.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Quartet Books.
June 11, 2022
4,25 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Quote: Sam dacht dat de eerst schoten bij de nachtmerrie hoorden.
Hierdoor werd ik meteen het verhaal in gesleurd.
De hoofdpersonen van het boek zijn Sam, een oorlogsfotografe, en Abhi, de hotelmanager. Altijd als Sam na een opdracht tot rust wil komen, zoekt ze een goed hotel op. Deze keer Hotel Arcadia.
Die nacht wordt het hotel overvallen door een groep terroristen. Veel hotelgasten worden in de eerste periode gedood. Een van de overlevenden is hotelmanager Abhi, die zich terugtrekt in zijn kantoor, waar ook de beelden van de beveiligingscamera’s te zien zijn. Abhi belt zoveel mogelijk hotelgasten om hen te zeggen hun kamer op slot te doen en niet open te doen. Zo ook Sam, maar zij houdt zich daar niet aan en gaat na enige tijd toch op onderzoek uit om foto’s te maken. Dat is toch haar beroep.
Na de eerste tocht gaan Sam en Abhi samenwerken, Sam krijgt bijvoorbeeld een plattegrond van het hotel en geeft informatie, onder andere waar springstoffen geplaatst zijn door. Abhi kijkt op zijn schermen om te zien of de plekken waar Sam heen wil veilig zijn.
Bij de tocht van Sam door het hotel wordt afwisselend geschreven wat Sam ziet en doet, en de beelden die Abhi op de schermen ziet. Deze beelden en de informatie die Sam hem geeft, maken het hem mogelijk het leger, dat buiten staat en wacht tot zij een inval kunnen doen, belangrijke informatie te geven.
Naast deze verhaallijn loopt er nog een.
Tussen de scenes uit het hotel staan hoofdstukken uit het verleden van Sam en Abhi. Deze laten zien hoe zij geworden tot wie zij zijn. Deze aanvullingen op het verhaal zijn verhelderend, omdat de hoofdpersonen hierdoor meer gingen leven voor mij. De afwisseling zorgt voor een goed evenwicht tussen spanning en ontspanning, de bijna voelbare spanning, met verdieping van menselijke emoties.
Over het algemeen is het heel vlot
geschreven, zeker over de gebeurtenissen in het hotel. De zaken die in het verleden spelen zijn soms net is te uitgesponnen.
Het boek heeft een open einde. Een goede keus, omdat de spanning blijft en er geen sentimenteel einde verzonnen wordt, maar ik vind cliff-hsngers echt niet okay.
Quote: Sam dacht dat de eerst schoten bij de nachtmerrie hoorden.
Hierdoor werd ik meteen het verhaal in gesleurd.
De hoofdpersonen van het boek zijn Sam, een oorlogsfotografe, en Abhi, de hotelmanager. Altijd als Sam na een opdracht tot rust wil komen, zoekt ze een goed hotel op. Deze keer Hotel Arcadia.
Die nacht wordt het hotel overvallen door een groep terroristen. Veel hotelgasten worden in de eerste periode gedood. Een van de overlevenden is hotelmanager Abhi, die zich terugtrekt in zijn kantoor, waar ook de beelden van de beveiligingscamera’s te zien zijn. Abhi belt zoveel mogelijk hotelgasten om hen te zeggen hun kamer op slot te doen en niet open te doen. Zo ook Sam, maar zij houdt zich daar niet aan en gaat na enige tijd toch op onderzoek uit om foto’s te maken. Dat is toch haar beroep.
Na de eerste tocht gaan Sam en Abhi samenwerken, Sam krijgt bijvoorbeeld een plattegrond van het hotel en geeft informatie, onder andere waar springstoffen geplaatst zijn door. Abhi kijkt op zijn schermen om te zien of de plekken waar Sam heen wil veilig zijn.
Bij de tocht van Sam door het hotel wordt afwisselend geschreven wat Sam ziet en doet, en de beelden die Abhi op de schermen ziet. Deze beelden en de informatie die Sam hem geeft, maken het hem mogelijk het leger, dat buiten staat en wacht tot zij een inval kunnen doen, belangrijke informatie te geven.
Naast deze verhaallijn loopt er nog een.
Tussen de scenes uit het hotel staan hoofdstukken uit het verleden van Sam en Abhi. Deze laten zien hoe zij geworden tot wie zij zijn. Deze aanvullingen op het verhaal zijn verhelderend, omdat de hoofdpersonen hierdoor meer gingen leven voor mij. De afwisseling zorgt voor een goed evenwicht tussen spanning en ontspanning, de bijna voelbare spanning, met verdieping van menselijke emoties.
Over het algemeen is het heel vlot
geschreven, zeker over de gebeurtenissen in het hotel. De zaken die in het verleden spelen zijn soms net is te uitgesponnen.
Het boek heeft een open einde. Een goede keus, omdat de spanning blijft en er geen sentimenteel einde verzonnen wordt, maar ik vind cliff-hsngers echt niet okay.
September 24, 2017
Based on the blurb for this book I thought it held a lot of promise, but I was left pretty dissatisfied with the end product. I believe that the overall premise of the novel was great but the inclusion of so many flashbacks/past memories, with respect of the two main characters, was, in my opinion, unnecessary and detracted from the tension and drama being built up in real time. I accept that the purpose of the inclusion of these flashbacks was to build up an understanding of the characters and explain why they were, in current day, the way they were, but I believe that this could still have been successfully achieved by using fewer examples.
What I did enjoy about this book was the way in which the actual perpetrators of the crime, the nameless, and almost faceless, terrorists play a lesser role with respect of the storyline. They become almost a secondary, inconsequential focus of the story. Although they are the cause of the two main characters being in the predicaments they are in, and the reason for their strength of characters being tested, it is the latter that is the main focus of the book. I also really enjoyed watching the relationships of the two main characters, and latterly the character of Billy, unfolding as the story went on. The choice not to specify the city, or even the country, the story takes place in was also a very clever writing technique.
I think given today's global events this novel is very relevant and in many ways the writing and style of this book worked but overall I believe it could have been improved with more real time detail and less reminiscing.
What I did enjoy about this book was the way in which the actual perpetrators of the crime, the nameless, and almost faceless, terrorists play a lesser role with respect of the storyline. They become almost a secondary, inconsequential focus of the story. Although they are the cause of the two main characters being in the predicaments they are in, and the reason for their strength of characters being tested, it is the latter that is the main focus of the book. I also really enjoyed watching the relationships of the two main characters, and latterly the character of Billy, unfolding as the story went on. The choice not to specify the city, or even the country, the story takes place in was also a very clever writing technique.
I think given today's global events this novel is very relevant and in many ways the writing and style of this book worked but overall I believe it could have been improved with more real time detail and less reminiscing.
April 1, 2019
I enjoyed reading this but expected more from the ending. Well written and like the two lead characters and thought it would have a bit more towards the end.
Read
November 18, 2015A hyper-luxury hotel in a city by the sea has been overrun by terrorists. Guests who were in public spaces, or who were rash enough to open their doors, have been gunned down. Now the survivors hunker down inside, as outside, the security forces plan their assault. With an opening chapter headed ’87 hours ago’, it is clear we are counting down towards a showdown.
The premise of Hotel Arcadia could be the outline for yet another Die Hard film, but Sunny Singh transforms it into something quite different. Instead of focusing on the battle between the terrorists and the soldiers, she homes in on two people who would be bit players in any Hollywood movie. Abhi, the hotel manager, trapped in the operations room, watching events unfold on the closed circuit television screens. And high up in the tower, Sam, a photojournalist who was spending the last night of her assignment in the hotel.
Hotel Arcadia is a duet of whispered conversations by phone and text, followed by hours of silence as memories peel back layers of their lives. We learn that Abhi is an army brat who refused to follow his father and brother into the forces, while Sam has spent her life moving between one war and another, increasingly obsessed with capturing images of the dead. Both lonely, both used to being alone, they reach out to each other across the darkness, revealing parts of themselves they habitually keep hidden.
This is an intensely visual book. Sam’s photographs are described in lush detail, as is the way she attempts to control the world by framing it through her viewfinder. Photographs and images on screens – who takes them, why they are taken and for whom – become powerful, shifting metaphors.
“It was the jutting plane of this hip that caught her eye ... The jutting bone pushed against brown skin, gleamed in the growing morning light, the lean plane of his upper leg disappearing into the gloom. Shadows reached up from the depths of the hut and bled into hollows of his stomach.”
Singh names neither the city nor the country in which the siege is happening, though it is hard not to hear echoes of the 2008 attacks on the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Yet the absence of specificity serves to underline that this could happen anywhere, at any time. This could be Mumbai, but it could equally be New York or London, Sydney, Nairobi or Dubai.
The three and a half day siege is allowed to play out with no sudden rush of heroics. We are left poised in the moments before what, in the blockbuster version, would have been the big set-piece climax – a profoundly emotional ending that satisfies on a much deeper level.
The premise of Hotel Arcadia could be the outline for yet another Die Hard film, but Sunny Singh transforms it into something quite different. Instead of focusing on the battle between the terrorists and the soldiers, she homes in on two people who would be bit players in any Hollywood movie. Abhi, the hotel manager, trapped in the operations room, watching events unfold on the closed circuit television screens. And high up in the tower, Sam, a photojournalist who was spending the last night of her assignment in the hotel.
Hotel Arcadia is a duet of whispered conversations by phone and text, followed by hours of silence as memories peel back layers of their lives. We learn that Abhi is an army brat who refused to follow his father and brother into the forces, while Sam has spent her life moving between one war and another, increasingly obsessed with capturing images of the dead. Both lonely, both used to being alone, they reach out to each other across the darkness, revealing parts of themselves they habitually keep hidden.
This is an intensely visual book. Sam’s photographs are described in lush detail, as is the way she attempts to control the world by framing it through her viewfinder. Photographs and images on screens – who takes them, why they are taken and for whom – become powerful, shifting metaphors.
“It was the jutting plane of this hip that caught her eye ... The jutting bone pushed against brown skin, gleamed in the growing morning light, the lean plane of his upper leg disappearing into the gloom. Shadows reached up from the depths of the hut and bled into hollows of his stomach.”
Singh names neither the city nor the country in which the siege is happening, though it is hard not to hear echoes of the 2008 attacks on the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Yet the absence of specificity serves to underline that this could happen anywhere, at any time. This could be Mumbai, but it could equally be New York or London, Sydney, Nairobi or Dubai.
The three and a half day siege is allowed to play out with no sudden rush of heroics. We are left poised in the moments before what, in the blockbuster version, would have been the big set-piece climax – a profoundly emotional ending that satisfies on a much deeper level.
October 4, 2024
I'd give 3.5 / 5 if I could - as a whole enjoyed the book, the characters of Sam and Abhi are deep and interesting - and certainly do grow as the book goes on. There was a real connection between these two characters despite what was going on around them and having never met each other before.
Whilst the flashback chapters were interesting, I personally felt there was too many - what could have felt a tense and nervous storyline was disrupted by quite lengthy flashbacks.
I also felt the ending lacked somewhat - whilst there was some closure from the final act, it felt as if there was a little more the story could give to close all chapters.
Whilst the flashback chapters were interesting, I personally felt there was too many - what could have felt a tense and nervous storyline was disrupted by quite lengthy flashbacks.
I also felt the ending lacked somewhat - whilst there was some closure from the final act, it felt as if there was a little more the story could give to close all chapters.
March 30, 2024
Seeking a break after her latest assignment, Sam, a war photographer famous for her thought-provoking photographs of the deceased, chooses Hotel Arcadia as her temporary refuge, unaware that the war would soon find her there. A group of terrorists carries out an attack on the hotel, resulting in hostage situations and multiple guest fatalities.
As Sam initially approaches the task as just another capture assignment, her perception changes when she establishes a phone connection with Abhi, the hotel manager, who finds solace in his office. Despite Sam’s lifelong exposure to war, Abhi deliberately chose a different route, diverging from the military profession that his father and brother intended for him. However, he is now caught in the middle of the situation, manoeuvring through the army surrounding the hotel, while Sam fearlessly explores the floors from within.
In summary, this novel is a captivating and emotionally intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Prepare to be captivated by a truly remarkable story, expertly woven around two unforgettable characters.
Many thanks to @ProfSunnySingh @PointBlankCrime & @RandomTTours for a review copy.
As Sam initially approaches the task as just another capture assignment, her perception changes when she establishes a phone connection with Abhi, the hotel manager, who finds solace in his office. Despite Sam’s lifelong exposure to war, Abhi deliberately chose a different route, diverging from the military profession that his father and brother intended for him. However, he is now caught in the middle of the situation, manoeuvring through the army surrounding the hotel, while Sam fearlessly explores the floors from within.
In summary, this novel is a captivating and emotionally intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Prepare to be captivated by a truly remarkable story, expertly woven around two unforgettable characters.
Many thanks to @ProfSunnySingh @PointBlankCrime & @RandomTTours for a review copy.
March 28, 2024
A really impressive thriller that has two unique and refreshingly different characters to those we usually find in a thriller. A very engrossing story
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
December 19, 2018
I like Sunny Singh, she's a good person and there's the possibility that this may colour my review slightly.
With that said, I did enjoy this book. Typically a reader of science fiction, fantasy or medieval history books, I've been trying to widen my reading and when I saw this book on sale it was a no-brainer, honestly. Set in a hotel that's been attacked by some terrorists, the action essentially takes place over a couple of days. The two main characters are a hotel manager - Abdhi - and a photojournalist - Sam - who specialises in taking photographs of the war dead, and I think these are the strong points of the book. Not too much happens beyond the central event in the book but that's fine, interesting characters make a book, after all. We see some development and learn more about the two, and part of me would like another story featuring them in another setting - Sam is especially interesting, given her history of taking some shocking photographs and dealing with the effects this has on her mental health - but there's something to be appreciated in a quick glimpse into the lives of two people, I think.
One or two things did rub me up the wrong way slightly; I'm not a fan of jumping back and forth in time, as the book does here and there to explore the back story of the main characters a smidge, but that's just a personal thing and it's unfair to judge what is a well-written book harshly, given that. Ultimately I recommend this, and think it's probably worth somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars, given my unfamiliarity with the genre and whatnot. It's good stuff, and I'll happily read Sunny Singh again.
With that said, I did enjoy this book. Typically a reader of science fiction, fantasy or medieval history books, I've been trying to widen my reading and when I saw this book on sale it was a no-brainer, honestly. Set in a hotel that's been attacked by some terrorists, the action essentially takes place over a couple of days. The two main characters are a hotel manager - Abdhi - and a photojournalist - Sam - who specialises in taking photographs of the war dead, and I think these are the strong points of the book. Not too much happens beyond the central event in the book but that's fine, interesting characters make a book, after all. We see some development and learn more about the two, and part of me would like another story featuring them in another setting - Sam is especially interesting, given her history of taking some shocking photographs and dealing with the effects this has on her mental health - but there's something to be appreciated in a quick glimpse into the lives of two people, I think.
One or two things did rub me up the wrong way slightly; I'm not a fan of jumping back and forth in time, as the book does here and there to explore the back story of the main characters a smidge, but that's just a personal thing and it's unfair to judge what is a well-written book harshly, given that. Ultimately I recommend this, and think it's probably worth somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars, given my unfamiliarity with the genre and whatnot. It's good stuff, and I'll happily read Sunny Singh again.
December 6, 2019
I bought this because I follow the author on Twitter and we chat sometimes and she seems like a smart person so I thought I'd read her book. I am glad I decided to do that. I really enjoyed this book. I know character is really important to me and this book really is character driven. Emotion. Relationship. The writing is gorgeous. The combination of a short timeline with occasional flashbacks works really well. Trauma. Art. Photography. Might be difficult for anyone with battle related PTSD.
April 4, 2024
Hotel Arcadia tells the Story of Sam, a war photographer, set mostly within a luxury hotel in an unnamed city when terrorists storm the building, killing many of the hotel residents and staff.
It's a powerful read full of emotion. It's intense, evocative, feels very real and it quite gruesome in parts.
It's a heavily character driven story and brilliantly written.
The story flows well, character development was just right and I read this in two sittings.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
It's a powerful read full of emotion. It's intense, evocative, feels very real and it quite gruesome in parts.
It's a heavily character driven story and brilliantly written.
The story flows well, character development was just right and I read this in two sittings.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
August 19, 2019
I'm sure I am missing something. The writing and words are fantastic, but I couldn't really get to grips with the story. I understood what was going on, but I found it hard going. Like I say, excellent writing. Sorry, Sunny.
July 22, 2024
Hotel Arcadia by Sunny Singh is a Crime Thriller/Suspense book that is set in Hotel Arcadia during a terrorist attack. It is the story of Sam - a famous war photographer, known for hauntingly beautiful pictures of the dead and Abhi - the hotel manager, who never wanted to be a hero and just wants to avoid the disappointment of her father and brother, who are stuck among some gun-wielding terrorists. What will happen when they are forced to work together, to not only save their own life but of Billy, a five-year-old as well who is found alive under the bodies of his parents, because if they make it out alive, they would never be the same?
The story was very well crafted and with the gradual character development, the reader could understand the intensity of the actions outside the rooms more intensely. The cautious connection build-up between Sam and Abhi was a delight to read and made the readers more invested in their journey. The nuisances of the profession of Sam as a war photographer were gruesome to read at times, reflecting the master storytelling of Singh, though it left some cravings for more personal stories of the childhood of Sam, which in contrast was thoroughly covered for Abhi, making it more intimate and empirical.
Being a reader who prefers knowing the nuisances of protagonists' personalities and every detail of their actions and the psychology behind it, there comes a bias where I prefer not reading much about the surroundings and minor objects as the majority experience has led the details to nowhere, lacking the connection between them and the protagonist, and thus makes it mundane for me. Until this book. Singh very effortlessly interlined the surrounding objects and otherwise to the protagonists' journey, which gave a whole new dimension to their personalities. And something that I thoroughly enjoyed after a long time.
Overall, it was a very engaging read from beginning to end (especially some last chapters) which shows the psyche of people facing the repercussions of terrorism directly without getting into the political narratives, its roots and causal factors, surprisingly, thus making it more personal and humane. I will give it 4/5 stars.
The story was very well crafted and with the gradual character development, the reader could understand the intensity of the actions outside the rooms more intensely. The cautious connection build-up between Sam and Abhi was a delight to read and made the readers more invested in their journey. The nuisances of the profession of Sam as a war photographer were gruesome to read at times, reflecting the master storytelling of Singh, though it left some cravings for more personal stories of the childhood of Sam, which in contrast was thoroughly covered for Abhi, making it more intimate and empirical.
Being a reader who prefers knowing the nuisances of protagonists' personalities and every detail of their actions and the psychology behind it, there comes a bias where I prefer not reading much about the surroundings and minor objects as the majority experience has led the details to nowhere, lacking the connection between them and the protagonist, and thus makes it mundane for me. Until this book. Singh very effortlessly interlined the surrounding objects and otherwise to the protagonists' journey, which gave a whole new dimension to their personalities. And something that I thoroughly enjoyed after a long time.
Overall, it was a very engaging read from beginning to end (especially some last chapters) which shows the psyche of people facing the repercussions of terrorism directly without getting into the political narratives, its roots and causal factors, surprisingly, thus making it more personal and humane. I will give it 4/5 stars.
April 22, 2019
"Hotel Arcadia" follows two characters, Abhi and Sam, during a 70-hour hotel siege. Sam is a war photographer who specialises in photographing the dead; Abhi is a hotel worker from a military family. The story of the siege is interspersed with flashbacks from their lives, adding depth to their characters and placing their feelings and reactions in context. It's cleverly written and a fascinating study in how people react to awful situations.
Sam is a likeable and relatable character despite her aloofness and detachment. She is wary of getting hurt and finds it easier to live her life alone with the dead. Her closest relationship is with her ex-partner, David, now married to someone else but present in her life like a regrettable tattoo. Her life is fascinating and tragic at the same time.
Abhi is kind-hearted despite his military upbringing and expectations of brutal masculinity from his father. His character is a perfect blend of military organisation and out-of-his-depth panic. I wasn't sure he needed to be portrayed vomiting quite as many times as he did, but it certainly hammered home how awful the situation was.
Overall, this is an interesting and well-plotted book that should appeal to fans of thrillers and character-driven stories.
Sam is a likeable and relatable character despite her aloofness and detachment. She is wary of getting hurt and finds it easier to live her life alone with the dead. Her closest relationship is with her ex-partner, David, now married to someone else but present in her life like a regrettable tattoo. Her life is fascinating and tragic at the same time.
Abhi is kind-hearted despite his military upbringing and expectations of brutal masculinity from his father. His character is a perfect blend of military organisation and out-of-his-depth panic. I wasn't sure he needed to be portrayed vomiting quite as many times as he did, but it certainly hammered home how awful the situation was.
Overall, this is an interesting and well-plotted book that should appeal to fans of thrillers and character-driven stories.
July 14, 2020
I was gripped by this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the way it was written and the fragmentary way we'd learnt about each of the main characters. I did jar slightly on some shifts in Sam's character who seemed to have a certain idea of herself that was not then reflected in her actions. However, this also allowed new complexities into the mix. The descriptions were evocative and helped build clear pictures of Abhi and Sam as well as the luxurious hotel locations and the various locations they think back on in their time trapped in the hotel.
My main disappointment with this story, and the reason I only give 4 starts instead of 5 was the abruptness of the ending. I understand not wanting to tie up every loose end or not wanting characters to meet, but it just... stops. No closer conclusion to the events or the characters we've spent the time getting to know. Whilst I can understand how that is a literary choice and how it has most likely been done to cause discomfort in the reader and leave them guessing, the result feels unfinished.
I think I'm more frustrated with the ending because so much of the rest of it was so gripping and enjoyable. I would highly recommend to others.
My main disappointment with this story, and the reason I only give 4 starts instead of 5 was the abruptness of the ending. I understand not wanting to tie up every loose end or not wanting characters to meet, but it just... stops. No closer conclusion to the events or the characters we've spent the time getting to know. Whilst I can understand how that is a literary choice and how it has most likely been done to cause discomfort in the reader and leave them guessing, the result feels unfinished.
I think I'm more frustrated with the ending because so much of the rest of it was so gripping and enjoyable. I would highly recommend to others.
March 27, 2024
I was absolutely hooked with this book, I couldn't put it down. I loved the fact that despite their being so much going on, our focus was on the two main characters Sam and Abhi, with Billy alongside. I loved how the relationship and bond between Abhi and Sam developed throughout the book. They have never met and yet the bond they had by the end was just beautiful.
I liked the fact that we found out about each of their pasts and what had led them to that moment in the hotel, both of them had things in their pasts that prevented them, whether that was from loving someone or feeling that they can be loved to feeling that they belong.
I thought the way that Sam's photographs were described was absolutely beautiful, I felt that I could picture each one exactly as it should be. there were times when she was exploring that I was literally holding my breath. I do feel that I needed a couple more chapters at the end just for my own curiosity but there maybe a second book - who knows!
I liked the fact that we found out about each of their pasts and what had led them to that moment in the hotel, both of them had things in their pasts that prevented them, whether that was from loving someone or feeling that they can be loved to feeling that they belong.
I thought the way that Sam's photographs were described was absolutely beautiful, I felt that I could picture each one exactly as it should be. there were times when she was exploring that I was literally holding my breath. I do feel that I needed a couple more chapters at the end just for my own curiosity but there maybe a second book - who knows!
March 26, 2024
Hotel Arcadia is about war photographer Sam who is currently staying in a luxurious hotel but it quickly becomes a nightmare when the hotel is under siege by terrorists. Abhi the hotel manager is desperately trying to keep everyone safe but as Sam won't stay in her room it makes it hard. When a child Billy is found amongst the dead, Abhi and Sam must work together to keep Billy safe. The writing in this book is so incredibly pacy and you can literally feel the danger, fear and adrenaline. I may have let out a little scream and then held my breath because I didn't want to be found. It's one of those books that you become so immersed in that you believe you are in the story. I was on the edge of my seat with bated breath. A powerful, thought provoking read that gets the heart pumping so hard that you feel like you have run a marathon.
October 3, 2023
This book was an absolute powerhouse of emotions.
The way death is depicted is horrifying, yet fascinating. I was hung up to every work of the development of the tragedy. The only thing I didn't love was the ending, as it left the lives of our characters on the balance, without gicing a positive or negative resolution to events. This is a powerful message to the uncertain outcome of those types of situations, yet it left me quite rattled.
Definiely would recommend the book.
The way death is depicted is horrifying, yet fascinating. I was hung up to every work of the development of the tragedy. The only thing I didn't love was the ending, as it left the lives of our characters on the balance, without gicing a positive or negative resolution to events. This is a powerful message to the uncertain outcome of those types of situations, yet it left me quite rattled.
Definiely would recommend the book.
July 25, 2024
I inhaled this. Started around 10 am and finished about five hours later- it’s so so brilliant. I worked in photography for ten years, so there was certainly an element to understanding the role of a fixer and producer- but more so, in crisis situations how people can be exactly what you need and how it is often easier to help someone else than address the broken parts of your own heart, family and life.
March 14, 2022
The characters are very real and you get to know them well. You are drawn into the events - past and present. I found I was holding my breath at times when Sam ventured out. At first, I didn’t like the ending but came to realize this was the only way it could have ended. I thought about this book for a time after finishing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2025
Présenté comme un thriller. L'histoire tourne plutôt autour de deux personnages principaux, soit le directeur de l'établissement où a lieu une attaque terroriste et une photographe de guerre, cliente de l'hôtel. Le lien qui se crée entre eux est intéressant et certains passages sont émouvants. Par contre, je n'ai pas du tout ressenti le côté terrifiant de l'attaque. 3,5 étoiles
February 22, 2022
This was a good listen. I was intrigued throughout the book. It did get alittle long in the middle but I pushed through it. The ending left me with questions that I would have liked answers to but overall it was a good book.
Read
September 3, 2021DNF
February 15, 2024
The relationship between Sam and Abdi, which is played out by phone, or him watching cctv, is brilliant. Too much information will mean spoilers, I think. I couldn't put it down.
March 1, 2024
Read & reviewed for The Bookbag http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/H...
April 10, 2024
When Hotel Arcadia was first published by Quartet in 2015, I found it unputdownable, reading it in one session (which is perfectly doable given its length of 224 pages). Now it has finally got a paperback release through Magpie/Point Blank Books, and I was delighted to revisit it. We meet Singh's two lead characters in the first few pages, which instantly gripped me, setting the stage for one of the most tense literary thrillers I’ve ever read.
"Sam thought that the first shots were in her nightmares.[…]
No, she never thought of bullets, except in her dreams. Perhaps that is why she felt so disorientated when she finally awoke to the screeching of the phone. […]
‘Ma’am,’ the voice on the phone whispered urgently, ‘I am calling from reception. We have a problem. Please stay in your room. Lock the door please. And please turn off all the lights. You cannot let them know you are there. Do not open the door for anyone. Please.’ "
Hotel Arcadia could be anywhere – its exact location is never specified, and the action in the novel takes place completely inside the hotel. The premise is very simple – a group of terrorists storms the Hotel Arcadia, systematically hunting down the guests and murdering them – we never find out why – we never hear their side of the story.
We see what happens through the eyes of just two people: Abhi, one of the hotel managers and Sam, a guest, both of whom escape the initial purge. From his initial hiding place under the front desk, Abhi is able to raise the alarm then escape, locking himself into the back security office where he has CCTV and connections to the outside world. Taking his job very seriously, he does his best to contact as many guests as possible and once the security forces are apprised liaises with them as their man on the ground. All along though, he has Dieter on his mind; his lover would have been waiting for him in the bar that evening.
Sam is a war photographer. Her way of winding down at the end of a gruelling assignment is to hunker down in a luxury hotel with a good bottle of malt whisky for a couple of nights to keep her PTSD at bay and to put off returning home. Sam only photographs the dead. ‘Her photographs are tombstones for those unnumbered, nameless dead.’ She snaps back into her professional mode, and once she’s sure the gunmen have moved from her corridor, starts planning.
She rings Abhi, demanding floor-plans. He tells her to stay put – politely. Soon he will spot her in the corridors on CCTV, armed with her cameras – and the two of them will talk and text through the hours as he follows her every move. Their relationship develops from initial exasperation to respect and friendship as time passes. The difficulty arises when Sam discovers Billy, a child alive under the bodies of his parents. She’s not maternal at all and knows that the child may endanger her own life; it takes some strong persuasion from Abhi to get her to rescue him and take him back to the temporary safe haven of her room.
Singh, however, between the gunshots and murder, finds space to tell us more about Abhi and Sam. The peace-loving Abhi is rather a disappointment to his father compared with his brother who is prepared to fight, yet as a young boy Abhi reveres his older brother. We explore Sam’s extraordinary career, her restlessness and failure to commit to relationships. They are both outsiders, brought together under these deadly circumstances. Abhi and Sam balance each other perfectly in this story; two strong characters, each written with depth and immediacy. If this balance had been off just a little, the novel wouldn’t have worked so well.
Despite the asides for their back stories, the tension ratchets up and up and the body count rises as the gunmen go about their terrible business preparing for their grand finale. The first chapter starts at ‘67 hours ago’ but it isn’t until the novel comes to ‘Now’ in the final pages that you realise this siege has lasted nearly three days – such is the pace at which we are carried along.
Singh has done her research really well. There is authenticity in the hotel layout, the near identical rooms and corridors, the acres of marble in common areas and the hotel comms and security systems. She’s studied (war) photographers and their kit too, for there is a preciseness about Sam’s work and equipment that has just the right level of detail. As to whether Abhi, Sam or any of the others get out alive, of course I can’t say, but this gripping novel will stay with me for these two wonderfully written characters. I’m so pleased this superb novel has got a reprint for I heartily recommend it.
"Sam thought that the first shots were in her nightmares.[…]
No, she never thought of bullets, except in her dreams. Perhaps that is why she felt so disorientated when she finally awoke to the screeching of the phone. […]
‘Ma’am,’ the voice on the phone whispered urgently, ‘I am calling from reception. We have a problem. Please stay in your room. Lock the door please. And please turn off all the lights. You cannot let them know you are there. Do not open the door for anyone. Please.’ "
Hotel Arcadia could be anywhere – its exact location is never specified, and the action in the novel takes place completely inside the hotel. The premise is very simple – a group of terrorists storms the Hotel Arcadia, systematically hunting down the guests and murdering them – we never find out why – we never hear their side of the story.
We see what happens through the eyes of just two people: Abhi, one of the hotel managers and Sam, a guest, both of whom escape the initial purge. From his initial hiding place under the front desk, Abhi is able to raise the alarm then escape, locking himself into the back security office where he has CCTV and connections to the outside world. Taking his job very seriously, he does his best to contact as many guests as possible and once the security forces are apprised liaises with them as their man on the ground. All along though, he has Dieter on his mind; his lover would have been waiting for him in the bar that evening.
Sam is a war photographer. Her way of winding down at the end of a gruelling assignment is to hunker down in a luxury hotel with a good bottle of malt whisky for a couple of nights to keep her PTSD at bay and to put off returning home. Sam only photographs the dead. ‘Her photographs are tombstones for those unnumbered, nameless dead.’ She snaps back into her professional mode, and once she’s sure the gunmen have moved from her corridor, starts planning.
She rings Abhi, demanding floor-plans. He tells her to stay put – politely. Soon he will spot her in the corridors on CCTV, armed with her cameras – and the two of them will talk and text through the hours as he follows her every move. Their relationship develops from initial exasperation to respect and friendship as time passes. The difficulty arises when Sam discovers Billy, a child alive under the bodies of his parents. She’s not maternal at all and knows that the child may endanger her own life; it takes some strong persuasion from Abhi to get her to rescue him and take him back to the temporary safe haven of her room.
Singh, however, between the gunshots and murder, finds space to tell us more about Abhi and Sam. The peace-loving Abhi is rather a disappointment to his father compared with his brother who is prepared to fight, yet as a young boy Abhi reveres his older brother. We explore Sam’s extraordinary career, her restlessness and failure to commit to relationships. They are both outsiders, brought together under these deadly circumstances. Abhi and Sam balance each other perfectly in this story; two strong characters, each written with depth and immediacy. If this balance had been off just a little, the novel wouldn’t have worked so well.
Despite the asides for their back stories, the tension ratchets up and up and the body count rises as the gunmen go about their terrible business preparing for their grand finale. The first chapter starts at ‘67 hours ago’ but it isn’t until the novel comes to ‘Now’ in the final pages that you realise this siege has lasted nearly three days – such is the pace at which we are carried along.
Singh has done her research really well. There is authenticity in the hotel layout, the near identical rooms and corridors, the acres of marble in common areas and the hotel comms and security systems. She’s studied (war) photographers and their kit too, for there is a preciseness about Sam’s work and equipment that has just the right level of detail. As to whether Abhi, Sam or any of the others get out alive, of course I can’t say, but this gripping novel will stay with me for these two wonderfully written characters. I’m so pleased this superb novel has got a reprint for I heartily recommend it.
November 6, 2021
Well written. Well-crafted. Character driven. Political in global terms.
This is not my usual genre of books--I am a fantasy person with an occasional foray into f/f because fantasy contains so little of it--but I am glad that I trod off my usual path for this one. Sam and Abhi, their loneliness, their alienation from society, and their attempts to reach towards it, are intensely relatable even, or perhaps, especially in the background of such violence. I assume that loneliness is what makes them reach out to each other despite their differences.
This is not my usual genre of books--I am a fantasy person with an occasional foray into f/f because fantasy contains so little of it--but I am glad that I trod off my usual path for this one. Sam and Abhi, their loneliness, their alienation from society, and their attempts to reach towards it, are intensely relatable even, or perhaps, especially in the background of such violence. I assume that loneliness is what makes them reach out to each other despite their differences.
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