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The Secret of Sirikot
Whispers of murder stalk the corridors of Sirikot Palace only to disappear forever into the dark womb of family secrets, as India stands poised on the brink of independence.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 8, 2012
By Shivani Singh. Grade: A
I must admit that before this, I had’t yet read a novel of this genre by an Indian author which I liked. Romance, maybe. But mystery? Nope.
Ms. Singh, however, proved me wrong, and reminded me once again how stereotypes are almost always incorrect.
Imperiously dismissive of the whispers of a new democratic India, the royal family of Sirikot continues its centuries-old exploitation of its people with the casual cruelty and extravagance that blue blood decrees is their birthright.
But the high-handed arrogance of the rulers of Sirikot is curiously at odds with its own tenuous hold on a monarchy threatened by the coming of Independence and India’s emergence as a democracy. A hold that is weakened further when, in another fine tradition of royal families, the king is murdered.
The Secret of Sirikot splendidly re-creates the sheer extravagance and opulence of a Rajput court and is resplendent with the kind of exquisite detail about Indian royal life that only an insider is privy to. Narrated in the part imperious, part vulnerable voice of a thirteen-year-old princess, daughter of the First Daughter of the king, who takes it upon herself to solve the murder of her grandfather, it brilliantly describes both the whimsical ways of its emasculated elite and the suppressed hatred of those condemned by birth and caste to serve it.
The story starts when our narrator, who is seventy-two, and knows that death is knocking on her door. We don’t know why, but she feels that she has one last thing to finish before she leaves, one last story to tell. So begins the tale of her maternal grandparents’ home – Sirikot – and the secrets that this royal kingdom contained.
Her narrative starts when she is thirteen and it is 1947, the year that royalty was to leave for good. It is the month of March, and she is in Sirikot for Holi. The story basically revolves around the events of the year. Before the political changes, her “Nana Sahib” (the king) has died. Correction: is murdered. Barely a teenager, she decides to investigate, to find out what exactly happened.
Through these twists and the turns, she finds out many things that she doesn’t want to know, including astonishing truths about her mother and the rest of her family. She doesn’t get too far with the investigation (or so we are made to think). The truth comes out many years later.
To explain the story further would be difficult, because this is one story that has to be read to be understood.
The novel got off to a great start, something which I had not anticipated. I liked the story a lot. The story was fresh, interesting and very novel. It was amazing how the author wrote. Her style is fluid, and the read goes without too many bumps. I’ll definitely try to read her next book.
I became absorbed in the story pretty quickly. However, after a few chapters, it lost its tempo completely. The uniqueness that had me captivated immediately wore out after a few chapters, and it became boring. The almost-lyrical prose became bland.
It then picked up pace in the middle and slowed down again. This annoying routine continued until the very, very last page. And that is not just an expression. The first half of even the last chapter was boring. It only became interesting in the second half, and peaked in the last page. I suppose it was a build up of sorts, which can be attested to its genre, but instinctively, I feel that the author could have worked on this slackening.
Aside from this annoying change of the tempo, the other major downside was the sudden and irrelevant stories in the middle. I mean, did we really need to go into that much detail about facts not even remotely connected with the mystery? I do not think so. Yes, some insights into the way a royal family works were good, but unneeded. Yet, that would’ve made the story very short, and I feel that the author was trying to add pages. Still, I think she should’ve developed on the main crime a little more. That said, the fact that the author has a royal background showed up, and would be quite engrossing to many of us, who have never had the pleasure to be associated with royalty.
Despite my nitpicking, I would say that overall, the book is great. The way the mystery comes together in the end is amazing. Worth the money!
Initially published as ‘The Raja Is Dead’.
Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com
I must admit that before this, I had’t yet read a novel of this genre by an Indian author which I liked. Romance, maybe. But mystery? Nope.
Ms. Singh, however, proved me wrong, and reminded me once again how stereotypes are almost always incorrect.
Imperiously dismissive of the whispers of a new democratic India, the royal family of Sirikot continues its centuries-old exploitation of its people with the casual cruelty and extravagance that blue blood decrees is their birthright.
But the high-handed arrogance of the rulers of Sirikot is curiously at odds with its own tenuous hold on a monarchy threatened by the coming of Independence and India’s emergence as a democracy. A hold that is weakened further when, in another fine tradition of royal families, the king is murdered.
The Secret of Sirikot splendidly re-creates the sheer extravagance and opulence of a Rajput court and is resplendent with the kind of exquisite detail about Indian royal life that only an insider is privy to. Narrated in the part imperious, part vulnerable voice of a thirteen-year-old princess, daughter of the First Daughter of the king, who takes it upon herself to solve the murder of her grandfather, it brilliantly describes both the whimsical ways of its emasculated elite and the suppressed hatred of those condemned by birth and caste to serve it.
The story starts when our narrator, who is seventy-two, and knows that death is knocking on her door. We don’t know why, but she feels that she has one last thing to finish before she leaves, one last story to tell. So begins the tale of her maternal grandparents’ home – Sirikot – and the secrets that this royal kingdom contained.
Her narrative starts when she is thirteen and it is 1947, the year that royalty was to leave for good. It is the month of March, and she is in Sirikot for Holi. The story basically revolves around the events of the year. Before the political changes, her “Nana Sahib” (the king) has died. Correction: is murdered. Barely a teenager, she decides to investigate, to find out what exactly happened.
Through these twists and the turns, she finds out many things that she doesn’t want to know, including astonishing truths about her mother and the rest of her family. She doesn’t get too far with the investigation (or so we are made to think). The truth comes out many years later.
To explain the story further would be difficult, because this is one story that has to be read to be understood.
The novel got off to a great start, something which I had not anticipated. I liked the story a lot. The story was fresh, interesting and very novel. It was amazing how the author wrote. Her style is fluid, and the read goes without too many bumps. I’ll definitely try to read her next book.
I became absorbed in the story pretty quickly. However, after a few chapters, it lost its tempo completely. The uniqueness that had me captivated immediately wore out after a few chapters, and it became boring. The almost-lyrical prose became bland.
It then picked up pace in the middle and slowed down again. This annoying routine continued until the very, very last page. And that is not just an expression. The first half of even the last chapter was boring. It only became interesting in the second half, and peaked in the last page. I suppose it was a build up of sorts, which can be attested to its genre, but instinctively, I feel that the author could have worked on this slackening.
Aside from this annoying change of the tempo, the other major downside was the sudden and irrelevant stories in the middle. I mean, did we really need to go into that much detail about facts not even remotely connected with the mystery? I do not think so. Yes, some insights into the way a royal family works were good, but unneeded. Yet, that would’ve made the story very short, and I feel that the author was trying to add pages. Still, I think she should’ve developed on the main crime a little more. That said, the fact that the author has a royal background showed up, and would be quite engrossing to many of us, who have never had the pleasure to be associated with royalty.
Despite my nitpicking, I would say that overall, the book is great. The way the mystery comes together in the end is amazing. Worth the money!
Initially published as ‘The Raja Is Dead’.
Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com
February 5, 2021
Horrible. Don't waste your time
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews