Book Review- Shakuni by Rajendra Thapa

 Name : Shakuni
Author: Rajendra Thapa
Publisher : Indigo Ink
Pages : 310
Genre : Mythological Fiction
Language: Nepali

Shakuni by Rajendra Thapa dwells upon the life of Shakuni , who is considered one of the major antagonist of the Hindu epic of Mahabharata. Generally seen as evil, the book revolves around a simple question: Is it that sinple that Pandavas were good and Kauravas were bad ? Using the first person narrative, the author has bought out the character of Shakuni very well. In the book , Shakuni is shown not just as a dark ,villainous person but in a shade of grey,like everyone else.

Plot

The narrativel begins with Krishna coming to Hastinapura as the peace messenger of Pandavas. The narrative also shows the different sides of Shakuni. For example , from being a pedophile and a sexual predator, he is also shown as an expert politician.Many events in the main story of Mahabharata which can be seen to be fantastic and supernatural are retold in such a way that happens in the human world in a convincing manner.

Dialogue

Even thought the book is mainly narrative and monologue, there are some well formed dialogues between characters like Duryodhana, Bhishma , Karna , Dusshasana, etc. The dialogue are life like and convincing but sometimes tend to become overly descriptive in places where it is not required.

Writing

The style of writing is very fluid and the book is really a page turner. Complex plots have been described in really simple language. But as the story is based on Mahabharata, there are some words which the reader may not be familiar in the present context. But by large, the writing is good.

My Rating : 

Cover : 3.5 
Story : 4
Writing : 4.5 
Overall Rating : 4

Recommendation 
  This book is a must read for anyone interested in Hindu mythology. In the Nepali language, it is as good as any other in the genre.