Book Review: The Speaking Ghost of Rajpur

The Speaking Ghost of Rajpur by Priyonkar Dasgupta is a story of a group of boys embarking on an adventure in a town called Rajpur in suburbs of West Bengal. Shoumo, the protagonist, along with his elder brother, Shomik is visiting his cousin Joy. They are joined by Joy’s friends and together spend their time roaming around, chatting, gaming and exploring the neighbourhood. The story line is peppered with little twists and turns here and there.

I picked up this book while travelling. Little did I know, I would have a little adventure of my own. The first thing that attracted me to the book was the cover. The cover of the book is beautiful (I judge the book by its cover ;)) and so are the illustrations.

The narrative style of writing made this book an interesting read. The author has so vividly described the events, it made me feel like I was the part of the setting. I could feel the excitement building up within me. Soon, I was laughing with them and nervous with them. It took me back to my childhood when I used to read Famous Five Series. Reading the book was a trip down the memory lane. It reminded me of the good old time I spent during my vacations meeting cousins, relaxing, sharing stories of ghosts and seeking adventure.

All the characters are very relatable. Shoumo is the younger brother who wants to feel included in his elder’s brother group. You could feel his struggle. Shomik and Joy are typical elder brothers pulling Shoumo’s leg. The parts where all of them wander into the woods are my favourite to read. Though there seem to be some loose ends while reading, the author has culminated them perfectly at the end.

Though the story was gripping and kept me turning pages, I felt that pace was a little slow. While the details certainly helped in creating imagery in the minds of readers, they were an unnecessary distraction sometimes, adding nothing new to the plot.

In a nutshell, pick up this book if you are looking for something light and adventurous.

Leaving you with my favourite quote from this book:

“It was that same, familiar smell of old books, which never fails to stimulate that strange longing in the heart that pulls one towards them each time.”

P.S: I won a review copy from The Tales Pensieve as part of Reviewers Programme. Register on #TTP for lots of #book fun and activities.