Elephants in the Room – Book Review

Before I get into the details, let me share some facts about Suraj Laxminarayanan’s debut novel, a crime thriller piece of fictional literature. The first important thing that a reader should know is that the author has taken almost 3 (even a little more than that) years to complete this novel. Elephants in the Room by Suraj is the result of constant cleansing, curating and bettering a creation of words and ideas – a novel! I like the dedication that the debutant has shown for the very first novel. Not only that, but Suraj has also chosen a rather different setting and theme for his novel. He could easily have done some romantic fiction and sold a few copies to annunciate his arrival; however, he had better ideas and only for his own reputation! Suraj Laxminarayanan’s Elephants in the Room has come to me for a scrutiny today and I will be reviewing it for my readers. Let’s get into it.

Well, it took me three sittings to complete reading this novel. It’s voluminous and you will certainly need a little time. The novel might appear to be a slow-moving fiction at the beginning as the events take place in detail. Once the action shifts inside the bank being robbed, the novel will start moving fast. You get inside the heads of the characters as well as of the events taking place. Suraj Laxminarayanan has explored the outer dimensions – the plot and the theme of the novel and the inner dimensions – the psyche of the characters as well. One thing that strikes the mind is the detailed description of the actions, events, thoughts, thought processes and so on…

Suraj’s concept is certainly not unique – different gangs of robbers colliding inside the same bank at the same time on the same day. However, his treatment of this concept is certainly peculiar and he has done his best to make the novel interesting, prolonged and gripping to a great extent. Yes, on a few occasions (rare ones), you feel like being dragged. That can certainly be ignored because it’s really interesting enough to invest one’s reading time into the novel, Elephants in the Room.

Things that will ring the bells for the readers:

1. Unique characters

2. Weird names of the characters

3. Interesting twists in the plot

4. Soft to hard and then hard to soft attitude of the characters

5. The conclusion

The ideal audience of this book:

Elephants in the Room will be a very good read for the readers of crime fiction. Moreover, the weekend and occasional readers of fiction will also like reading the book because it keeps the tempo of anticipation and curiosity alive thoroughly. Suraj, as a debut novelist, has really done well with his book.

My Rating & high-low points:

Elephants in the Room is certainly going to impress the readers, no doubt about it. However, it’s going to be a difficult read for the read-instantly gang – a little time and patience is needed. Nonetheless, if you are patient enough, you will certainly have a lot of pleasant experiences to remember. The novel is having serious moments as well as the peak moments of a crime fiction – violence in the highest and coldest form. I will keep my bar at 4 out of 5 and my suggestion – perfect one-time novel!

Get your copies – click here to buy the novel from Amazon

Thanks & happy reading!