Having spent my childhood reading Chetan Bhagat’s earlier works which mostly centered around romance, engineering or both, his recent foray into mystery and crime has definitely been refreshing and has showcased his versatility as a writer.
400 Days, the third installment in the Keshav and Saurabh detective series follows the duo as they tackle a cold case that had remained unresolved despite intense media attention and intensive police investigation. At its heart, the novel is about a mother’s unwavering determination to find her abducted daughter. Bhagat is a seasoned storyteller who rightly understands the mentality, the taste and the cultural setting of the South Asian society and uses it in this novel. As expected, I was so hooked that I read the entire book in one sitting, even after a long day of travel. The characters are well-developed, each with distinct personalities.
However, the ending felt somewhat flat and the romantic angle could be definitely avoided. The culprit’s capture and the rescue of the girl couldn’t be rejoiced as the book doesn’t present the legal measures taken against the culprit or if the accomplice involved is booked or not. The emotional aftermath of a child who endured a year of trauma is hardly explored and Bhagat could have focused on these aspects rather than stretching the narrative unnecessarily in the middle which could have given a powerful opportunity to this book for depth and closure.
Despite a few flaws, the novel echoes a familiar theme: friendships remain although lovers grow apart. The book is undeniably addictive and, in comparison to several recent reads that lacked coherence or logical structure, it felt like a welcome change. I would definitely recommend this book.
