Ravi Dabral’s latest novel Greed, Lust, Addiction is a novel that can be enjoyed by the readers of any age group. It has the potential of a crime thriller that can keep the readers engaged until the last; moreover, the novel by Ravi has also the elements of a very communicating ‘contemporary realism’ that portrays the realities of the modern India – crime, corruption, murders, judiciary, politics and so on… and at last, the novel also emphasises on our roots – Vishwaguru! To become a Vishwaguru again, India will have to look within and eradicate the problems within the country first. So, in short, I did not only enjoy the novel by Ravi but also learnt a few lessons from this interesting as well as enlightening novel.
Greed, Lust, Addiction is a 306-page novelist in English and its Hindi translation runs to 353 pages. Both the versions are embellished with suitable language so that readers of various age and interest groups can easily read the book and comprehend the sense and hidden allusions without any trouble. This is, I will say, something that should be a must for any author who is willing to write contemporary fiction.
Plot:
Ravi Dabral’s plot is interesting. It focuses on the life and explorations of an investigative journalist, Suraj. Also, the plot has, for a certain length of the novel, two folds – one runs through the old diary of Suraj and another runs in the mainstream – the life of Vijay, Suraj’s younger brother. After the diary is over, the two plots meet and merge and the story moves ahead in full swing. Suraj is an introvert at the beginning who cannot express his emotions to his student, Anjali. He completes his education and joins the news channel as a journalist – Freedom News Channel. However, his confrontation with the prevalent corruption, crime, collusion and conspiracies compel him to carry a sting operation and he comes to know about deadly nexus of corrupt politicians, police officers, capitalists and other professionals. However, Suraj dies in an accident – leaving so many secrets behind him to be unfolded by his brother Vijay and Vijay’s girlfriend Sima. To do so, Vijay and Sima take the help from Guruji, a sanyasi who runs an Ashram in Rishikesh. So, will a spiritually awakened person help Vijay unfold the mysteries of the sting operation and Suraj’s death? What is in that sting operation CD? Is Suraj really dead by accident or he was murdered? And to tell the readers, there are many twists in the tale and some might just blow your mind! Be ready for surprises when you read this novel!
Themes:
Widely, the theme is to present situations in the country. This is inspired by realistic thoughts and also the personal experience of the author Ravi Dabral with the saints and sadhus of the Himalayas and various parts of the country along with his hometown in Uttarakhand – the land of Yogis – the Devabhumi! The author has wonderfully described Yoga, Chakras, Om’s importance and practices and many other things which might interest the readers who are curious to know more about the power of spiritual practices. Moreover, the handling of the theme of corruption and probable ways of eliminating it from our society are also wonderfully dealt with by the author in this novel.
Overall Impression:
As I said earlier, the novel is amazing not only because it entertains but also because it enlightens and guides. The formation of Human Welfare Party (HWP) and then the subsequent formation of various teams – Chandragupta Team and Chandragupta Team’s concept is also wonderful. So, Ravi Dabral has come up with a fully grown idea in his debut novel. He did not leave any possible loophole that might weaken the plot. It is a good novel for the readers who love reading crime thrillers as well as for those readers who love reading something innovative and always demand more. I am impressed by the author’s writing and his handling of this broad theme very cleverly and conveniently.
I will rate this novel with a perfect five out of five! It is contemporary, interesting, enlightening and also compulsive! I am sure the readers will fully enjoy reading this novel! You can get a copy from Amazon by visiting the link given below:
Get Ravi’s novel – Click here to buy from Amazon
review by Ananya for Indian Book Critics
Greed Lust Addiction
99
Pros
- Strong message
- Quality theme
- Interesting Plot
Cons
- Slow pace in second part
- Diction is too shallow at times
4 Comments. Leave new
Nice work by the author that explores spirituality in a deeper sense.
Ravi’s book is really an eye-opener for modern readers. He has done a great job to come out with such a great job. I can sense these things from your review that it will keep the readers engaged until the last with the exciting elements of spiritualism and thrill. I will surely read this in upcoming days.
Overall, the story looks like an elegant piece of literature. I can sense a multidimensional theme in the novel. I am looking forward to reading the book. Thanks for your informative article.
Such an interesting fiction in the age of contemporary writers who are busy writing in best selling bad literature.