Title: End of Story
Author : Arjun Shekhar
Today we live in a society in which we are bombarded with different stories and realities produced by news channels. “End of Story” by Arjun Shekhar is an intriguing tale that revolves around media and advertising world. A thriller based on the truths and divergent facets of media, is full of twists and turns.
According to the back cover:
Is someone out there tinkering with our minds?
Shukrat Ali, a news anchor at Khulasa, the tabloid? current affairs channel, is out of a job.
TV channels across the country have closed down as a consequence of a Supreme Court ban on electronic advertising. An inquiry is on regarding the emergence of a sinister new form of ads the media has dubbed ‘propagandads’, which uses compelling subliminal messages to subtly rewire people’s minds and influence their actions.
Even as Shukrat grapples with the question: How does an anchor move on he is summoned to testify in the trial concerning the killing of his ex-boss, Satya Saachi Sengupta, the mysterious and towering figure in his life, whose connections with this insidious mind manipulation scheme can no longer be denied.
Being a key witness present at the scene of the crime, Shukrat must prepare to bare all before the court and tread carefully lest his testimony boomerangs on him.Gripping and darkly humorous, End of Story? is an intriguing and intelligent thriller about the dystopian possibilities of everyday advertising.
My view :
The story is about Shukrat Ali, a news anchor at Khulasa Channel. Being one of the eye witnesses, he’s questioned about his boss, Satya Saachi Sengupta’s murder in the court’s hearing. The author presented the story in a riveting way. It begins with Shukrat Ali’s daughter, Quyamat (referred to as Q in the book) all of a sudden, goes missing from the school. After a tough search, she’s found to be in school where she arranged a surprise for her parents. Eventually, a power-point presentation comes out to be an another source of amazement for her parents in which she planned three interesting questions for them. Further, the plot of the story reveals interesting things about the death of protagonist’s boss death.
Coming to the diverse characters of the book, each of the them adds a new flavor to the story. Be it Quyamat’s(Q) strange yet entertaining questions or the protagonist’s wife who’s always vexed with him. The book consists of a fair mix of characters.
The author has done a commendable job in choosing such a new and different subject for writing. The story covers several elements such as thriller, drama and suspense. Along with the story line, the language is capable to keep the reader interested till the end. Overall, the narration is simple yet effective.
Talking about the title, it is unusual but, adds to the curiosity in the reader’s mind. The simple cover of the book depicts the basic theme i.e. media and television world. In addition, the blurb of the book doesn’t reveal much about the story, is appealing and put several questions in the reader’s mind.
The second half of the book is more captivating than the first half. There were certain places where I felt that some parts were sluggish and stretched a bit which can lose reader’s attention. But, the conclusion is the most significant portion of the story.The climax of the book is totally worth the wait. The way how the murder mystery is been resolved is enthralling. The end of the book will stupefy the readers.
Furthermore, I felt that the cover of the book could be more attractive so that it can evoke more interest in the reader’s mind.
The story unveils spurious realities of media and advertising sector. With a eye-catching title and impactful script, this murder mystery’s finale will definitely leave you in shock.
Moreover, if you love puzzles and thriller based books, then it’s a good read.
Rating : 3.5/5
Reviewer : Shivani Chauhan