Book review

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line: A Novel That Won Three Literary Awards Even Before It Was Completed

Deepa Anappara’s debut novel is one of the best works of fiction in ages

I do not remember the last time I finished a novel in one day, I don’t think I ever did, maybe a novella but not a novel. Such is the fictional brilliance this book encapsulates. This is where I completely agree with the review by the New York Times.

“Warning: if you begin reading the book in the morning, don’t expect to get anything done for the rest of the day.” — New York Times

How often have you read a book that stayed true to all the mind-blowing one-line reviews that coated the book from all the directions? For me, it is a few. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is so good, so much that it is hard to believe that it is the work of a debutant. Each chapter is so vivid that it plays in front of your eyes in HDR. You make an instant connection, and you may find yourself connected to the character for days, or maybe forever. I even have begun to believe that this book has made me a better human!

It is a story of three children from slum and the way they see the world around them. Jai, Pari and Faiz are three children who want to solve the case of missing children from their ‘Basti’. As you move from one page to another, you will feel tricked by different feelings, emotional and thrilling blended, rendering a feeling that feels like no other. You will not stop, you will not be bothered by sounds around you, tasks waiting for you to be attended, shows that were paused in between. This book will gift you one fo the most engrossing feelings this year.

The book so beautifully describes the surroundings of any cosmopolitan city in India. As an Indian, I had a feeling that I had been to these places that have been described in the pages. I have a feeling that I have met some of them. I have a feeling that I never cared about them before. I have a feeling that I do now. It is not just the work of a genius, but also the work of an observer, work of a humanitarian, a journalist.

About the Author:

Deepa Anappara was born in Kerala, a state in Southern India. She worked as a journalist for more than a decade, and this part of her life has contributed heavily to her novel. The basic premise of this novel comes from her journalist background, things she had seen and reported. Like mentioned in the title, a part of the novel won the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writer’s Award, and the Bridport/Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award for a First Novel. Currently, Deepa is pursuing a PhD in Creative-Critical writing from the University of East Anglia, Norwich.

You can know more about her through her website: https://www.deepa-anappara.com/.

She is also active on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepa.anappara/