Book Review: The Chronicle of Golgotha Days by Sujith Balakrishnan

Book Review

The Chronicle of Golgotha Days by Sujith Balakrishnan

The Chronicle of Golgotha Days by Sujith Balakrishnan

Author: Sujith Balakrishnan

ISBN: 978-9352011780

Genre: Crime & Thriller

Length: 202 Pages

Publisher: Frog in Well (25 March 2019)

My Ratings: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/2YbUOQM

About the author:

Sujith Balakrishnan is a novelist, a short story writer and a poet as well. He lives and works in the UAE in a reputed multinational company. He has recently made his debut with his novel based on a true event – the 1996 Suryanelli rape – The Chronicle of Golgotha Days. In his novel, Sujith has raised serious questions on the system of justice, corruption and humanity. He has weaved a serious fiction that not only establishes him as an author with purpose but also asks many questions of the readers.

Sujith Balakrishnan with Paul Zacharia

Follow him on Instagram: @sujithauthor2018

Twitter Handle: @sujithb234
Check out his Website: https://authorsujithbalakrishnan.in/
Email: sujithwriter2018@gmail.com

REVIEW

Narration

The Chronicle of Golgotha Days is a crime-thriller based on true incident occurred back in 1996. ‘Crime-Thriller’ just to classify into a main-stream genre. So, The Chronicle of Golgotha Days is a book that put on a view about inhuman acts and intense cruelty faced by their victims. Yes, this is about sexual offenders/rapists and victims of their brutality, and in this case a sixteen-year-old child Abhaya. The prologue successfully channels the horror of such acts and that it won’t be an easy read for delicate hearts but it will leave you with nothing but strength. The story is narrated by Abhaya’s voice. The author has put all the efforts to present the clear voice of the protagonist throughout the seven years of changing voice and writing this book.

Location and Setting

The story, or rather Golgotha Days take place in Kerala. There is a map of Kerala with all the locations Abhaya had to travel against her will and with the numb yet overall stinging body. Abhaya would look out to the mist-covered hills with tea crops on her frequent and excruciating bus journeys to hell full of monsters. She got always locked in the dark hollow rooms for worst that is to live with such intense pain.

Theme

The Chronicle of Golgotha Days is the gut-wrenching 40 days long journey of a ninth-grader girl. She gets trapped but she believes that it was her mistake. Also, she accepts it for her fate as she had no choice. There is a large network of perverts including child traffickers, sex traffickers, rich and their attendants, lawyers, government servants, politicians and all types of men with power. All of these monsters are extracting pleasure regardless of being brother, son and worst father. Their perversity knows no limit and their inhumanity makes them worse than demons. They create such a gloomy atmosphere that Abhaya loses all hopes. There is no escape even if there are ladies who have suffered through the same but have accepted their fate under influence and fear of evil.

Plot

Abhaya lives in Munnar with her family. She has an elder sister, Amala. Her father works at the post office. Abhaya, because of her poor performance in academics, decides to run away from her current life of hostel and studies. Little did she realize what was forthcoming. And her Golgotha Days begins. The days of torments and tortures. The monsters she’s going to fight no matter what, but all in vain.

My Views

People won’t step up and speak for the victims unless they are their near and dear ones. People don’t recognize the intensity of this crime and the pain they’ve gone through until it’s their loved ones. It is a reality. Yes, that’s why there are people like Balakrishnan who take a big step and try to make a change in society. The least we can do is, call it what it is and talk about it because violence doesn’t just happen in the vacuum. This book will open your eyes and call you out to stand with the young victims and their family. Because here’s the thing, because of the current condition of our societies, making it to justice is much more harrowing than the pain victims are already carrying.

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Will see you in the next post. Till then buh-bye. Take Care. Peace. ☮