The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz ZafónMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I sometimes wonder why do I even read books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon? Because I like being terrified to death? Because I enjoy gory stories with twisted, vengeful spirits who want to kill innocent children and who are SO DAMN CONVINCING that even a skeptic like me starts believing in their presence and jumps as the slightest of creak, whoosh or thud and wakes up at unearthly hours sweaty and scared? The fact that his novels are like self-inflicted torture and that they are as good as being addicted to drugs is what annoys me the most! You hate it, you're scared to death to the point of never getting out of your quilt, you know it's doing something bad to your body and brain and still you can't let go of it! You just HAVE TO finish them no matter what.
Yes, I do realise that this sounds like a hate review but don't get me wrong, I loved it! Despite twisted alter-egos and revenge seeking, bloodthirsty spirits, I loved it! There's nothing that I have been able to do from the moment I picked it up! It haunts, torments and yet keeps you awake till the dawn paints your window in a bloody hue!
The fact that this novel was set in Calcutta but was written by a Spanish author, who, I doubt, ever visited Calcutta, at least not in the colonial days, and still convinced me that he knew the city at the back of his hand impressed me even more than anything else! Where he messed up was the names which, like its characters were not even remotely Indian and being an expert on Indian names purely by the virtue of being one, that's the only thing I can dock off a star for.
FAIR WARNING : If you're a teenager or have a teenager at home, DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM! It's essentially a spine-chilling, nerve-racking, puts-me-at-the-edge-of-my-seat-more-out-of-fear-than-anything-else kind of a book. Don't believe me? Read it! Were unfazed by it? I SALUTE your courage. So not meant to be read at night or as a bedtime story and must be finished in a day but a good read nonetheless!
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