Petals!

We all have secrets. Over years, they become memories, a little jaded, a little faded but definitely there. Lots of memories that are stashed away come alive when you read Jaishree Misra's latest novel, Secrets & Lies , a book that grabs your attention from page one till the end. I The novel revolves around the age of innocence and the growing up of a bunch of school girls who studied in St Judes', one of Delhi's most famous Convent schools with an Irish Principal, Miss Victoria Lamb whom the girls christen as Lamboo. The four girls in the novel are great friends but their dreams are shattered with the entry of a new girl called Lily. Later, they try to move on with their lives, hoping to forget Lily but haunted by her forever.  There's Bubbles, who had been fat and bad at studies but hails from a wealthy business family. Her ambitious parents arrange her marriage to Binkie, who is the only son of a multimillionaire in London. What touches your heart is tha...

I've never picked up a book by Michael Connelly before but when I read these first lines from his novel, The Brass Verdict , I knew that its a book I would enjoy reading. The first lines are: " Every body lies. Cops lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie. A trial is a contest of lies. And every body in the courtroom knows this. The judge knows this. Even the jury knows this." My thoughts: As some one who studied law, I began my life with great expectations of finding justice for victims. Maybe reading a lot of John Grisham novels had touched a chord, I am not sure. I remember feeling thrilled about the characters and their struggle for justice. However, in real life, it is really different. In India, justice is a beautifully marketed concept that is never fair. Justice, its concept and execution in India, is so blinded by the weight of so many lies, negotiations, media moves and illegal manoeuvres that the public can never begin to suspect how murky it really is. Truth, i ...