Vivek Shanbhag's novel, Sakina's Kiss, is a thriller from start to finish. Beginning with the title, until the last page where Venkat, the narrator, says he is "waiting to be assigned meaning", this translated novel from Kannada (2023) is an invitation for the reader to make sense of it. Over nine chapters, there is considerable intrigue related to Venkat's life, going back and forth in time: Where does Rekha, Venkat's teenage daughter, mysteriously disappear? Where is Venkat's maternal uncle, Ramana, hiding, and why? What is stolen from Venkat's Bengaluru apartment even when it had no valuables? The narrative unfolds these troubled scenes without necessarily offering a definitive resolution. Why not? Because these troubles are not the point; the larger point lies elsewhere. Hence, the gratification one gets breezing through this apparently simple, gripping good read is akin to the satisfaction one feels after completing a five-star sudoku or a cryptic crossword. As engaging, as playful.
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