How many of us know history really well? ‘Never Again’ questions the mysterious death of some of the great political leaders and throws light on facts that are sure to make everyone jump out of their skin. The story revolves around a charcoal smeared diary that is won in auction by an inquisitive librarian. What follows next is the sequence of events that showcase corruption, politics and conspiracy.
The diary is the key to the life of a Nazi soldier. What was the scenario during the time of the war? How did the soldier strive to battle? Does the librarian succeed in encoding the mystery hidden in the pieces of paper? To get the answers, read ‘Never Again’.
My opinion
‘Never Again’ has an extraordinary plot. Till date, I have not come across any novella with such insightful intricacies and proper pre planning. The first chapter itself speaks a lot about the research and hard work, in terms of vivid imagination and thinking out of the box, put in by the author. Although the plot might seem disinteresting to majority because of the historical touch and the fact that the story dates back to the time of World War 2 (the mention of Nazis itself may add on to the monotony), the novella picks up the pace gradually and leaves you wanting for more.
The cover of the book is catchy. The title is suitable. The back cover is balanced; both- author introduction and blurb, have been given due weightage. The blurb deserves a special mention because that is what intrigued me to get hold of this book because otherwise I do not get attracted to this genre easily. The typesetting, font (size, style) and layout is perfect. However, I disliked the quality of print rather ink. My copy had ink smeared on successive pages, making it difficult to understand some lines.
Coming to the drawbacks, the main thing that I would like to mention is the excessive use of Italics. I agree that was the demand of the plot. But some other way, either by using punctuation or bigger font, could have been used. Secondly, there are minor editing mistakes. One is right in the acknowledgement. Several punctuation mistakes are there too.
Talking about the plot, it is challenging. To come up with such synchronized scenes and chapters, is surely a tough job. The characterization of Kasper is brilliant. The language used is exemplary- good vocabulary and grammar. This is one such book which should be read by all the history enthusiasts.
Overall, a marvelous literary feat!
Best wishes to the author!
Drawbacks:
There are some editing errors like missing words and incorrect sentence formation. Secondly, in some places, the punctuation is not correct.
About the Author
Active blogger and writer, Enakshi Johri, is a regular author for Indus woman Writing. She is a postgraduate in Biotechnology. She has written several articles, stories and poems and most of her content has been published in the ejournal of IWW (Indus Woman Writing). She is working as a curator for ‘fiction magazine’ (an online magazine). She has contributed in six Anthologies so far. She is also a freelance book reviewer. She is a creative thinker and a passionate writer and loves to pour down her heart in form of words. She shares her experience and her perception through her website (http://aliveshadow.blogspot.in/).
