A(NU) Thought

Harlen Coben is a master of crafting long, twisty stories packed with suspense. I had read Fool Me Once (also adapted into a TV series) quite some time ago, and I remember being blown away by how effortlessly he creates chaos out of simple threads. The Innocent is no different. The story begins with Matt Hunter, an ordinary teenager whose one tragic mistake, an accidental murder, haunts him for life. After serving his sentence, Matt tries to rebuild his world, but just as things seem to settle, he’s thrown into a web of shocking secrets and mysteries involving his pregnant wife, Olivia. Add to it the emotional turmoil he goes through. From there, the plot spirals deeper as more characters enter, old crimes resurface, and new twists unfold.

Is it just me, or is there really a sudden deluge of translated books around? Honestly, I am loving it! Getting to read stories from faraway regions, raw, unfiltered, and often from an era untouched by the internet, feels like pure bliss. One such book I picked up recently is T he Owl, The River and the Valley by Arupa Patangia Kalita , translated from Assamese by Mitra Phukan and published by Penguin Random House. It’s a beautiful collection of 12 short stories. These stories capture the essence of everyday struggles, the rhythm of mundane domestic life, and the harsh divide between privilege and poverty. My absolute favourite was Yellow Flip Flops , a story that shocks you with its ending while laying bare the depths of poverty.