Witness the Night

Is it possible that a 13 year old girl could stab to death, poison, and set afire thirteen family members, including her mother, father, and brothers? This is a most disturbing novel of manipulation and of a society where female children are disposable liabilities.

A small town in Northern India is the setting, and the killings are a result of years of abuse aided by official corruption. One social worker, Simran, a former resident, works to uncover the truth at her own great peril.

With so many twists and turns, this is a disturbingly satisfying thriller, where no one is innocent.

I inhaled this book in about three hours, unable to stop. The premise is dark and grim: a sixteen year old girl is found bound in her house, surrounded by the poisoned, stabbed, and burned members of her family. As the last one living, the police arrest her for the crime. Simran Singh, a volunteer social worker of sorts, is asked to investigate the girl's participation by an old friend who knows the family, and Simran quickly discovers that the girl's family, and this remote northern Indian town, has many dark secrets to it.

While the story is told by Simran as she goes through her investigation, we the reader are also privy to Durga's diary, notes made at Simran's suggestion. As a result,I was able to figure out the mystery about show more halfway through the book, but I didn't feel like the story was about solving the mystery as much as it was about watching the way the investigation unfolded -- and how the community responded to the results.  

Both Durga and Simran are wonderful characters, absolutely compelling, and Desai's writing reads effortlessly.  However, this book has some disturbing elements -- infanticide, child abuse, violent cruelty -- but Desai's inclusion isn't meant to be gratuitous.  Knowing that -- and trusting Desai -- I found the end of the book satisfying (I had a gasp-aloud moment at the very last page -- if anyone else reads this, get in touch so I can gossip about it!).

Although this book was written as a stand alone novel, the author was encouraged to write another book featuring Simran and it seems this will become a series.  I'm sort of series-ed out at the moment, but Simran is such a unique character, and Desai's writing wonderful, I know I'm going to find the next book. show less

It took me a while to get into this book, but I enjoyed reading about the main character and the setting. Simran Singh, a social worker brought in to help with a murder case, is the narrator, but the book switches between her story and the diaries of the murder suspect, 14 year old Durga, as well as emails between Simran and Durga’s sister-in-law. From the start, the reader knows a bit more about the murders as they are described by Durga. Unfortunately, this format made the book a bit choppy so it took me some time to get into it. Durga’s whole family was poisoned and she was found tied to her bed, showing signs of sexual assault, but with no one else to pin the crime on, she is the main suspect. Simran’s old friend calls her show more back to her hometown, Jullundar, and as she investigates and revisits former acquaintances, the town and community turn distinctly sinister. Simran is older, perpetually single, drinks and smokes, and shows no interest in traditional markers of success, much to the dismay of her mother. I enjoyed reading about her and her uncomfortable attempts to navigate the provincial, stifling town. Both Simran and Durga’s stories focus on the poor position of women in the town, in both large and small ways. However, the mystery plods along for a while and some of the characters turn out to be a bit over the top in evil and motivations. The ending has some deux ex machina characteristics. show less

In current day India, the police have called in a social worker to talk to a 14 year old girl who is accused of brutally murdering 13 people in her extremely wealthy family. Of course the unconventional, whiskey-drinking, cigarette smoking social worker doesn't for a minute believe the girl committed the murders, and sets off to solve the crime. The novel delves into the horrors of gendercide, infanticide and misogyny of Indian culture.

I don't read murder mysteries, so I don't have much to compare it with, but I thought it was a good read. See more in my upcoming review for www.Belletrista.com

Recommended for: people who like to mix their murder mysteries with social causes.

I finished this book very fast, started it last night and finished this afternoon.

First of all, it is a very immersing book. The main character is herself intersting and the story she follows drew me in even more.

But another reason for finishing fast were the terrible nightmares this book gave me last night. The book is definitely the scariest I've read in a long while, and while it's not based on a true story directly, it is the combination of so many true stories. It ignited my imagination in the worst way.

So I'm glad to have finished reading the story and glad to be aware of the facts. I'm glad I've read this novel.

It's a very excellent novel, with an atmosphere that keeps the reader somewhat at a distance from the horrible events, show more and striking language. But it does give the reader a punch in the gut. show less

I finished this book very fast, started it last night and finished this afternoon.

First of all, it is a very immersing book. The main character is herself intersting and the story she follows drew me in even more.

But another reason for finishing fast were the terrible nightmares this book gave me last night. The book is definitely the scariest I've read in a long while, and while it's not based on a true story directly, it is the combination of so many true stories. It ignited my imagination in the worst way.

So I'm glad to have finished reading the story and glad to be aware of the facts. I'm glad I've read this novel.

It's a very excellent novel, with an atmosphere that keeps the reader somewhat at a distance from the horrible events, show more and striking language. But it does give the reader a punch in the gut. show less

This book is a social message regarding female infanticide and the treatment of some women in India. It is not a work of literary genius but it clearly needed to be written and, above all, READ. As such I think the author has done a very credible job. Aside from it's harrowing subject matter it's an easy, accessible read along the lines of a detective novel.