#BookReview: Swimming in the Dark - Tomasz Jedrowski

Rating:

4/5 Book Emojis

Format Used: 

ARC - Paperback

Publisher - Bloomsbury India 

Pages - 232

*Note: I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher Bloomsbury India, for an honest review. The views below are unbiased and solely my own.

Review:

"...I slept deeply, dreamlessly, as if floating under water, I was unmoored, a ship that had finally left its harbour, only to be pushed by the wind without any control of its own. When I awoke I hardly knew who and where I was.”

 Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski is the story of a young man named Ludwig who is coming-of-age in the light of the violent political decline in Poland around the '80s. At an agricultural camp, he locks eyes with a university student named Janusz and he finds himself falling. But, the eyes of the government are wherever they expect the least. Bonding over the copy of James Baldwin's queer love story, Giovanni's Room, their romance gains passion and strength. 

This was a book that satiated my thirst for Andre Aciman and relit the warm fire for my love of European history, this time with Poland. Tomasz never fails to give a well detailed and beautifully incorporated backdrop for each political and historical event that obstruct the romance of our characters. The writing was brilliant and the characters possessed depth and developed with the story. However, the only thing I felt missing was more of homoeroticism and more pages about the chemistry between Ludwig and Janusz. But that doesn't stop me from congratulating the author from writing this important story. 

Very often, among the cacophony of bestsellers, we miss out on voices of authors like these who have stories such as this one, that evidently comes from a place like home where things aren't so utopian. I took up this book expecting a whole lot, since Poland is now very close to my heart and don't fall behind in picking up every queer release, and fortunately, I wasn't disappointed. There's so much to take away from this book, especially the fact that no matter how things change for the better of the marginalised, we don't always have the perfect happy endings. Also, that we should never fail to acknowledge those before us who would've killed to have the freedom we do right now, and that not letting us stop in our way to fight for more. 

Conclusion: This is simply one really really story that I think everyone should read. A classic. A deserved best-seller. 

#BookReview: Infinity Son - Adam Silvera

Rating:

2.5/5 Book Emojis

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Format Used: 

ARC: Paperback

Publisher - Simon & Schuster India 

Pages - 350

*Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher Simon & Schuster India, for an honest review. The views below are unbiased and solely my own.

Review:

"War makes us do things we didn’t know we were capable of. We’ve shown compassion, but we’ve also had to become violent to stay alive. To try and win.”

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera is a coming-of-age fantasy novel about a boy named Emil and his brother named Brighton in the city of New York who have spent most of their lives obsessing over Spell Walkers- the vigilantes who protect the world from specters- creatures who steal powers from magical beings known as Celestials. 

In the middle of chaos surrounding these creatures who selfishly crave for power, even if it means shedding of precious and magical blood, Emil discovers there is more to his life than he was told since he was a childhood. Brighton gets pulled in as well, from a wannabe social media celebrity to an overnight sensation's brother. 

I really expected a lot out of this book, being an Adam Silvera superfan since his first book came out years ago, and lo and behold, I was disappointed. The plot was very loose and improperly thought out. At some points it felt like I was reading a gay X-Men fan fiction on WattPad with the character names changed. The book started off on an average depth but gained a little bit of my interest when I hit the 30% mark. But, by the time I was halfway done, I absolutely couldn't find the energy to read it any more. Owing to my undying love for Silvera and the publisher, I finished the book. 

There wasn't good imagery or vivid descriptions used for any of the scenes in the book. For the character development, it didn't exist. The lines seemed quick and missed buildup. However, I liked the concept of the book if you ignore some of the several ridiculous incidents in the story. 


Conclusion: This is definitely not a fantasy book I would recommend to anyone. If you're looking to read gay fantasy, Adam Silvera hasn't done justice to your need. For a quick and light experience, you can definitely give it a try.