Anusha Naik

IG @book.bright My first Ruth Ware and oh my gosh I loved it so freaking much. This book had everything I loved- winters, snow, thriller, whodunit murder mystery; check, check & check!! The story goes as eight of Snoop Company's coporate staff go to ski chalet for a retreat. The chalet, St. Antoine overlooks French Alps and is managed by Erin and Danny. As the study States there is tension between the some of the characters which is super important for the story to progress. One day in the chalet and there's an avalanchethe that disconnects the chalet residents from outside world. And to top it all, bodies start dropping gradually. Anybody with motive is under suspicion, characters have hidden past and Danny and Erin duo brainstorm to find the killer on loose. The first quarter of book was tad slow owing to the story buildup but it picked up pace soon after and I could not put the book down. The last quarter of the book was the part that hooked me the most. So much happened in little time, pieces fell into place, and I was genuinely interested for the well being of characters. David Baldacci referred Ruth Ware as "Agatha Christie of our generation" and that was enough for me to pick up this book and Christie's And Then There Were None immediately after since One by One has similar story. I was not disappointed by either of the books.

Is it truly a Murakami if it doesn't leave you with more questions than answers by the end? Questions not about plot or lack of it but about life and our distinctive experience of it. Sputnik Sweetheart is narrated by a school teacher K who falls in love with his life long friend Sumire who wants to be a writer. But just so it happens Sumire fall in love with a businesswoman named Miu. Sumire and Miu go on a business trip to Greece and from there K receives a phonecall that his friend has disappeared without a trace. If I can describe Murakami's works it'd be 'confused and all over the place' and I mean that in a good way. They are apparent to reading someone's dream. With his books, one has to be okay with plot holes, unexpected twists and open ended stories. He has created his own style of writing composition and has been widely acclaimed for that. This story, no different than others, was all of that. There are bunch of passages that demand you to read between the lines and extract the true meaning of it like they're hidden beneath a well woven patch. One of the ongoing example for that would be when Sumire asks K the difference between a sign and a symbol. Or when the title of book itself makes sense as to why it has the term 'Sputnik' in it when it could've been anything else. Despite being a unique blend of unrequited love, lonliness, disconnection and an open love triangle, this book is nowhere close to being a romance type. If you look up close- maybe but I would much rather suggest taking a step back to breathe in the bigger picture.