400 Days (novel)

400 Days

First edition
Author	Chetan Bhagat
Language	Indian English
Genre	Mystery, Thriller
Set in	India
Publisher	Westland Publications [1]
Publication date	8 October 2021
Publication place	India
Media type	Paperback
Pages	352 [2]
ISBN	978-1542094085
Preceded by	One Arranged Murder

400 Days is the tenth novel and the thirteenth book written by the Indian author Chetan Bhagat. It is the third installment of the author's popular Keshav-Saurabh mystery series following The Girl in Room 105 (2018) ^[3] and One Arranged Murder (2020). ^[4]

Plot

After the events of One Arranged Murder, Keshav and Saurabh are living with Keshav's parents in a gated community called Icon. Keshav, preparing to become an IPS officer, is approached by Alia Arora, a neighbor seeking help to find her missing 12-year-old daughter, Siya, who disappeared nine months earlier. Initially reluctant, Keshav agrees due to his love for detective work and the promise of a substantial reward.

Alia recounts her troubled marriage to Manish, a wealthy businessman, and their strained family dynamics, including mistreatment by Manish's domineering mother. Siya went missing during a family gathering, and the only witness, Suhana, Alia's younger daughter, described the abductor as a man with bracelets, a tattoo, and glowing hair. Despite police efforts, the case went cold until Keshav and Saurabh reopened it.

While investigating, Keshav gains Suhana's trust and uncovers clues, including suspicious online messages between Siya and someone named "Roy." Attempting to trap Roy through a fake Instagram account, the plan fails when Roy escapes. Meanwhile, Keshav and Alia develop feelings for each other, though Alia remains married.

A breakthrough occurs when Keshav discovers that Shastriji, the family priest, matches Suhana's description of the abductor. Tracking Shastriji to an abandoned sugar factory, Keshav and his team rescue a traumatized Siya, who reveals she was kidnapped and abused under the guise of a religious ritual.

Grateful for Siya's return, Alia thanks Keshav but chooses to remain with her family for her children's sake. Keshav, letting go of their relationship, shifts focus to expanding Z Detective Agency with Saurabh, including plans for a child security unit.

Characters

• Keshav Rajpurohit: A budding detective preparing for the Indian Police Service (IPS) from the pressure of his parents. He had a small time affair with Alia Arora.
• Saurabh Maheshwari: Keshav Rajpurohit's best friend in the world and an engineer. He is trying to decrease his weight to be in a relationship. He is also a really good hacker and is one of the main reasons Keshav solves a case.
• Alia Arora: Keshav Rajpurohit's and Saurabh Maheswari's client. An ex-model, Manish Arora's wife, Siya and Suhana Arora's mother. She married Manish at the age of eighteen when she was impregnated by him unintentionally. Manish was 30 years old at the time. She had a small affair with Keshav Rajpurohit and wanted to marry him, but he rejected her saying that Siya and Suhana needed her at that time more than him.
• Manish Arora: Alia Arora's husband and Siya and Suhana Arora's father. He is the owner of Nava jewellers. He married Alia when he was thirty years old.
• Siya Arora: The main character the book is based on. She is the kidnapped, teenage daughter of Alia and Manish Arora. She is Suhana's elder sister and loves her vastly. She's a social media and phone addict.
• Suhana Arora: The main witness of the case. She is the younger daughter of Alia and Manish Arora, and the younger sister of Siya Arora. She is really good at board games as said by Keshav Rajpurohit.

Reception

• Sankalpita from Book Geeks gave it mediocre ratings, stating that its plot is not very unique, but that it is an easy read, especially for people with beginner level English. ^[5]
• Sahana Hegde from Scroll.in gave the book a mixed review, and said that "despite its clichéd ingredients, Chetan Bhagat’s new novel is his most readable yet". ^[6]

References

1. "Westland Publications announces the release of Chetan Bhagat's new book – 400 Days". 8 October 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
2. Bhagat, Chetan (8 October 2021). 400 Days. Amazon Publishing. ISBN   978-1-5420-9408-5.
3. "Chetan Bhagat's latest book: Quiet release, cooler reception". The Week. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
4. Saha, Shreshta (25 August 2020). "One Arranged Murder: Chetan Bhagat opens up about his 9th book". The Telegraph . Retrieved 20 October 2020.
5. "400 Days | Chetan Bhagat | Book Review | A Dramatic Thriller". bookGeeks. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
6. Hegde, Sahana (13 November 2021). "'400 Days': Despite its clichéd ingredients, Chetan Bhagat's new novel is his most readable yet". Scroll.in. Retrieved 24 December 2021.