Cut Like Wound

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Cut Like Wound
Cut Like Wound novel front cover.jpg
Front cover
Author Anita Nair
GenreNovel
Set in Bengaluru, India
Published2012
Publisher HarperCollins (India), Bitter Lemon Press (UK and US)
Publication placeIndia
Media typePrint
Pages358
ISBN 978-1-908-52436-2
OCLC 877085123
Website www.anitanair.net/novels/Cut-Like-Wound/

Cut Like Wound is a detective fiction novel written by Anita Nair, set in the city of Bengaluru. The novel, written in Indian English, was first published in India by HarperCollins. To bring out the true functioning of a police establishment in India, the author interacted in real life with the officials in a police station. [1] [2] It is Anita Nair's first book of crime fiction. [3] This book also marks the entry of Borei Gowda as detective protagonist.

Contents

Plot

The story of the novel Cut Like Wound begins on the first evening of Ramzan, 1 August 2012, and ends about a month later in September on St Mary's Feast. On the first evening of Ramzan, in Bengaluru, a call girl decides to go out in the public for the first time. She is a transgender person who is said to be a psychopath, and lures a victim and kills him. More murders occur and past murders are also linked to it. The investigation into the murder is conducted by Inspector Gowda and Santosh. Combating apathy both at personal and professional levels, Gowda manages to crack the case. He discovers a set pattern to the murders, which leads to his conclusion that these murders might be the work of a serial killer. The novel is told across the sights and smells of Bangalore and speaks about the people, customs and geography of the city. [1] [2] [4] [5]

Characters

Publication

The novel was first published in India in 2012 by HarperCollins. It was published in the UK and USA by Bitter Lemon Press, and by Ugo Guanda Editore, Duomo Ediciones S L and A.W. Bruna Uitgevers B.V in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands respectively. An audio version of the book was published by Audible.com with narration provided by Sartaj Garewal. [6] [4]

Reception

The novel received mixed reviews from critics. The Hindustan Times, in their review, found the plotting of the novel "tight", and praised the portrayal of Inspector Gowda. [1] The Sunday Guardian wrote in their review: [5]

The novel is a commentary on the lives of the sexually marginalised, on the blurring of gender expectations, and the emotional baggage carried by both men and women in a world of role-playing and self-presentation.

However, according to a review published on the website Women's Web the only character portrayed well in the novel was that of Inspector Gowda, and it was claimed that "The search for a good Indian crime fiction series remains unsatisfied; Anita Nair’s Cut Like Wound is a messy mash of characters and styles." [7]

Laura Wilson in her review of this book in The Guardian has observed: "...is a welcome addition to the ranks of flawed-but-lovable fictional cops." [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Review: Cut like wound". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 14 July 2015.[ dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 "Book review". India Today. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 Wilson, Laura (18 July 2014). "The best crime novels released in June – review roundup". The Guardian.
  4. 1 2 "Cut Like Wound". Audible. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Nair's ageing detective softly treads the hardboiled path". The Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Publishers". Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Cut Like Wound". Women's Web. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
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