There is a dictum that trust is the bulwark of any relationship. It is the foundation on the pillars of which the edifice of a beautiful relationship can be erected. Sujay Kantawala’s novel Curse of Suspicion deals with the same sort of subject wherein the lack of trust between a couple breeds contempt in the consequence of which a tale of brutal conspiracies unfolds.
Duryodhan is the chief character (we can not call him a protagonist. He has the vicious traits of more of an antagonist) who begins to suspect that his wife is not loyal to him and has indulged in the act of adultery. A moral transgression in the eyes of our highly conservative society, adultery still retains its inherent stigma though the law of the land does not reckon it a punishable offence anymore.
Deeply enraged Duryodhan who is a devious lawyer by profession hatches a conspiracy to eliminate his wife. In a very appalling and abominable way the services of a snake charmer are sought by the indignant husband to wreak vengeance upon his morally corrupt and deceitful wife. No doubt the story line seems quite promising and thrilling but the author handles it with less of deftness.
The book lacks in the consistency of pace. It appears that he is in a hurry to finish the product. There is a rush to things happening at one point of time. To complicate the matters further, he introduces a mind-boggling number of characters. But most of the characters do not resonate well with the readers.
They have not been developed with needed patience and persistence.
Critics often say that a compact and well-knit plot is one of the main elements of an engaging narrative. On this account also success evades.
The much needed unity of ideas is conspicuously missing. One finds that there are umpteen loose ends which could have been woven well if the author would not have displayed the haste. As far as the language of the work is concerned, it is easy to understand but remains bland and banal.
