Rudraniel Sengupta’s The Beast Within reminds the readers of the acclaimed web series Delhi Crime on more than one occasion, the humanization of the police officer by intermingling the professional and personal lives has a striking resemblance to the Shefali Shah starrer. However, the novel is worth a read specifically for those who like slow burn thrillers taking their own sweet time.
The broad storyline of The Beast Within is set around the investigation of a young girl’s death, she is a domestic worker presumed to have committed suicide. But as Prashanth and his team dig deeper the mystery widens, “there’s more to it than meets the eye”. The investigation dwells into the social and political landscape of the city examining different themes running parallel to the main story.
A strong aspect of the novel is how Rudraniel Sengupta has combined the social aspects with the police procedural. Both go along smoothly never cutting into each other or feeling out of place. Through the death of a young domestic worker the books touches on the social hierarchies and systematic issues. Rudraniel Sengupta’s knowledge of being in journalism previously is very evident in the way he has depicted the different sections of Delhi, whether its the ultra rich or the marginalized.
Mention must also be made of how Rudraniel Sengupta has shown the investigation process, there is nothing flashy or larger than life in the way Prashanth and his team go about the proceedings. There are passages in the novel where the police officers don’t find evidence, its often a slow process connecting all the small dots to find the bigger picture. This gradual unraveling also makes the novel interesting even though the slow burn nature isn’t for all.
As already mentioned the novel intermingles the professional and personal challenges faced by the police while handling tough cases. This juxtaposition has been done well by Rudraniel Sengupta. The readers feel the psychological and emotional toll faced by the men and women. This aspect comes out even more strikingly in the portions where Rudraniel Sengupta talks about the heavy dependence on bureaucracy cooperation
Often times the novel goes into numerous directions focusing on matters other than the case at hand, but the way these diversions condense into something important keeps the readers hooked.
Among the police officers the one who stands out the most is SI Meera. A former wrestler who wants to do real investigation not letting inconsequential things effect, her determination to make a strong difference is very palpable. Its a major highlight of the novel.
The ending of The Beast Within talks about the importance of pursuing justice even if its delayed and not perfect. Unlike the usual novels the writer doesn’t tie up everything, he leaves you with numerous thoughts about the beast within the various structural systems. The word beast in the title doesn’t confine itself to a particular individual but a larger society.
