It is every dad’s nightmare – his little girl goes missing.
For Palash, the sorrow compounds from the incessant replaying of the critical minutes when his ‘Daddy-eye’ faltered, distracted by his own weakness, substance abuse. The loss and the ensuing search sends him spiraling into a divorce and the loss of a steady corporate job. Scouring for his little girl in the brothels of Pattaya he is ensnared in the web of mafia that runs the sex trade of Thailand. When he eventually finds her, will he be able to build back a wasted lifetime, or, is it too late for rescue, for him and his child?
There are books that charm you with the plot, and some with the way the author writes. Kishore Modak wins my vote partially for both reasons. When I first picked the book, the blurb made me think this would be a little predictable plot - the child being lost in the lanes of drugs and sex and a father's journey of recovering her out of the darkness. But i was still hopeful of a good read since i liked Modak's previous book. Am glad to say, I was wrong. The book offers a lot more than you would imagine the story to be.
Lost in Pattaya starts with the father character writing about his life, from the moment of losing his daughter to reaching the hospital where he lies awaiting death. the opening is not linear , but like any person narrating his life , it criss crosses between events and characters and finally smoothing out to the chronological order. The point where he sees his daughter first time after abduction is totally unexpected. And from there , the book takes on a new flight or should I say , a new dive into the world of sex , drugs and revenge. The characters in the book are almost believable and their imperfections have a space for principles and prayers in an amusing way. Fear and forgiveness goes hand in hand most days though we fail to consider it that way. The book might not be liked by few for the fact its based on the sex trade and the people associated with it. Or for the fact , no one likes to read and accept how this trade is so much a part of the society and often bearing so much violence. These instances , though few in the book, did make me cringe or sad. But the curiosity to know what happens to the daughter, kept me hooked to the book. A worthy read. I liked being proven wrong to say the plot was predictable. Rating : 3.5/5
PS : I love the cover.
Lost in Pattaya starts with the father character writing about his life, from the moment of losing his daughter to reaching the hospital where he lies awaiting death. the opening is not linear , but like any person narrating his life , it criss crosses between events and characters and finally smoothing out to the chronological order. The point where he sees his daughter first time after abduction is totally unexpected. And from there , the book takes on a new flight or should I say , a new dive into the world of sex , drugs and revenge. The characters in the book are almost believable and their imperfections have a space for principles and prayers in an amusing way. Fear and forgiveness goes hand in hand most days though we fail to consider it that way. The book might not be liked by few for the fact its based on the sex trade and the people associated with it. Or for the fact , no one likes to read and accept how this trade is so much a part of the society and often bearing so much violence. These instances , though few in the book, did make me cringe or sad. But the curiosity to know what happens to the daughter, kept me hooked to the book. A worthy read. I liked being proven wrong to say the plot was predictable. Rating : 3.5/5
PS : I love the cover.
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