When I picked up my copy of You Beneath Your Skin by debut writer Damyanti Biswas which is a fiction inextricably intertwined with facts, Deepika Padukone's Chhapaak had already started making waves. The book brings to the fore the struggles of acid attack victims and induces empathy in the reader.
The story unfolds the world of psychologist and social worker Anjali Morgan, who happens to be half-Indian and half-American. Besides her work, Anjali must balance the various layers of her life which include her autistic son Nikhil, her married-lover Jatin and her own mother-wound that haunts her from time to time.
Jatin Bhatt is the special commissioner of crime whose life goal is to go up the professional ladder. Jatin doesn’t mind over-indulging in his seventeen-year-old son Varun, who he prides himself with. As his equation with Drishti, his wife, takes a nosedive, Jatin looks to fill up the hole with support from Anjali.
He must also crack an important case to speed things up at the professional front. That is when the tale of a gruesome rape and murder of a woman finds its way into the plot; her face disfigured by acid. Jatin ropes in Anjali and Maya, his younger sister and her assistant Pawan to help him on the case. Things turn awry from here and take an ugly turn for the worse. The multiple characters must fight their own inner demons before they can unravel a riveting and confusing murder mystery.
The events take their own time to unfold and have an interflow of monologues and knitting of personal lives of the characters which lend authenticity to the story. Flawed as they all are, they come across as real and believable. The environs of Delhi are aptly captured in words and so are the ordeals of an acid attack survivor, right from the physical description of the pain to the stigma attached. The writer ensures that the reader is duly unsettled as the story progresses.
By the end of the book I had just one problem, which I guess most readers might face, but which is not for me to reveal. However, I think, that is probably how close the book gets to reality. And maybe, that is what the writer intends to do. Shake you up, pull you out of your comfort zone and show you the hard-hitting reality of acid attacks- that Scars Remain.
The book, in simple words, is a thriller on a sensitization mission. And it makes sure that you get up, take note and question. It must be on your list if you are looking at an engaging thriller with sensitive character portrayals. Biswas also gives you some unforgettable lines that are likely to stay with you. If you have already watched Padukone's movie or it's on your mind, you cannot give this book a miss!
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