What Mina Did by Geeta Menon Book review

What Mina Did by Geeta Menon

My Ratings- 4/5 stars

Blurb-

1998. Twenty-two-year-old Mina is moving to the US from Bangalore to begin a new life with her husband. Then there’s a horrific murder and her life is turned upside down. Mina’s best friend Neelu helps her out of the abyss. Mina gradually leaves her past behind and settles into a new life in the US. Years later, she is forced to return to India and is confronted by the demons from her past. In her fragile mental state, she is unable to support Neelu in her time of need. Their friendship hits rock bottom. Mina goes back to the US and faces further hurdles, this time on the work front. She tries to make amends with Neelu, but their friendship ends with Neelu accusing Mina of something unimaginable related to the murder. Something, that deep down, Mina knows is true… Will Mina redeem herself? Will the people she loves forgive her for what she did? Alternating between flashbacks and the present day, What Mina Did explores how one betrayal can have catastrophic consequences, while delving into the complex bonds that link mothers and daughters, and best friends.

About the Author

Geeta Menon grew up in Bangalore and moved to the US in the nineties. After completing her MBA in Philadelphia, she moved to Silicon Valley. Like any author, she draws upon her personal and professional experiences in writing her Simon and Schuster First Chapters award-winning book What Mina Did, but the book isn’t autobiographical. She lives in Silicon Valley with her husband, son and adorable pug, Blackberry.

My Take– When I picked up the book and read the first chapter, I thought it’s gonna be a suspense thriller or murder mystery, but to my surprise it turned out completely different. The first chapter if the book was really impressive and later on I came to know that it won an award. The protagonist of the story is Meena, story revolves around her, her mother and her friend Neelu. Meena was having nightmares as her mother had tragic death that shook her. Read the book to know how she died, along with this storyline there is a mice plot woven around Meena, Neelu and their friendship, the love/marriage life of Neelu etc. if we talk about the book, the concept is different. I like the writing style of the author. It’s catchy. There are lots of twists and turns that holds the interest of the reader. Good use of vocabulary and language. The author has capacity to write good suspense thriller and murder so I would definitely like to read that genre from the author. This type of book can be read by any age group. I like the certain social issues that has been described like how always people assume that only wife should try to maintain marriage. Overall good one.