Elephants in The Room is a big book to be consumed (of course I don't mean that literally). But now that I have swallowed its contents, or so I would like to think, I shall discuss it with you all. The novel appertains to diverse and an assorted number of topics, out of which friendship and integrity are the ones in the foreground.

Suraj Laxminarayanan's Elephants in The Room can certainly be considered as a tour de force. He has handled the text adroitly, despite the many underlying subjects operating alongside the main plot.

At the crux of the story is a destitute, impoverished young man, Nari, a petty thief who preys on people's wallets and purses. Moving forward to the main event — pertaining to the money problems, Nari and his friends plot a bank robbery. These juveniles consider themselves infallible, and their plan to be efficacious, while in reality it is an asinine scheme to follow through. On the other hand, another group of bandits plans to rob the same bank on the same day. Now, I shall leave it up to you to cerebrate all the conceivable situations that can happen when two groups of robbers are in close proximity to one another.

Even though the text promises a thrilling and action-packed ride, I must intrude here and let you all know that the story accommodates a lot of comic elements, too, to tickle the readers. From whatever I have discussed so far, you would have conjured this image of a thriller/mystery plotline (which it is in a way) but considering the elusive nature of the text, the intention of the author; the intention of the interpreter; and the intention of the text are not quite in sync. Hence, there are plenty of chances to read between the lines.

Even though Elephants in The Room is a very lengthy novel, Laxminarayanan manipulated the story to his benefit. The novel's appealing prospects perpetuated throughout the novel. I found the author's diction very compelling, and his narrative style to be stimulating and thought-provoking. The descriptive style of writing provided enough time for the characters to develop, a seemingly viable way to distinguish between their outward appearances and inner personalities.

The only let down was the length of the book. There were instances when I felt that certain parts were exaggerated and unnecessary, which neither enhanced nor helped in the development of the story. That being said, it could have been a possibility for the story to end a few pages earlier than later.

Final Thoughts

The title of this novel was one of the main reasons that attracted my attention towards the book. Regardless of the themes Laxminarayanan was dealing with in the novel, he effectively addressed all the ‘Elephants in the room’, and by room, I mean in the story.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. While readers need to keep in mind that they have to invest a lot of time to complete the book, I assure them it will be time well spent.

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