Eye on You by Kanchana Banerjee

Eye on You by Kanchana Banerjee is a crime drama, which explores the possibilities of what would happen if Pegasus falls in the hands of persons with malafide intentions.

Premise of the Book

The book, Eye on You by Kanchana Banerjee, starts with the Prologue in which two children make a call to their father by borrowing the protagonist’s phone.  The scene hints that something is fishy in there.

Then in the first chapter, the protagonist wakes up in the morning in a hangover with pain in her private parts. She doesn’t remember having sex with anyone last night as she was heavily drunk, but her condition is screaming that somebody had sex with her.

The book is all about finding whether it was consensual or she has been raped by someone in her own bedroom in her intoxicated state. At one point in the story, it is also suggested that the protagonist is the type of person who could plan it to get back at the person she is mad at.

Style of Writing in Eye on You

The story of the protagonist is narrated in the first person from the point of view of the protagonist, and the story of the rest of the characters is narrated in the third person omniscient point of view.

The beginning is promising. The pace is good. The detailing is spot on. The description is vivid. There are a few graphic scenes, too, in the book. The writing style is a whodunit with sufficient clues to identify the perpetrator. Whether readers will identify or not will depend on their skills and how well-read they are in the genre.

Characterization in Eye on You

The characters in the book are relatable. It seems a lot of work is done in carving them, especially on their names, physical features, and psychology. Even the dog in the book has a backstory for his abandonment issues.

The protagonist of the book is a Sales Director at Pronto and belongs to the upper class of society. Her name is Myra. But the SHO Dipti, who belongs to the middle-class, referred to her by the name Meera. This tells a lot about their chemistry & the dynamics between the two classes.

The Myra-Meera thing reminds me of Dananeer, who in her viral video “Pawri ho rahi hai,” pronounces ‘party’ as ‘pawri’ to make fun of the privileged lifestyles of Pakistanis who go abroad & come back to visit.

Handling of Rape in Eye on You

The issue of rape is handled in a very delicate & mature way. The book distinguishes rape from bondage sex, as the latter involves consent. It communicates that one’s life doesn’t end after rape.

The book, Eye on You, shows the mental trauma of the rape victim, what she has to go through, how she is slut-shamed, how her identity is revealed by media without disclosing her name in public, how the public sees her, etc.

The author looks into the mind of both the perpetrator and the victim without any prejudice to understand the factors responsible for rape, in its entirety. The arguments are presented from both sides equally, and the judgment is left for the readers.

Other Issues the Book Talks About

Despite showing how sex is perceived as taboo in society side by side, the book presents sex like any normal human activity. The protagonist gets involve in sex easily.  Her boyfriend knows about her previous sexual affairs, and it doesn’t affect his love for her. There’s a character who is polyamorous.

There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to be a mother but enjoying married life. It’s also okay to enjoy sex without getting married, even with multiple partners.

It also touches on the issue of how some gay people marry women for the sake of society.

It portrays that having mental health issues and visiting therapists for the same are normal. Even dogs suffer from mental issues.

The other issues the book, Eye on You, touches are:

• Implications of sharing every bit of life on social media.
• Boons & curses associated with technology.
• Problems faced by women irrespective of their job or class in society
• Marriage and relationship issues.
• Being quiet & showing aggression are the two sides of a coin.
• Office politics.
• Police mentality in general, and the perks & perils of being a relative of police officers.

Some Drawbacks of the Book

Some readers may feel a need for another round of proofreading as the same forensic guy is referred to by different names on different occasions.

She was followed by two women constables and Rajdeep Bhatia, the forensic guy who had just returned after a month-long leave for his marriage and then honeymoon.

Myra walked into her bedroom; Hridi and Dipti followed. The room had been turned upside down by Rajesh aided by the two women constables.

Readers who are familiar with the posts in the Police System may not be able to suspend their disbelief when the book talks about SP, DIG, & CP together.

It could not be possible because the post of CP or Commissioner of Police is found in the Police Commissionerate System only, in which, normally, the officer of the rank of DIG or above is posted as CP and SP rank officer is posted as ADCP or Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police.

As the story is set up in the city of Gurgaon (as referred to in the book) where the system of Commissionerate is practiced; the posts would be CP, DCP, ADCP, ACP, etc.; not SP & DIG.

There are some things in the book that could not be easily noticed by readers and don’t affect the present reading experience much but working on them could make the book more interesting & breathtaking.

To read about those things, kindly log in as they are exclusive to the members of the site.

Some Quotable Quotes from the Book

• Life takes us on a different trajectory and often one doesn’t relate to or have anything in common with those we shared our tiffin boxes with or bunked lectures and slipped off for the matinee. People grow up and change.
• Some things, even in the closest of friendships, are off bounds.
• Sometimes one needs to pretend everything is normal. Just to hold on to sanity.
• No one is an angel here. We all have our flaws.
• Revenge is a dish best never served.

Conclusion

Eye on You by Kanchana Banerjee is a good read. The crime drama is written in a whodunit narrative. You will find lots of relatable things in the book, especially if you are a female though the book is not written for women or from a woman’s perspective. Even the approach to the factors responsible for rape is kept gender-neutral.

Since the book deals with sensitive issues like rape and casual sex with graphic details, it isn’t recommended for readers below the age of 14. And for the readers of the age group between 14 to 18, it’s advised to read under parental guidance.

Ravish Mani is a story consultant & manuscript analyst. To get an idea of what kind of feedback you’ll get by hiring him, kindly read the post while being logged in to the website. For a quote, mail to booksasisee@ravishmani.com.

Suggested Reading: Study Your Genre to Satisfy Your Target Audience