Horsin’ Around

There once was a horse who lived on a large farmland with grassy fields and wide-open plains. There were endless fields of tall green and yellow grass with trees, sunshine, and a lake nearby where the horse lived. The horse used to gait and walk, canter and gallop all day long. The horse ate grass when he liked. The horse rested and ran as his heart pleased. The horse enjoyed an untethered and pleasing existence.

But one fine day, the horse’s head caught a strange notion while walking in the fields. The horse thought that he had been doing what he does for a long time now. And will probably continue to do the same things furthermore in life. Then the horse’s mind had an unsettling thought. The horse wondered if there was more to life than all that he did in his days and in his nights. Upon careful pondering, the horse became convinced that there is certainly more to life than this. There must be something else which would give deeper meaning to the horse’s existence.

In his intense thought, the horse observed the other creatures around the vast lands. There were flocks of sheep, bands of jays, colonies of ants, gulls, herds of cattle- cows, goats & pigs. All sorts of wild and domestic animals were together in that land. All animals were together in pairs, or families or simply in groups. This assured the horse that he had now discovered what was missing- affirmation from someone else and kinship. The horse had to become a part of something where he was also acknowledged for his existence.

Engaged in thoughts, the horse one day came across a pond. The pond had all sorts of fish in it. The horse was engrossed and enticed by the lives of the fish. The horse observed all the fishes living and doing so many things together. The fish travelled together, ate together, laughed together and spent time together. The horse saw different fishes mingling together, swimming from school to school and often accompanied by their favourite companions. The horse saw them living their lives happily and was almost envious of them having a past, a present and a bright future together. The horse hadn’t fully understood it yet, but their peace and harmony made him feel this is something worth pursuing in life.

After many days of earnest deliberation, the horse made up his mind to join the fish. The horse decided that he would jump into the pond to proceed in his quest for a more heartfelt form of life. The horse genuinely believed that if he finds the right fish to be with, he is going to resolve his heart’s yearning.

With his eyes and mind set on jumping in, one late afternoon, the horse reached the pond. Just as the horse was about to jump inside, something strange happened. Something ordinary but revealing. The horse saw his own reflection in the pond’s water. And then dawned upon the horse, a moment of consciousness and clarity. The horse, through his reflection, realized a simple thing. Something which he had all but forgotten recently. The fact that he is a horse.

Suddenly a brainwave rushed through the horse’s head. The horse noticed how mistaken he was by trying to fit in with the fish in his quest for a deeper meaning to life. The horse distressingly discerned that he is a horse and wasn’t meant to be with fish or live like them. The horse was supposed to neigh, gallop, whinny and run about in the fields.

The fish represented contentment and it was alluring to live with and just like them, the horse recognized that no number of fish or swimming would make the horse happier or satisfied. Because the truth is that the horse is a horse. And the horse would neigh and run, as horses do. The horse cannot swim like the fish or live life like them, however important it may seem.

This made the horse turn back onto the fields of his vast land. The horse accepted his life and role as a horse. The horse decided he will not try to be something he is not and embrace his own way of life. This made the horse discover his own individual self and accept himself, his lifestyle as it was. As it is supposed to be. All things, good or bad, are supposed to happen to the horse in the same life. The horse now successfully acknowledged and embraced himself and went back to his life of neighing, eating grass and galloping around.

The horse now rediscovered his lost sense of self and learnt that acceptance sometimes, for some animals, must come from within.

"The author feels getting older isn't helping his growing up much.

And he is slowly becoming Mr. Peanutbutter"

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino: Book Review

Hello, readers! Welcome to a new blogpost after a gap of nearly three years.

Ever since I had started my job and stepped into the actual adult life, things have been a bit difficult to manage. With my work schedule and my impulse to do everything under the sky; I've been stretched a bit thin over the past few years. Especially when it comes to tasks like writing a full review or article, my focus has been difficult to capture to stay on it.

Adult life can be strange. We're meant to do something, but our hearts and bodies are always at a crossroads. And there's this constant feeling to always stick to what's right as your actions now have real and far reaching consequences. And there's just so much to do out there- you got a career to manage, a healthy lifestyle, a social life and your own mental peace. I don't know if I'll ever get used to this life.

Anyway, lest I digress further, let's come back to the post at hand- the review of a book I read last year but kept on putting off writing about it- until now. Since it's been a while, I may not be able to as eagerly capture and express all my opinions as I could've immediately after reading it but I'll try to keep the review honest.

The Devotion of Suspect X is a novel in the famed Detective Galileo series of novels by master suspense author- Keigo Higashino. The book tells the tale of Yasuko and Misato Hanaoka- Mother and Daughter duo and their neighbour- the brilliant mathematician Tetsuya Ishigami and devious homicide cover-up.

The plot, much like other Keigo Higashino stories is not just about a whodunit. Infact, now I'm starting to believe it must be a well-liked trope for the author to establish it at the beginning of the story that who the killer is. Given this is just my second Higashino novel, I'd say I'm starting to like it quite a bit. Because despite the lack of a 'who did it' mystery, we're still treated to a thorough and fleshy storyline about establishing the circumstances which lead us to the end.

I'd say the story starts off a bit slow. We're transported to urban Tokyo into the lives of Yasuko, a former bar girl who now lives with her daughter and works at a bento shop. Yasuko is a conventional beauty and still enamour the men who get close to her. After a few failed attempts at love and a failed marriage, she lives a modest and humdrum life with her daughter. That is, until her former gambling addict and alcoholic husband finds his way back into their lives. The key character of the novel- Yasuko's neighbour and gifted mathematics professor- Tetsuya Ishigami is one of the people who've fallen for Yasuko.

When tragedy strikes and leaves the mother daughter duo in a quandary- with the charge of murder against them, Ishigami steps up to help them.

All of this and what actually happened on the night of the murder up till the killing is very well established in the first few chapters. With the audience fully informed of the facts and who did what. Even the motive is quite clear and simply established.

But the real conundrum, motivations, actions, go far cavernous than we realise as we delve deeper and deeper- chapter into chapter through the investigation. By the time police discover the corpse- the game is already won by the talented Mr. Ishigami.

The police eventually do reach Tetsuya and Yasuko but have absolutely no clue on linking the crime to the perpetrators. And as reluctantly as it is, Police Detective Kusanagi has to enlist the help of his brilliant friend and physicist- Manabu Yukawa aka Detective Galileo.

As much as the pair is uncomfortable with each other and their methods, they still manage to get along and work on the side of the law. As it turns out- the primary suspect has a relation with Professor Yukawa and both get along well.

What ensues is a battle of wits, misdirection, espionage, meticulous examinations of each and every available evidence and timeline. At every step, Ishigami is ahead of our detectives.

The only weak link is probably Yasuko who finds it difficult to live and get by like Ishigami has asked her to. Feeling it too difficult to bear the burden of the crime. Constantly worrying about the next move. But our amazingly calculating professor Ishigami has factored in every possible probability and put in place a plan which makes it impossible to implicate Yasuko in the murder

Page after page, the book is so well crafted and riddled with anticipations that it's difficult to put down. Which I like to believe is the biggest quality of a good suspense novel.

By the end, we get to experience a twist so profound and unexpected despite all facts shared with the readers that it's almost cathartic. The realisation is so overwhelming that we have to put the book down for a minute and let the joy, surprise and utter brilliance of this masterful piece of work sink in.

But that is not the end. Delightfully enough, even after the zenith of our storyline, the author doesn't just leave us after the big reveal. The end beyond the mystery is something which truly opens our eyes to a whole new perspective and justifies the title of the book and the titular 'devotion' of the 'suspect x'. Before the ending, it's simply impossible to actually discern the true meaning of those words. And the enormously heartfelt heaviness that they carry.

The whole book establishes the entire surroundings and characters pretty well yet the ending gives us insights into their psyche that unravels their deepest secrets and determination to us. This was an experience which I'd recommend to every mystery fan out there and to check out this book if you haven't already.

All in all- great characters, amazing opposing protagonists, plot, twist, and ending. A wonderful read throughout. If you’re a fan of the genre and looking for an irresistible storyline with your mind blown with the utter sense of emotional outcry at display while involving great clever minds of geniuses trying to outwit each other at every move; then this book- an excellent take on the ‘how to get away with murder’ concept is a must-read for you.