
Genre: Action/Crime & Thriller
Publisher: Self-published
Length: 188 pages
Publication date: 29 August, 2021
Reading age: 18 years
Format: Kindle
Blurb
You’re seen, tracked, and followed everywhere you go. Every line & picture you post; someone is watching. All that information in the wrong hands is a recipe for disaster.
You have a smart door, a CCTV; everything is controlled via an app on your mobile phone. All they need to do is to hack into your phone. Anyone can get in, anyone can see you inside your home.
How safe are you inside your home?
Myra is a young, independent, single working woman living in Gurgaon. After a party in her home, she wakes up the following morning and discovers that she has been raped. But she was at home, surrounded by her friends.
Who could have done this to her? Was it one of her friends or a stranger?
My Review of Eye On You
Eye on You is so much more than a standard crime novel. Yes, it has all the right elements to keep you on the edge of your seat. I bet you won’t be able to figure out who the perpetrator is. And when you do find out, you will be as astounded as I was. Maybe you’ll become a little paranoid, too, about your personal safety!
Beyond that, Eye On You is a study of current society and its attitudes towards women and crimes against women. It is a minute look into the lives of the well-heeled — into their cushy apartments, their wild parties, and their IDGAF outlook. It is also a study in the contrast between the lives of the upwardly mobile and the not-so-fortunate.
It was fascinating to see how the women in the novel faced the hatred of other people, no matter what their situation in life is. The self-made Myra is judged for her lifestyle choices that she funds with money that she earns. Whereas, Dipti (a policewoman) is mocked by her mother-in-law for failing to produce a child even though she is not at fault.
What really got my goat is the insinuation (by various characters in the book) that women invite rape because of their revealing clothing, their propensity to post about their personal lives on social media, or their liberated sexual lives. How long will people, both men and women, continue to propagate this nonsense?
You also get a chilling insight into the mind of a rapist. Why do they think you’re “asking for it?”
Eye On You is set in Gurgaon and the AQI of each day is a major talking point. I wasn’t aware that air pollution was such a huge problem there. People familiar with Gurgaon will identify with the various places mentioned.
One of the strong points of the book is its vivid descriptions of characters. The author has imbued each character with a distinct personality. The people come to life through their clothing, mannerisms, and quirks of speech.
I particularly enjoyed the use of Hinglish to make the dialogues more believable and natural. The Haryanvi dialect in Dipti’s speech added to the overall atmosphere of the story.
The take-home message of the book is that the Internet is a dangerous place with all kinds of shady characters lurking in dark corners. You never know who is watching you and how they will use the information that you put out online.
Hackers are getting more sophisticated by the day, helped along by the increasing adoption of “smart,” app-controlled, Web-linked gadgets. They have the power to not only steal all your money but also destroy your life by alienating you from society.
Eye On You is a pacy crime thriller that talks about the dangers of oversharing online, cybercrime, and the misogynist attitudes against women. It is a fascinating look into the inner workings of the human mind and how far one will resort to getting what one wants.
(I received an e-copy of the book from Blogchatter with a request for an honest, analytical review.)
This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla and powered by Deyga.