It is with a daring frankness that the plot of Jacob Hills, the new novel by Ismita Tandon Dhankher unfolds. Jacob Hills by Ismita Tandon Dhankher is a dark, grimy look at the nefarious proceedings that occur at an army station in Himachal Pradesh sometime in the 1980’s. Elements of suspense hover - murder, sexual exploitation and child abuse are pivotal parts of the plot. Jacob Hills is a novel of suspense, dark truths and exposed hypocrisy – holding a mirror to all things devious in a person.

There are various advantages to reading a well-written book. A work of fiction or fantasy will work your imagination in several ways. You will see that there no one way of looking at a particular incident, as described in the book. Each reading of the book will unfold new worlds. How often have we seen that a book read in childhood seems so different when read years later.
Women are carrion and men - vultures in the twisted, perverse world of Jacob Hills. The story proceeds through the narrative of the principal characters. Deft illustrations are used to highlight each character. Despite the ambitious narrative device, the story takes time to take hold.

Here is a run through each of the characters featured as narratives in the text. Eva is an Anglo-Indian woman married to George, who is all set to join the War College at Jacob Hills as a war instructor. At the time when we first get introduced to Eva’s character, the couple is traveling on the Himachal Express to the army station. Eva and George are in many ways, the witnesses of the atrocities and darkness that pervades during their stay at Jacob Hills.

Henna is a girl whose life takes a drastic turn due to circumstance and betrayal. She is a vulnerable character, and represents several such women who are taken for a ride by certain men in search of carnal pleasure. In the case of Henna, she is comparatively lucky in the story as compared to what women endure in real life.

Saryu is another mirror held to the ills of society, the institution of marriage. Saryu is abused and devilishly used by her husband Vikram to further his career prospects. It is a chilling take on how helpless and bound a woman can be in marriage. The need for individual independence is called out for in the depiction of Saryu’s life.

Teeming with such engrossing characters, Jacob Hills is a good read.