Review by boringyanks -- Border Post 99 by Kedar Patankar

[boringyanks]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Border Post 99" by Kedar Patankar.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Border Post 99 is a book that falls within the literature and fiction genre. The book is about 56 pages long. The book was written by Kedar Patankar. A fiction story that takes place in an area labelled “No Man’s Land.” More specifically along the unbalanced India-Pakistan border. Leopards roam about on both sides of the border. The leopard's implant fear in the soldiers on both sides of the border. The soldiers on both sides of the border are illegally posted. They have been given orders to not shoot.

The story begins with Lt. Sharma who is new out of an Indian boot camp. All Sharma really wants to do is return home. Sharma eventually meets a Pakistani veteran. This veteran only wants to be left alone. When they stumble upon each other it sparks a rivalry followed by revenge.

Not having any prior knowledge of the India-Pakistan conflict I was intrigued by the subject matter. Being that it was a short quick read I decided to give it a chance. Having prior military experience, I connected with parts of the story. It brought backs memories that haven’t surfaced in a long time.

The book started a little slow for my taste. The names and places mentioned were all foreign to me and were confusing. I stuck with it to see where the author was heading. I often paused in the reading to see if I could determine the direction. I was pleasantly surprised in a few areas on how the story progressed.

This book teaches a lesson on the duality of man. It is often wise to know your enemy and why you are engaged in a battle. You never fully understand your enemy or their personal motives.

It was difficult at times to decipher which side of the border I was reading from. The book left several unanswered questions for me and I desired more development of the story, characters and reasons they were really in No Man’s Land. On the bright side, there were moments that I felt my reading pace quickened to see what was going to transpire next. I couldn’t connect fully with the author or the story but perhaps others will.

Overall, I would rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. It would have rated it higher if I was more emotionally drawn to the characters. I enjoyed reading the story but it wasn’t a deep enough story line for me. I never really felt connected to the characters. The story did shine in a few parts but fell flat in most other areas. I also enjoy witty dialogue in books and that was missing for me in Border Post 99.

******
Border Post 99
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like boringyanks's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Izesicle]

As someone with previous military experience, I'm curious about your thoughts on their military strategy.

[jimthorne2]

Maybe it's too boring for a military man. However, I am told that much of the hurry up and wait in the military culture is boring. What do you say to that strategy?