Review by WestIndie001 -- Border Post 99 by Kedar Patankar

[WestIndie001]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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Border Post 99 is about two soldiers, Lt. Sharma of the Indian army and Captain Khan of the Pakistani army, who are both stationed on opposite sides of the India-Pakistan border. This part of the border is referred to as a no man’s land, as it is a land where the boundary of either country isn’t clearly defined. The story takes place during the conflict between India and Pakistan, making Sharma and Khan enemies.

The narrative flits between these two characters throughout the book. Mangesh Sharma is a rookie, who’s straight out of military school. Abid Khan is a veteran, who’s tired of war, and actually enjoys his peaceful solitude in the middle of the no man’s land. Well, not anymore. The two soldiers soon encounter one another. Both men are ordered by their superiors not to kill the other. A kind of indirect, nonlethal battle ensues between them. A battle not with guns, but with minds.

Both these soldiers seemed like average Joes, which is what I liked about them. You’ll get to know some backstories and gain a little insight into their characters. The narrative would jump between these two quite often. It got confusing at times and made certain situations unclear. Maybe it just took getting used to, because I didn’t feel this kind of writing style ruined the story.

Kedar Patankar writes in a simple yet skillful way. Simple prose is best for storytelling, in my opinion. This was an easy read. Anyone can pick this up and enjoy it. There was something so pleasant about Sharma setting up camp and eating his dinner. Trivial moments like that held my interest, because of great writing. My only problem with it, as I had mentioned in the last paragraph, was the switching of narratives. The ending was sudden and brief, but it was satisfying.

I give Border Post 99 3 out of 4 stars. I never knew of the conflict between India and Pakistan until I read this book. I was interested in reading this because I thought it was a war story. Well, it kind of is. This small, confined setting, the no man’s land, made for a perfect place to tell a short tale about war and duty. The problem with this book was that it was too short. I wanted and expected more out of this. I felt much more could’ve been added—more descriptions—more backstories—I wanted more to read. I couldn’t give it 4 stars because it was just too short of a story. Still, I’m looking to try another book from this author. Great writing.

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Border Post 99
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Like WestIndie001's review? Post a comment saying so!

[juliusotinyo]

Nice review. I loved the ending as it leaves you to contemplate what follows.

[Jeremie Mondejar]

Nice review, this book sounds interesting... I thought also it's a war but it is about duty to the country. Thank for your review, it gives insight.

[Naval Aulakh]

The review is very good. The book is very good. I have heard a lot about it.

[Izesicle]

You are absolutely correct in that the battle was not with guns but with minds. Feel free to check out my review. I rated it 4 out of 4 stars.

[jimthorne2]

War between individuals is distinctively different from war between two nations. I think this is a good example of the battle front scenario up close.

[Ayosinmi]

Nice review. I'm not sure I will like to read this book, I rather enjoy your review though. Please check out my reviews of Breaking sandcastles, Escape, Lemoncella cocktail, My trip to Adele, and Searching for Paradise. I look forward to hearing from you.