The Vault of Vishnu- Book Review

The Vault of Vishnu by Ashwin Sanghi 

Genre: Historical & Political Thriller, Indian Literature
3.3 Stars 

The Vault of Vishnu is a combination of history, myth, politics, crime, and some science. The blurb shows that the story would progress in dual timelines, if not more. Everything about it sounded fantastic. 

This is my first book by the author. While I enjoyed the first-person narrative of the Buddhist monk, I failed to connect with the young rookie, Pam. Instead, I liked the secondary characters (Mr. Rao and Anu) more than the leading lady. 

The division of chapters and scenes was done well. Keeping track of the events was no issue. But the information dump about every character was annoying. Right, I know I need to know about them. But I sure don’t need their bio when they are introduced. Space it out throughout the book. The initial background dump slowed down my reading pace. 

Despite the whole list of places the monk traveled, I enjoyed his voice the most. It was probably the only one that felt steady throughout the book. Mark showed promise, but his character wasn’t developed enough. 

Coming to the ‘thriller’ part, it fell flat. The details about the secret services and hubs were enjoyable, no doubt. But the pacing was wrong. First, it’s too slow with information overload. Then, there’s a small section where some sort of scheming and confusion occurs. And voila! The story starts to unravel, and everything is tied up with a shiny bow. Effortless, almost. 

When we really look at it, Pam did very little. She was more of a catalyst while others took the scene into their hands. If that was the author’s intention, then no complaints. 

What I do love was the research that went into the book. Still, maybe a bit of toning down on the data and emphasizing the plot itself would have worked better for readers like me who love tight narratives and good thrillers. 

The blurb and the title felt like they fit the story in a roundabout manner. They didn’t make show much significance until towards the end. Even then, the link wasn’t strong.  

Overall, the book is okayish. It's a one-time read for me. 

This review is posted as a part of the Thousand Reviewers Club. Thank you, Indic Academy and Indic Book Club, for a review copy of the book.