Book Review - Kane and Abel

It is one of the best books I have laid my hands on, till date. Truly, Jeffrey Archer’s masterpiece.

It’s a saga, of two men, William Kane and Abel Rosnovski, born on the same day and how their destinies intertwine. Kane is the blue-blooded heir to a banking fortune, whose life is blighted by the early loss of his father on the Titanic, leaving Kane Jr. in charge of the Kane & Cabot Bank. He proves to be good with numbers, graduates from Harvard and is blessed with business acumen. 

Abel is the one-nippled, son of a Polish baron, who gets deported to Siberia after the First World War, manages to escape the clutches of brutal beatings and heart-wrenching slavery  and makes his way to America.  Soon after, he starts his life as a waiter in the Hotel Plaza. With fate by his side and grit in his mind, he soon paves his way, rises to the top ranks and buys some stock in the hotel chain. During the Great depression of 1930, his mentor –Davis, needs a backer and thus approaches Kane & Cabot Bank. Kane’s bank refuses to lend him the money and so he throws himself off the 17th floor of his hotel, not strong enough to see his own bankruptcy. Abel blames Kane for Davis’ death. Richmond Hotels is however bailed out, by an anonymous benefactor. But, Abel vows vengeance from Kane. 

The beautifully descriptive yet highly intriguing mystery makes this book un-put-down-able.  World War I, World War II and the Great Depression of 1930 hugely shape the lives of the two protagonists, whose destinies keep crisscrossing, like when battling life and death in the war, where Abel unknowingly saves Kane’s life.

All this while, Abel has a daughter, Florentyna,named so in memory of his dead sister, whereas Kane has a son, Richard. Abel vents out his anger by plotting to ruin Kane’s bank, and thus making him bankrupt, only fit for begging on the streets. Next thing we know, Florentyna, falls in love with Richard. Through many crookish twists and turns, and the near-misses, this book makes for a rollercoaster ride.

Highly unpredictable and very engrossing, it makes every moment a page-turning mystery. The slavery, the after-effects of war, the economic depression, all make for a very interesting read.

Fiction intertwined with realistic incidents, revengeful ruthlessness, the fight for power, love, ego and so much more, makes this book no less than a classic. It might be the classiest book you’ve ever read. Fiction, non-fiction, historical incidents, insider trading, the never-ending lust for power and money: all blended into one.

Think you’re the smartest person out there? You might just find your match in Abel or Kane. Or both.

For those who are a sucker for love stories, the romance between Richard and Florentyna will sweep you away.

Even when I was half-way through the book, I just knew that this book will ricochet right into my top 5 books. Books you can’t simply give a miss!

And if you can’t enough of it, then go for “The Prodigal Daughter” – the sequel to Kane and Abel. It’s one hell of a novel too. But I’ll save that review for later. :D

Time - Are we standing still or are we in motion?

As the popular saying goes, time doesn’t stand still, it moves. Time heals all wounds. The phrase is good enough for consoling friends and family. But is it even remotely true?  Everything will pass by, just give it some time. But, what if we find out that time has been the greatest cover-up in human history? What if the farcical notion of time, which we have been led to believe is just a tale spun around to keep our daily life in commotion? A clock accounts for time; it keeps track of things lined up throughout the day for us, but by no means is it conclusive evidence as to the existence of time. Maybe, we have been cheated. Maybe, time doesn’t pass by. We are passing by. Maybe, it’s us, after all. Maybe, we are traversing the universe. Maybe.

“Sometimes I think
When I see trees from a moving train,
It seems
They go in the opposite way.
But in reality
The trees are standing still.
So can it be
That all our centuries,
Row upon row, are standing still?
Can it be that time is fixed,
And we alone are in motion?
Can it be that in this one moment
All moments,
All centuries are hidden?
No future
No past.”

The aforementioned extract of Javed Akhtar’s poem elucidates the poignant revelation staring at us in the face. The centuries have stood still and motionless, the moments have always been frozen. The universe is expanding, with its arms stretching out to embrace all the galaxies and stars. Outside bounds we can imagine, a part of the universe has always escaped us. A part that has remained untouched and truly serene, where time doesn’t exist but will soon be born. And we know, whatever’s born will have its death.

Time travels a long thread,

but it will have to die its own death. 

Maybe the Mayans miscalculated, 2012 is not the end of our dearest blue planet earth but time will meet its end, maybe in a gazillion years, but it sure will. We, humans are born in a cage of time. We take birth and die inside this cage. But outside the cage, lies another world, a world unknown to us, a world waiting to be explored, a world full of endless chances and a world filled with life.