BOOK REVIEW OF- The Wild Cat

BY Taanya Sharma

· Reading level: 13.00+ years

· Paperback: 291 pages

· Publisher: Invincible Publishers; First Edition edition (21 December 2017)

· ISBN-10: 9387328139

· ISBN-13: 978-9387328136

· ASIN: B078JRHSZQ

THE PLOT IN BRIEF-

Based on true events, this erotic thriller novel tells the tale of a young, naive woman named Tanya who enters the online dating and chat world. Her first foray into this digital realm initially proves to be bland and disappointing; however, sex, suspense, power struggles and attempted murder soon unfold. These unwelcome adventures interfere with her business and her sanity as she aspires to live up to her deceased parent’s standards.
A conman named Sam ensnares Aaron, a handsome investment banker, into his ploy and uses him as a pawn to lure women into doing things they normally wouldn’t do. Sam then exposes their personal information as well as their images, sometimes in the act of Cyber sex, and posts them on a very successful porn website that he owns. Tanya’s encounter with these two men evolves into a long, winding road, with each turn bringing irreparable changes in her life.
Enraged by the deceit and the unconscionable behaviour of these men, Tanya turns whistleblower and vows to assist the FBI in shutting down the dating app and porn site – and she won’t stop until the perverted perpetrators are behind bars. She never relents, but ultimately laments, “I never thought that I would have to give up my life to remain alive.”

THE TITLE-

Online dating, especially in India, is like walking on egg shells- you can never fathom the damage it can cause. It could be a pool of blatant lies, a well-planned trap to execute some kind of personal vengeance, or in rare cases- a decent person, in an unfortunate setting. It would be hasty generalization to conclude, that every online dating ‘victim’ has suffered; I have personally read some success stories of online relationships that have resulted in marriage. My point, rather question, here is that have we, as a society, lost faith in the age old techniques of finding love? Is online dating another form of “playing-safe”? Everything looks clean through a medium, and maybe that is why many people feel so confident and secure when they decide to take a plunge into the inter-webs.

The title itself is so thrilling that it throws the question- Is internet the new ‘heaven’? Through the protagonist ad the title, it is evident that what social-media really becomes after years of use is a constant stream of information both verbal and visual that at first drenches the mind, quenching its thirst for knowledge, and subduing its curiosity slowly but surly transforms into a torrent that renders the brain heavy and the mind restless.

REVIEW OF THE BOOK-

The author very beautifully twists her tale to inject the fact that Social networks are more than just repositories for trivial, snap judgments; they are more than merely convenient outlets for mindless joy and outrage. They offer more than the common ground and the solace we may find during culturally significant moments. Social networks also provide us with something of a flawed but necessary conscience, a constant reminder that commitment, compassion, and advocacy neither can nor ever should be finite.

The plot, although a thrilling one, emphasises on the misuse of social Network and Come to be known as “revenge porn”, the act of posting or leaking sexually explicit pictures and videos of your ex-partner, usually after a sour break up, is an increasing and worrying phenomenon. A quick Google search reveals how common a practice it is, so much so that there are myriads of websites dedicated to humiliating your ex in the most perverse manner possible. The rise of cyber assault in India is a very bothering issue. Considering the number of people that now have access to the internet, the matter’s become worse. Every time I tune into the TV to watch Crime Patrol and Savdhaan India, it actually shows the dark side of cyber crimes. These crimes go unnoticed, because the target population is easily influenced by the virtual world, and even if such matters are brought to light, the hearings go pending. The most alarming fact is that the cases of cybercrime that do get reported usually involve the death of the victim, which is shocking. Social media has given power to the youth to voice out their opinions. Such tools are rarely used for a good purpose, by many people.

The author had developed a beautiful backdrop of social network amalgamated with online dating to highlight the alarming rate of cyber crime and the immediate need of a cyber security.

As per Cyber Bullying Research Centre, cell phones and other mobile devices continue to be the most popular technology utilized by adolescents. Approximately 12% of the students in the sample admitted to cyber bullying others at some point in their lifetime. Posting mean comments online was the most commonly reported type of cyber bullying. The type of cyber bullying tends to differ by gender; girls were more likely to say someone spread rumours about them online while boys were more likely to say that someone threatened to hurt them online.

Luckily there have been grievance mechanisms, whether the local law and order authority or the media portals themselves, with many laws and framework that allow victims redressed. However, the internet world is infinite and its users ambiguous, so the onus lies on us to usher the limits and our safety. Apps like Facebook have a report against or report abuse button that allows one to limit the circulation of particular posts or updates, or a block option which allows one to prevent someone from visiting or seeing their profile.

Sadly, there is little we can do in the realms of internet safety, except follow the cardinal rule that precaution is better than cure. Limiting one’s updates to a group, and not randomly accepting a friend request from anyone, should be the rule. Also, being aware of the Information Technology Act and its legal implications is a must, so that one can apply these frameworks when in trouble. Getting in touch with the customer care division of these social media portals, instead of choosing to just ignore, is important.

The internet is indeed good if used properly and similarly bad if used with ulterior motives. In the words of JK Rowling, “The internet has been a boon and a curse for teenagers.” It’s important that we don’t substitute the Internet for our lives.

Do read the book fromhttps://www.amazon.in/Wild-Cat-Trilogy-Book/dp/B078JRHSZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517634228&sr=8-1&keywords=the+wild+cat

As quoted from William Gibson, “Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts… A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the no space of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…”

YOU SHOULD READ THIS BECAUSE–

1. THE SPINE CHILLING THRILLING PLOT.

2. THE DEATH FACTOR AT EVERY TURN OF THE PAGE

RATINGS-

Overall I would like to rate the book 44 on a scale of 50.

4 stars out of 5

1. Originality of the plot and sub plots- 9/10

2. Net emotions in the story- 9/10

3. Usage of words and phrases-9/10

4. The title, cover and the illustration-8/10

5. The net impact on the readers- 9/10

Life is truly a matter of choices, reactions, and actions. Each and every choice is governed by our reactions which in turn affect our actions and consequently the future turn of events

Reviewed by-

Sayan Basak

Kolkata