Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya

In The Watch, author Joydeep Bhattacharya draws his inspiration from the Greek myth Antigone and creates a novel of war that touches on themes that are as old as time itself while still infusing the story with modern idiom and pop culture references. An ancient tale brought into today, passed along by different narrators that manages to portray the brutality, stupidity and gut-wrenching violence that war brings to the living.

A young, mutilated Afghanistan woman shows up outside the American outpost the morning after a fierce fight to first request, then demand the return of her brother’s body. She claims that her village has been destroyed and her family wiped out by an American drone so in retaliation her brother led the attack on the American fort. The Americans, sleep deprived and battle weary, are suspicious of her motives suspecting that she could be a spy or a suicide bomber.

I loved how each chapter was from a different viewpoint, the author excelled at inserting the reader into the story and make them feel a part of it. Each chapter displays a different morality and we come to know these people through their innermost thoughts. What shows through clearly is the stress, tension and uncertainty that living in a combat zone generates. The Watch is a deceptively simple story with a timeless theme about the futility and senselessness of war.… (more)

I liked, but I didn't think I would. It took easily 100 pages for this to gain momentum. The story is told from constantly changing, overlapping points of view, which slowed the pace considerably in the first third. Additionally, it started to feel a bit like an 80s TV show, with constant "guest stars" popping up with their own story lines. Once the author settled down a bit and let the narrator take over most of the tale, it moved quickly. Overall, very atmospheric, enjoyable, tension-filled, and culturally enlightening.… (more)