The Seventh Cup by Nitesh Kumar Jain is one of the thought provoking novel that can bring a lot of controversy in the field of Science, Religion. The genre of the book is difficult to decide as it falls under multiple categories so anyone can give the category according to their choice. I got this book from Kalmos Literary Agency in return of an honest review. I was not planning to read this book so early but I feel Law of Attraction and destiny worked. I was asked to complete it soon and I don’t regret this early read infact, I thank the person who asked me to read it before. I guess I have created enough buzz so let me go in detail about it..
Cover- The cover is simple and I feel the author was more interested in conveying the story rather than cover. The black and white texture was good for me and the way those keywords were written was an eye catcher. One can notice a pattern of keywords and if checked carefully they signify the number 7. It is thoughtful.
Title- The title do gives us frantic thoughts like to what could be this seventh cup, is it related to sports or something else. But the guesses are entirely wrong the title has a significant meaning. After reading the novel we can get back to the title and it will surely feel perfect as if it was made for this novel only.’The Seventh Cup’
Blurb- A student of history in Switzerland goes missing; a man drinks exactly seven cups of coffee everyday in the same restaurant and believes in Mind Transportation. Two newly married Swiss detective agents arrive and begin a shocking tale of love, friendship, betrayal and death. From the colorful coasts of Goa, India to the enchanting backdrop of Zurich,Switzerland, the mystery of Verona Schmidt baffles everyone. With shocking twits and turns in every chapter, The Seventh Cup might just have the addictive flavor to stir the readers mind…may be forever !!
Setting- The setting and the aura of the novel is peaceful and unique. The scenes are set up in Goa, Zurich, Switzerland, Basel. The name of the places are beautiful. One can feel the scenic beauty. There are mention of other places as well like Mumbai, Manila and many more that adds flavour to the novel.
Plot- The plot of the novel is neatly woven. There are no loops in it. There are multiple plots which are linked in the last chapter. The main plot focusses the life of Avinash Roy, a student from Goa who comes to work in Zurich and Verona Schmidt, a student of history. Things take a different turn when Verona goes missing for eight months and the CID officers Thomas and Susanne are asked to solve the case.
There is a sub plot about Thomas and Susanne who are officers and how they get married and make appearance in the main plot. Susanne is seem connected to her grandfather who was a great Archaeologist. She writes about his discoveries and her experiences on a blog which gives peace to her soul and through she revives her grandfather’s memories.
The other plot is about Ria Pratap who has a tragic past about her mother and comes to Switzerland for a program in Archaeology. Nobody knows the truth behind her mysterious death and she comes to picture when Thomas’s bag gets exchanged.
The minor plot is about Alexander Victor1 who goes missing and his case is given to Thomas. Thus, This plot also meets the main plot when he solves the mystery and later on join Susanne in finding Verona’s mysterious disappearance.
Themes- This book is full of intriguing themes and they have deeper reasons. The theme of love is significant. We notice Thomas and Susanne are madly in love who support each other at every step. The other theme is of one sided love of Avinash Roy for Verona Schmidt. He develops an instant liking for VErona and even gets obsessed with her. HE tries every possible thing to win her but she seems to be in love with KEvin Smith. The story takes a turn when he begins to hallucinate about her. This surely takes us to other theme , i.e transportation of memories. It is a unique concept where these two are transported to memories of Avinash. The other theme is of law of attraction which is a theory given by Professor Shantanu and Ria’s keen desire to find Verona and the other one where she wants Susanne to handle Verona’s Case.
Characterisation- The author masters the art of charcterisation. He has beautifully portrayed the sketches of the characters. My favourite charcters are Avinash, Ria and Susanne.
Avinash Roy is the most complex character I have come across in my life and I am sure that such charcters don’t exist in real of life. He is an amazing writer who has connected his story to his real life. He has different concepts of life. He is a coffee addict. He is madly in love or rather say obsessed with Verona Schmidt. He has issues with acceptance of truth. He has beautifully written a thought provoking play ‘In Search of Truth’. He is mouthpiece of author. Why I said this? This is because if we read the bio of the author we come to know that the author himself see as Avinash Roy, not exactly him but the background is autobiographical. He is a master mind who plays with the minds of almost all the charcters and the most played is Susanne.
Ria Pratap, popularly known as Chashmish in her college days is the most interesting charcter made by the author. The way she presents herself is impressive. She has a dark past and the memories of her past haunts her. Her mother was murdered brutally and which left a deep mark on her. Soon, she befriends Verona Schmidt who is an exchange student from Switzerland. They share the same room and have so much to talk about. When she suddenly disappears this leaves her tormented and she tries everything to find her. She joins an Archaeology programme just to find her someday. When she is in Switzerland she comes across detective Susanne and develops an instant liking for her. Like an enthusiast, she invites her to visit Augusta Raurica, an archaeological site. But her sudden demise makes the readers stunned. Yes, a hidden truth is there about her death but that is to be read not told here.
Susanne is a detective who falls for Thomas and the two gets married and plans to settle in Switzerland. She is asked to handle the case of Verona Schmidt who is missing from last eight months. She is a great admirer of Archaeology because her grandfather was a great archaeologist. She is an active blogger. She even develops a liking for Ria Pratap and her sudden death shakes her.She tries to understand the psychology of Avinash and starts believing in him. She even using his manuscript to solve the mystery of Verona’s disappearance and Ria’s death.The truth shocks her and the way she uncovers that truth is impeccable.
Style- The author has beautifully written this book and his research hard work can be seen through the crisp dialogues. The used of epistolar technique followed by impersonal descriptions and third person narrative is mind blowing. The novel has larger traces of Shakepearean tragedy, stream of consciousness theory and many more such loveable facts. The one liners are the best he could write about.
Highlighters- Starting from the Editor’s note, The author is admirer of talent and thats why he gave a proper space to the editor, Dr. Rosa MAria DelVecchio. She has nicely appreciated the author. This act of kindness actually won my heart.
Mind Transporation- This is one of the unique concept I have come across in my life. I never knew that this theme exists. So, yes readers this part is real and not fictional. This technique involves thinking about the memories and including the other person in it. This happens in story telling. Well, I did some research and even the author helped me in it. He asked me watch The Secret movie and even you read the novel The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. And my little bit of research includes some links which can give you better analysis about it..: http://www.sparringmind.com/story-psychology/
The related concept to this includes Mind uploading and this may also interest you : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_uploading
LAw of Attraction- The law of attraction is the one in which something attracts the other. For instance, in this novel, Avinash’s mind attracts Verona Schmidt and that is why he is able to see her inspite of the fact thar the others can’t see her. If you want to know more just go through this link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_attraction_(New_Thought)
Play- The play ‘In Search of Truth’ is the most powerful play I have read so far and can challenge so many sects and entities. I would request the readers to thoroughly read this play. It has a lot of depth and essence in it.
Availability- http://www.amazon.in/Seventh-Cup-Nitesh-Kumar-Jain/dp/8182534488
https://www.amazon.com/Seventh-Cup-Nitesh-Kumar-Jain/dp/8182534488
About the Author
Nitesh Kumar Jain (1987) spent his childhood days in the beautiful state of Assam in India and pursued his schooling at Carmel School, Jorhat. Later he went to BITS Pilani, KK Birla Goa Campus. He graduated as a Chemical Engineer in the year 2010 and worked as a trainee at Aditya Birla Chemicals inThailand for six months. He did his post-graduate work in Chemical and Bioengineering from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and later worked as an intern at BASF AG, Basel. During his two-year stay in Switzerland, he conceptualized his debut novel, The Seventh Cup. Currently he is in India working on a start up venture. Apart from writing he loves photography and travelling to new countries to explore different cultures. Nitesh has visited several countries during the past few years such as Thailand, Switzerland, Italy, Germany,France, Austria,The Netherlands. He wish to visit Turkey, Australia and the Nordic countries in the coming years. He believes in the saying by Paulo Coelho: When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it!!!
