Deliberate Sinner, The - Book Review

This book has been on my shelf for quite a while and I thought it would be a good read for the alphabet D in the Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge. Take a look at the other books that I have read for the various challenges here.

This is a debut novel from Bhaavana Arora published in 2014.The story is about a rich, beautiful,self determined and free spirited girl - Rihana.

Rihana's parents are rich and she is the only child who goes on a trip to Thailand all alone and meets a guy - Veer, who also happens to be her close friend Raj's friend!!

Things click off and Veer proposes and both the families make arrangements for the wedding and just after the engagement, Rihana feels Veer is not as close as he was during their courtship and she is having second thoughts about the wedding.

She confides in Raj and slowly they they realise they are head over heels in love and get intimate. But when Raj fails to accept their love and also  falls back on her plans to elope together, she realises that he is a wimp and go ahead with the wedding with Raj.


Things turn sour after the wedding when Veer fails to please her emotionally and physically! The situation worsens when he starts abusing her. To make matters worse, she finds out his affair with a college girl!!!

She walks out but both the families ask her to reconcile and go back to Veer. Their opinion is that men can do anything and the girl just has to bear with it and act as if nothing happens.

During all this , Rihana, gets a job teaching fashion designing and get close to a female colleague -Shipra, with whom she share a very special friendship.

She also meets an inspector Avinash with whom she feels can discuss even her personal life and share her thoughts freely.

In spite of Veer's misdeeds, she goes back but lays down some ground rules. But Veer crosses over again.

In an effort to free herself from the loveless and torturous marriage, she sets about doing something scandalous!And that is the deliberate sin!!

Read the book if you want to find out the book ends...

My thoughts on the book...

What I liked:

• I like about this book is that the author has touched a subject that questions the society!! When a male does something wrong, it is not considered bad or even when he has an affair it not not taken seriously and the wife is supposed to accept it and be with him even though she does not want to! But if the same thing is done by the women, she gets a different treatment and all everyone does is speak about her character!
• The other thing that I like- Rihana is portrayed as a survivor where she breaks out of the stereotype the society expects and comes out of her misery with flying colors even if it is scandalous!

Some of the other things....

• First of all the book is very racy!The book starts off with a steamy scene!! And has a few more in between as well! The book is really bold!
• It has everything from adultery, domestic violence, marital rape to twists and turns in the story.
•  Rihana who has been described as a very free spirited, bold girl, is later depicted to be wallowing in self pity and a lot of crying and depressing moments!
• The needs of a women both emotional and physical are given thoughts through Rihana but the racy scenes could have been cut short / avoided. I am not into these kinds of books so did not enjoy it much.

All in all it is a very short read and shows the needs and emotions a women are also be considered by men[husband] and the differntial attitude of the society towards the same sin when it is committed by men and women!

The Delibrate Sinner
Reviewed by PJon Feb 22 2016
Rating: 3

Until the next post....