The Cartographers - Peng Shepherd

Author: Peng Shepherd

Genre: Magical Realism

Rating: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: When I finished reading this, I was on a book high. But as the day went by, I began to see a few logical loopholes in the plot. So as long as you don’t overanalyse this book, it can be one heck of an entertainer!

Story:

Nell Young has always been passionate about cartography. But after a very public spat with her illustrious father (who is also a respected cartographer), Nell’s career track has been a standstill. But now, after seven years of no contact with him, she learns that her father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, that too in his office at the New York Public Library. In his possession is the same map the two had had a fight over a mass-produced highway gas station map. Why is this ordinary map still with him? Did he die or was he killed? What is the secret behind the conspiracy that seems to be ballooning every day?

The story comes to us mainly in a limited third person narrative of Nell and her ex-beau Felix, but with some first person interludes from other key characters.

Where the book worked for me:

😍 The storyline was innovative enough to keep me hooked till the end. Yes, it had some flaws that kept it from becoming a perfect narrative, but its uniqueness and pace made me forgive and forget most of the problems.

😍 I loved the way the book mixed up its genres and does justice to almost every one of them. Part family drama, part friendship saga, part crime thriller and part magical realism, the book straddles all these with ease without going over the top. I especially loved the magical realism bits. They were so unexpected and imaginative.

😍 I found the pacing working very much to my liking. With its constant tempo and a steady unfurling of events without much of rambling musings, I could complete this within a day.

😍 I learnt so many things about maps! Every detail connected to cartography is almost like an eye-opener. I especially loved knowing about phantom settlements. Who knew! What an idea to ensure copyright protection!

😍 While there is the mandatory romantic arc in the plot, it never overpowers the main focus of the story and never feels artificial.

😍 All the main characters are geeks, and that too, highly intelligent ones. So when the reader is also a geek (albeit in a different subject area), it is a match made in heaven. I drooled over the tech terms and cartographical insights. (It reminded me of my initial experiences with Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon books. It is fun to see braniacs at work when they aren’t being pompous about it.)

😍 The author’s note at the end about something crucial in the story was just mind-blowing! I have nothing to say but WOW!

😍 Yay for the representation, and a bigger YAY for the way it is seamlessly woven into the story. There are characters from many backgrounds but nowhere is present a stereotypical stress on their ethnicity/nationality and never will you feel that they are there just for a token representation. There’s also an LGBT character and again, this person is a routine part of the story. I felt like I was interacting with these characters as I would in real life; it just felt so natural. Simply loved the handling of diversity in this book!

Where the book could have worked better for me:

😑 The first person perspectives didn’t work very well in the book. With a similar-sounding voice across multiple characters, it became very confusing to remember who was narrating that specific flashback. I’d have preferred having the third person narration even for the flashbacks.

😑 The methodology of presenting scenes was quite jarring at times. For instance, the first person flashbacks contained some references that no one in real life would recount while narrating a story. There are some well-timed coincidences, some farfetched decision, and some minor plot points that never get explained. (Then again, it is a magical realism story. Not everything will get explained.) The writing is a bit repetitive and simplistic.

😑 There is a secret villain in the story but it doesn’t take any genius to figure out who the villain could be. So if you are reading this primarily as a crime thriller, you will be disappointed. Luckily for me, I was reading it more for the cartographical details and the magical realism part. So I was okay with the crime detection going for a toss. (The book still offers many thrills, just not as the crime thriller.)

Despite these minor flaws in the execution. I still find myself highly satisfied with the book. The writing style wasn't too good but the plot kept me invested. Every geeky cell in my body was engrossed in the narrative. I relished the story and look forward to reading more books by this author. Definitely recommended if you are looking for a cerebral entertainer.

My thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Cartographers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.