Loki Takes Guard

What draws me into a story? What makes me long to know more? What keeps me reading?

Character. Always, character. That’s probably why I don’t typically enjoy detective stories very much. Suspense isn’t what drives me as a reader, and all too often, good detectives remain elusive. Their enigma is part of why people are drawn to them – and I’m not.

I’m drawn to characters that show themselves at their ugliest, most vulnerable moments, as well as their silliest ones. I’m drawn to characters like Loki.

Loki Takes Guard is the story of an 11-year-old who tells you straight off that her name is not as cool and fancy as it seems. It’s not Loki, but Lokanayaki. Ugh. Who has a name like that?

Just three chapters in, I got sucked into the story. It’s beautiful and warm, full of moments of angst, embarrassment, love and humour. I chuckled at the serials the family watches; I loved the names! But more, I loved the range of characters, from Bonda Balaji to Malati Akka. The wonderfully complex Amma is lovely, as is Appa, silent and supportive. Rajani and Rubina with their obsession with makeup, Coach Amir, Reena … Ah, the list of characters that come alive seems endless, and that’s what makes the book the wonder that it is.

Quick-paced and powered by grit, funny and full of emotion, Loki Takes Guard is, quite simply, a lovely book. Towards the end, I had to swallow a lump in my throat, and when I closed the book, I was happy.