Author: Sagar Kumar
Publisher: Astitva Prakashan (2025)
Total Pages: 134
Reviewed By: Neel Preet
Author Sagar Kumar’s debut title, “INTERROGATION — Not A Monster. Not A Saint” is a hauntingly powerful and emotionally wrenching account that blurs the line between reality and fiction — not to mislead, but to reveal. Billed as biographical fiction, this book is not merely a thriller or a suspenseful narrative. It is a literary reckoning— a visceral, honest confrontation with the machinery of injustice, stitched together through the pain and silence of a real-life incident that unfolded in June 2021 at theMadiwala Police Station in Bengaluru. Besides, the manner in which the author had carried out the task of storytelling in his book is captivating enough to make the readers quench for more with every turn of the page, and this is something that actually makes this title reading worthy!
Author Sagar Kumar is a writer and a director based in Bangalore, originally from Shimoga. He is a B.E. graduate, and he had worked in the IT industry as an iOS developer for seven years before fully transitioning into the world of storytelling. Driven by a deep passion for truth & human narratives, he wishes to be known simply as a storyteller, regardless of the medium. Whereas, this particular title, “INTERROGATION — Not A Monster. Not A Saint” is published by Astitva Prakashan and is released during the period of April 2025. Also, the book is available in both paperback as well as in e-book format and the readers can find this title on all the top online marketplaces.
At its core, “INTERROGATION — Not A Monster. Not A Saint” is a story about identity, language and systemic violence. But it is not couched in grand abstractions. It is grounded in the crushing reality of one man’s ordeal— a man neither monster nor martyr, but someone who became the target of a system that turned blind when it needed most to see. This is not a tale of extraordinary crime or cinematic confrontation; instead, it is the very ordinariness of the man and his suffering that magnifies the horror. In author Sagar Kumar’s sparse yet lyrical prose, the mundane becomes tragic and the familiar becomes sinister. Over the course of ‘9 Searing Chapters’, the author unearths the grim truth of what it means to be a common man in a system that wields power with indifference and prejudice. The book does not entertain in the traditional sense — it disturbs, provokes and ultimately transforms the readers. The experience is less like reading and more like witnessing, being drawn into an emotional courtroom where the jury is the conscience of society itself.
On top of that the author’s storytelling is intensely intimate. Every chapter feels like a confession, every paragraph a fragment of a life broken under the weight of bureaucratic brutality. Yet what sets the narrative apart is its refusal to indulge in sensationalism. The violence is not embellished for dramatic effect. Instead, it is presented quietly, factually and devastatingly, with all the more power for its restraint. The reader is not spared the discomfort, nor are they allowed to look away. The book demands that we feel it and we sit with it, as the author implores and while doing so, it forces us to reckon with the dehumanising silence that often surrounds such injustices!
One of the Notable Strengths of this title lies in its tone, which is measured but unflinching. Author Sagar Kumar approaches his subject with a blend of empathy and controlled fury. He does not shout; he does not preach. Instead, he holds up a mirror to a society that too often turns its back on the voiceless. And in that mirror, we see not only the protagonist’s pain but our own complicity. The book is not a comfortable read and that is precisely what makes it necessary. Despite its darkness, ‘INTERROGATION’ also gives space to unexpected moments of light — acts of human connection, fleeting compassion and enduring resilience. These glimpses of warmth amidst the cold machinery of injustice remind us that even in the bleakest moments, the human spirit can resist, survive and assert its right to be seen and heard. The presence of these moments adds the emotional complexity and keeps the book from descending into nihilism. It is at its heart, a tribute to those who endure.
Stylistically, the author’s writing is stark, almost minimalist and yet deeply evocative. He avoids the overwrought prose, letting the gravity of the situation speak for itself. Dialogue is used sparingly but meaningfully, often highlighting the linguistic and the cultural fractures that lie at the heart of the protagonist’s mistreatment. The narrative is tightly constructed, and each chapter contributes to a cumulative sense of dread and injustice, building to a crescendo that leaves the readers both shattered as well as awakened in a very different manner!
Now, upon reaching the final part of the review, i.e. the Book Verdict, we can conclude that a title like “INTERROGATION: Not A Monster. Not A Saint” is for sure a reading worthy title. The book deserves a chance by the readers as it is an act of bearing witness. It is a cry from the margins, a testimony to the countless lives that are bruised, broken, or erased by systems meant to protect. Author Sagar Kumar’s fearless and deeply humane storytelling compels us to ask uncomfortable questions about power, silence and justice. The book does not offer easy answers, nor does it claim to. But, what it offers is something more vital — a chance to listen, to reflect and perhaps to change, which makes it a MUST READ one.
In addition, in a world where the stories of the oppressed are too often buried beneath the weight of the bureaucracy and apathy, this particular title insists that we remember, we speak and we certainly do not let the system crush another common man into silence!
Book’s Link: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9370020489
