What Mina Did starts with a bang. The prologue roots the reader into the book. And I thought this was a murder mystery. NO! It is much much more than that. There’s suspense but the book also shows us friendship, loyalty and roles women play and also what repercussions guilt can cause in our lives if it’s gonna be bottled up inside our minds.

Mina and Neelu have been best friends from kindergarten, they have grown up together and since then are more like sisters than friends. Mina is on a short vacation to Bangalore from US after almost 4 yrs with her husband Vijay. She’s come back to sell her house where a brutal tragedy has taken place and 4 yrs has not been enough for Mina to overcome the trauma. She is still suffering from panic attacks and nightmares and to top it Neelu is having an unacceptable affair which adds further turmoil.

There’s so much emotion packed into this 250 page book, the tension of confronting your parents, the pain of breaking your heart, the uprooting to a new and lonely place, the pressures of a job, managing a child, a job and household each of these factors come into play thru the lives of Mina and Neelu.

The story engages the reader as we understand the guilt that is killing Mina and the truth of the murder. Mina’s character is well written, initially I couldn’t feel much sympathy for her as she’s also judgemental but soon redeems herself in every way possible at the possible risk to her own life.

What Mina Did by Geeta Menon connected in so many levels as there’s so much I could relate to in this book. Bangalore, returning from US, the difference in outlook and culture between the 2 places, being a wife, a mother, a daughter-in law, a friend and even finding self- worth in handling a job such a lot that resonated with me.

Many thanks to Rupa Publications for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed here are my own.
P.S: I loved that cover image.