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Book review | Drugs, darkness and despondency rule AA Dhand's latest thriller tale, The Chemist
Following his Streets of Darkness series, AA Dhand takes a slight detour from detective fiction to take readers to the seedy, drug-fuelled streets of Leeds.
Intrigue and danger aren’t the words that one would link with a pharmacist. Not at least when the primary need is to feed a family. But Idris Khan isn’t your usual protagonist! On the outside, his life with his wife Mariam is idyllic. In truth, it includes dealing with a drug kingpin.
With this build up, author AA Dhand — known for his Streets of Darkness series — tries to create a potent crime thriller. However, the formula is truly trite — South Asian characters living in the UK, and trying to navigate racial and family dynamics while being presented with life-threatening circumstances.
By the time the hero (a term used loosely) is introduced, he is bruised and bleeding from an unspecified altercation. Following a tense prologue, the reader is transported back in time to somehow figure out what led to this. Meanwhile, the people around the hero are painstakingly described, and his relevant relationships are brought into focus and soon the plot brakes.
Idris’ relationships turn out to be messy but compelling. Plenty of characters are shown as victims of their circumstances, which makes Dhand’s critiques of the system clear. Halfway through, however, Idris cuts a desperate figure as he gets pushed beyond reason. For him, the end increasingly justifies the means, no matter how dubious or who gets entangled in his world.
Following a tense prologue, we’re immediately transported back in time to figure out the inciting incident for ourselves. Idris’ life and the people in it are painstakingly described, and his most important relationships are brought into focus, as if to say: ‘Pay attention, this might come up later’. Unfortunately, this is where the plot hits the brakes for a bit.
The relationships in The Chemist are messy, but compelling. Take, for example, his equation with Rebecca Fury - social worker, recovering heroin addict, and his ex-wife. There are plenty of characters who are victims of their circumstances, a detail that makes Dhand’s critiques of the system clear, even if they aren’t overt.
The writing is evocative; this is partly to do with Dhand’s writing style and partly because he draws from his lived experiences as a pharmacist himself. Certain descriptions, such as the technicalities of the business or the process of administering government-sanctioned methadone to struggling addicts, are proof that the protagonist (and by extension, the author) cares deeply for his work and the people he serves, despite his desire to disappear into the shadows. Halfway through, however, Idris cuts a desperate figure as he gets pushed beyond reason. For him, the end increasingly justifies the means, no matter how dubious or who gets entangled in his complicated world.
It’s almost unnervingly accurate, despite the truth being stretched in certain parts, and once it gets over itself, the book becomes a real page-turner. There’s a whole world out there that most of us haven’t encountered, but be warned: things – and people – aren’t as they seem.
Title: The Chemist
Author: AA Dhand
Publisher: HarperCollins
Price: ₹499
