12 November 2014

Review #69: Watermark The truth beneath the surface by Sari Sikstrom




My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface by Sari Sikstrom is a journey of a young forensic librarian on her quest to find the identity of her father. This tale not only captures this young librarian's journey from the grandeur Rome to the old and very English city, Oxford, but also captures another woman's passage to an exotic country, India.

Synopsis:

Dr. Vela Ostofvold, daughter of a very famous singer named, Olivia Ostofvold, who embarks upon a quest to search for her father, after her best-friend, Amelia tells her that she is the reason behind her father's absence. When Vela was fourteen and left alone by her careless mother, Olivia, she went to a book-store to find the largest and the oldest dictionary, where she meets Amelia, who happen to be the book-store owner's daughter. Eventually their bond grows into friendship and soon they become each other's guide in their lives. Vela falls in love with Amelia's cousin, Franco. But after Amelia's comment, Vela looks for the clues of her father's identity among her mother's closet in their rented flat in Rome, where she stumbles upon her grandmother's friend, Penelope's letters, where she has narrated her journey to India where she fell in love with an Indian Sikh man and got awestruck by the colors and the cultures of India. But eventually, Vela distances herself from her lover as well from herself on her quest to find her father. Will Vela be successful to identify the watermark in her life? Will she find her father?


Sari Sikstrom has penned this story with strikeness and passion since it is quite evident while I was reading the book, the whole story was unfolding right in front of my eyes like a movie. Moreover her description about India is quiet brilliant and very vivid. I loved her characters from the protagonist Vela to Amelia to Miss Arthur to Franco, although Olivia was not present in the story but the mentions about her made me think that she is almost present among the other characters. The pace of the book is quiet good and from one country to another, the author has led us into Vela's enchanting journey with a myriad of various cross-country cultures and landscapes. Set among so many timelines of Vela's life, the story not only captivates you but will also intrigue you with its underlying mystery. I wish I could see more of Franco and Vela's broken relationship to mend. Although there was very little chemistry mentioned between them, still I could feel their passion when they talked to each other.

Verdict: Do read this book to find the watermark in Vela's life that Olivia, her mother tried to hide it so well!

Courtesy:  Thanks to the author, Sari Sikstrom, for sending me over a copy of her book, in return for an honest and unbiased review. 
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