Ahmed Mayeesha Reza Agomoni
Master of the Game – a page-turner novel, whose salient components are ambition, manipulation, revenge, lust, greed and big business, threads its way through four generations of a family. I went into reading this novel knowing nothing about it. Rookie mistake, you might presume but I knew for a fact that this would be one of my favourite books, if not the most, after reading a mere ten pages. The plot is well-crafted and full of twists and turns. The fact that most of the characters are all cunning and shrewd in their own way makes the plot more deviant and dramatic. The highlighted theme of a ‘Game’ is well-executed in the plot. Nothing seemed like a limit in this book, nothing seemed wrong whether it was Jamie using someone for revenge or Evie killing someone for money. Every member of this family has their own story and their own secrets which, upon disclosure, rendered me speechless. Even though I would recommend this book to everyone, not everyone will share mutual feelings. Firstly, the soap-opera style of the story might not be everyone’s cup of Joe. As fascinating as Sidney Sheldon’s storyline of this novel is, his prose is somewhat lacking and a tad bit monotonous. I should add that the ending felt rather anticlimactic to me as well and the writing style might play a role in making the readers feel more underwhelmed. Besides, the author paid the barest of his attention into character development and plausibility. Nonetheless, Sidney Sheldon is, without a doubt, a master of storytelling and the tools of his trade are simple language, and stirring plots.
Agomoni has a bittersweet relationship speaking Java and convincing her parents to watch soap operas and YouTube with her.