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Book Review: Juggler by Deepika Khurana
- Style Essentials Edit Team
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
Deepika Khurana’s Juggler, published by Vishwakarma Publications, enters the space of Indian fiction through the contained world of a travelling circus. At its center is Bobo, a dwarf who works as a clown in the Triumph Circus, performing humor for audiences while carrying an unresolved personal history. The circus offers him visibility, but not necessarily freedom from his past.
The narrative gradually reveals that Bobo is also Sikander, a name connected to an earlier life shaped by violence and loss. The murder of his closest friend remains unresolved, and this absence quietly drives the story forward. The circus, which initially appears as a refuge, begins to feel uncertain when the ringmaster dies under unexplained circumstances. At the same time, the presence of a petroleum mafia introduces a layer of threat that moves beyond the personal.
What holds the book together is not only the external tension but also the way identity is handled. Bobo’s physical condition determines how he is seen and used within the circus. The performance becomes both occupation and concealment. The division between the public figure and the private self is not presented dramatically, but it remains constant.
The setting plays an important role. The circus is not described as a spectacle alone. It functions as a contained environment where hierarchy, dependence, and control are visible. Movement, routine, and performance shape daily existence. Within this structure, Bobo’s search for clarity becomes increasingly difficult.
The story's steadfast focus on the situation, rather than ornamentation, reflects Deepika Khurana's journalism background. The writing does not attempt to elevate events beyond what they are. It allows the character’s position to define the narrative.
Juggler stays within its scale. It does not seek resolution through grand statements. Instead, it remains with the character and the circumstances that define him.
Book: Juggler
Author: Deepika Khurana
Publisher: Vishwakarma Publications
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