The Seventh Cup

The Seventh Cup by Nitesh Kumar Jain is a well-crafted mystery novel that contains just enough elements of a Shakesperean tragedy to make the reader sympathetic to the sociopathic protagonist, Avinash, a drama student from Goa, India.Enter Verona Schmidt, an unsuspecting Swiss exchange student, to upstage everyone in the college Dramatics Club and to become front and center in Avinash s peculiar frame of mind. Over coffee at the local Nescafe, Avinash introduces Verona to the concept of mind transportation, which she perceives as nothing more than a fun game she is playing with a young man who seems to be flirting with her. The exchange student enjoys Avinash s company and co-stars with him in his play put on by the Dramatics Club of their college. She eventually allows herself (despite her claim to having a so-called boyfriend named Kevin) to enjoy champaign and a kiss with Avinash. Dismissing the romantic moment as a drunken mistake, Veronafleesback to Switzerland with the obsessed Avinash in hot pursuit across the globe.