Who says that a thriller cannot be informative? Who says that a book with a message, with philosophy
cannot be entertaining? 'Johnny gone down' is a package of friendship,information, life,travel,adventure,suspense...
The book is about the fascinating journey of the protagonist Nikhil(aka Johnny) from Delhi,flashback to MIT-USA,then to Cambodia,Thailand,Brazil....
Present :
In a basement in Delhi, Nikhil(Nick) faces his opponent Dayaram in a modern joust. A revolver is on the table between them. The revolver has six rounds, but only one bullet. The game begins. Nick picks the revolver and places it against his temple.
His thoughts flash back to ....
April 1975, MIT, Boston
Nick and Sameer(Sam) graduate from MIT. The same evening they take a flight from Boston to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a vacation! They land in Phnom Penh to learn that Khmer Rouge have just thrown the Civilian government in a coup. They run to the American Embassy.They were allowing only American citizens on the helicopter. Nick pushes Sam in with his(Nick’s) passport.
Nick and an Estonian are caught by the Khmer Rouge.They were thrashed and tied in a dark cell. A bowl of rice gruel once a day kept them alive. The Estonian succumbed to the torture. Nick escapes from the jeep in which he was being taken elsewhere...
When he wakes up, he was told that he was safe in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, near the border. Also he found his left hand amputated.He learnt that it was June 1997, which meant that he survived fifty months of torture.
Arrangements were made for his passage to USA.Nick decides to stay back in the monastery and walk the Buddha’s path.
Years passed. Nick, now monk Namche rose to the level of a ‘thera’(senior monk).
Present :
Nick presses the trigger.It was blank. Then Dayaram takes the revolver and shoots. Another blank. Nick takes the gun
and places it on his temple. His thoughts again rush to...
April 1985, Flight to Rio de Janeiro :