Daaku by Ranj Dhaliwal

Daaku 

In the violent and ruthless world of Indo-Canadian gangs, Ruby Pandher is on his way up.

A self-described daaku (Punjabi for outlaw), Ruby learns young that might, in the form of his drunken father’s fists, is right and that money is easier to steal than earn.  Ruby’s small-time scams reveal a knack for leadership and after his first stint in youth detention, the big-timers start to notice his potential.  Soon Ruby is doing collections for Indo-Canadian drug dealers.  Now “known to police”, Ruby is drawn into a gang war just as he’s trying to beat the rap on weapons charges and theft – while simultaneously organizing a jailhouse smuggling ring.

Meanwhile, Ruby’s pals from their shared childhood in Surrey have become some of the fiercest drug lords, thieves and murderers in western Canada.  Now Ruby is on the cusp of adulthood, a teenaged street soldier gunning for a generalship.  Surrounded by Punjabi terrorists, bikers and Indo-Canadian gangsters, Ruby is drawn like a moth to the glamour of power, money, and drugs.  He’ll do anything to get to the top.

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I always saw guys in my grade reading this book and I'm talking guys-that-are-failing-practically-half-of-their-classes kind of guys. With an aroused curiosity I thought I'd try this book out too, and I now know why they were reading.

But I have to say, I have no idea if I hate this book or like it. The story line was definitely original and the fact that Dhaliwal knew about it personally made the book seem more intense and real. The plot line was a bit messed up though. The main character, Ruby, always had an issue arise! The poor guy doesn't even get a couple pages of partying till some fight happens. Which is also why I think the events happened too fast. One problem would get solved, then another would start a page later. There are a lot of things that are going on, but Dhaliwal does a good job of not getting things confusing for the reader. I didn't have to turn back in the book or anything at all, which is a plus. The writing was a bit disjointed. There wasn't much flow and the sentences came to awkward stops. The book is interesting though, because it's something that I've heard a lot about and to get a backstage pass to the lives of the thugs was like... whoa. Around Chapter 13 the book gets really heated and Ruby starts acting like an idiot. I read up to Chapter 14, because I had predicted how this would end, and instead read the last 3 pages. I was right. So I haven't read past Chapter 14, but I think I  have a good guess on what happens that led to the end. But then I found out that there's a sequel which surprised me and got me excited.. confession? I had a mini crush on Ruby.

Overall, the book was pretty good. The story is interesting which is why I kept reading it despite the annoying problems that kept coming up and the stiff sentences. Therefore, I give this book a 6/10.