Author- Shravya
Gunipudi
Publishers- Gargi
publishers
Language: English
Pages- 196
Genre- Romance
Blurb- When
people we love pass away, they only take their presence with them. They leave
their memories with us. The story revolves around 'Alia', an emotionally
distant woman, and how the lives of four elderly strangers impact her own very
deeply, bringing about a change in the way she treats herself and those around
her. As the clock begins to tick and they each start to die, leaving their
stories behind for her to learn from, she finds that the depression and trauma
caused by their loss have left with her the gift of a lifetime... Realisation.
In the tale of life, death and the ride in between, where there are always
mistakes and never second chances, there is only one question. Can you make it
through without regrets?
‘How many times have
we shut our eyes and prayed to be given a solo chance to press the rewind
button on the screen playing the saga of our life? We know the exercise to be
futile. What has transpired can never be undone. What is left behind is a gamut
of repent and guilt. Still, we yearn for a second chance.’
The writer narrates the story of Alia who is at crossroads
in her life- her head and her heart constantly at daggers drawn. She has a strained
relationship with her ageing mother; the
writer does not delve deep into the reasons behind this blow hot, blow cold relationship between the two ladies.
Through a series of confessions that the inmates of an old
age home leave behind for her, Alia struggles to find the real meaning of life.
She discovers the hidden skeletons in the past of people close to her heart and
learns valuable life lessons from the follies committed by them in their
respective journeys. It leads Alia towards self-discovery and she finally is
able to chalk out a path for herself.
While the story does tug at the heartstrings of the reader,
it does suffer from the stigma of an overdose of emotions. After a certain
point, the narrative tends to get repetitive. The reader knows beforehand as to
the next turn of events which is not a very good sign.
Overall, it is a well-written
tale, narrated with finesse. The book is divided into sections, each outlining an
independent story with Alia as the common thread. My personal favourite is the poignant saga of
Girish and Priya. The story stays with you long after you have read the last
page. And that is the hallmark of a good book.
Verdict- A story
that tugs at your heartstrings…
About the Author-
Shravya Gunipudi, a 23-year-old CA and
CS, has been writing ever since the tender age of nine. Now, more than a decade
since her first journey with the pen, she has won numerous prizes for her
Articles, Short Stories and Poetry. She was a part of 19 Anthologies with a
total of 17 published stories and was recognized
as 'Best Writer of the Year, 2013' by yourstoryclub.com. She is also the editor
of the project 'The Book of Dreams', by Numerique Publications. Shravya wishes
to explore her passion both in Finance and Writing. It is her dream to merge
her creative side with her analytical one. Writing, she believes, is the best
form of expression that calms the mind and frees the soul. Her favourite quote is 'Either write something worth reading or do something
worth writing about'.
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