Member Reviews
This is a character driven book. It’s a great book which is set in India. It is told from multiple perspectives. The characters are well developed. It is a slow burn and took me a while to be invested in the story
I’m so happy I took a chance with this book. This wasn’t my usual genre, but I wanted to try something different. It was a very character driven story which I absolutely loved as it allowed me to get close to the heart of what mattered to the protagonist. It was a slow burner, which again I rarely like, but it was engaging enough that I didn’t get bored. An absolute beauty! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.
Amazing read. Mallika is a painfully shy young woman growing up in the heart of a close-knit, sometimes stifling New Delhi colony. Though she is surrounded by love, her life is complicated by secrets that she, her mother and her aunt work hard to keep.
After suffering a trauma aged nineteen, Mallika loses three days of her memory and slowly spirals into a deep depression. She must find a way out of this abyss, back to herself and those she cares about. But she must also hide her mental illness from her community.
In a narrative that unfolds elliptically from the perspectives of Mallika and the seven people closest to her, the astonishing story of these characters' lives emerges. For Mallika's family, childhood friends and the two men she loves are also hiding truths. As each gives voice to contending with their own struggles, secrets and silences shatter.
This is an amazing book, just buy it, and sit back and enjoy the ride. A massive five shiny stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is the most character driven book I’ve read for a long time. It’s a wonderful literary read set in New Delhi, India in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s told from multiple POV’s. Brilliantly written characters, I could see them all in my minds eye. The main character is Mallika, a quiet girl who has been brought up by two ‘mothers’ who are hiding a secret from her. Mallika has three close female friends and two male friends Arnav and Randhir who she loves, but believes her feelings are not reciprocated. Both men have their own secrets they are hiding from her. The theme of mental illness running throughout the book was quite distressing in that it was treated as something to be hidden and ashamed of and the lengths the family went to to hide it was astonishing.
Briefly, after a traumatic incident Mallika has a breakdown and looses 3 days of her memory. Always quiet she becomes virtually comatose, barely speaking or eating and unable to sleep. Eventually, her mothers take her to a psychiatrist who helps her gradually recover and she starts to work towards getting a free scholarship to study in America.
This is a long book and a slow burner, I think it took me about 10 hours to read, and normally I would be getting a bit distracted but this kept my interest throughout, I wanted so much for Mallika to have a happy ending! I’ve been to India (I love it) quite a few times and seen some distressing sights but I was shocked at some of the things revealed here. Particularly, the treatment of women not just in the home but in the streets. I hope things have changed since this was set. The only downside for me was I really wanted to know what happens next? Is there a sequel planned? The book is an absolute gem. A wonderful contemporary read with a main character I just wanted to hug. Loved it.
4.5⭐️
Wow! For the past few years I seem to pick up a 5 star read as my first book of the new year and I did it again in 202e. This book is incredible, I absolutely loved it! It is so engaging, the story is heartbreaking and also heart warming at the same time. It was interesting to learn about another culture. The writing was so good. I love that each character had their own chapters and the way their stories interlinked. Just wow I am so glad that I read this book!
It seems odd to say I found this book joyous as it is quite a sad read but I absolutely adored it and just could not put it down. A new author on my radar for sure. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
Thank you for granting me access to this book.
A round of applause for this author because the literary genius at work here is impeccable. This is a novel one consumes with their five senses, I'm a polyreader and I tried reading this book a longside other books but it commanded my attention. What an experience this was. In in awe