About the book:
Born in the lush mountains of
Dalhousie, Shakuntala is a pampered child of a wealthy builder. On her wedding
night in 1946, she is gifted a secret to use wisely when the time comes. From
the green valleys of Dalhousie to a village in Punjab reeling under the
communal violence of 1947; from the Delhi of 1950s with its intoxicating smell
of freedom to the Delhi of 1970s soaked in the hippie culture, the cancerous
secret breathes with her, infects her. It is accidentally passed down, hidden
under insecurities and jealousies, locked in its meaninglessness and leaving a
trail of ruin. When her great-grandson accidentally discovers the secret, he is
perplexed by the malice that flowed in his family's blood. Was it just the
secret or his family would have destroyed itself even in its absence? Why was
their love never greater than their unsaid expectations from each other?
My Review
The story
spans across generations and mainly focuses on the pre-independence and post-independence
days. The story talks about the hustle and bustle of life and particularly
about a family who has a false ceiling. The mystery lies in the false ceiling
but throughout the entire story the false ceiling remains a mystery to be
unearthed.
I felt like the story is trying to keep the elements
of the false ceiling a secret. The story shows the lives of horror and uncertainty
during the Independence days and how tough is it to take decisions in those
turbulent times. You will feel the heat as you go through the pages and how a
life can turn upside down when you have no idea about what will happen next.
The things in the false ceilings unearth itself in
the last part of the book, and then will you understand why it was kept hidden for
decades.
I really had a great time reading the novel and had
a glimpse of the days people must have faced during the Independence days.
About the Author:
Having studied M. Tech in Computer Science from
Kurukshetra University, Amit Shara is currently working as a Software Engineer
in TCS for a decade now. His wife is a teacher and they are blessed with a
daughter who is in her terrible twos.
He can be found at-
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