The storyline oscillates between
2060s and pre-independence era and showcases three generations. And it has more
than one pivotal character. There is Kanshi Ram and Kusum in the long ago times
of early 1900s and there Lipi and Ravi from the futuristic age of 2062. In
between, there is Shakuntala, Manohar, Meena, Vinod and Aryan. Each one plays
an important part in the plot which is basically the normal household saga of
struggle, differences of opinions, tug of war for power and authority with
streaks of betrayal and some romance. Every generation has its share of
struggle. But there is something that is common between all three generations-
a secret that has been hidden in a false ceiling and passed on unwillingly to
the next generation.
KanshiRam from Dalhousie is a
wealthy and broad-minded man who loves his children especially his daughter
Shakuntala. He enrolls her in a convent where she studies with British girls,
teaches her to ride horses and helps her develop interest in reading classics.
After KanshiRam dies, Shakuntala is married off to Manohar and settles in
Delhi. They struggle to keep afloat which makes Shakuntala cranky. Their son
Vinod decides to marry Meena, a small town girl from Dalhousie with big dreams.
She likes to run and marries reluctantly when her mother hints that she could
do anything after she is married. But her dreams to pursue running as a sport
are shattered when she comes to an urban household and works relentlessly for
the family and has kids in a couple of years. By the time their kids, Lipi and
Aaryan are grown up, the world has changed for better and these kids have
earned a convenient life style for themselves. However, the allegedly cursed
secret concealed in a false ceiling continues to disrupt lives whenever it is
revealed.
The author has a typical style of
storytelling which transports the reader to respective timelines. The
characters are described in very detail. The story shifts between flashback and
future multiple times. However, this movement could have been smoother and more
seamless. The minor errors in grammar and proof-reading tend to upset the
trance of reading. But I think those are more of first-timer glitches and will
not be found in the author’s subsequent works. And this implies that I will
certainly be picking up any book with author’s name on it.
My Rating-
About the Author:- Amit Sharma was born in 1979 in Delhi. He
belongs to a generation who lived through the non-air-conditioned, rotating
dial phone set and a single television channel era. If you do not understand
what he is talking about, consider yourself both lucky and unlucky. After
attaining his Bachelor and Master in Science degree in Physics from Delhi
University, he did his Masters in Technology in Computer Science from
Kurukshetra University.
Amit has a day job (to justify his many degrees) and works
as a Project Manager in Tata Consultancy Services. He lives with his family in
the polluted NCR. His wife is a teacher in a reputed school and they are
blessed with a daughter who is in her terrible twos.
Amit always keeps a book and a portable reading light in his
bag (much to the amusement of his fellow travellers). His other hobbies include
watching world cinema, travelling, staring at hills, digging into various
cuisines, cooking, listening to music, painting, blogging, making his daughter
laugh and helping his wife with her unnecessary and prolonged shopping.
He is currently working on his Second novel which is a
parapsychological thriller-love story-family-revenge drama. Never mind. He will
let you know once he figures it out.
I had received a copy from Writers' Melon in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
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