A girl brought up in a household with the tangible and intangible remnants, in every moment, on every occasion, of an elder brother stolen years ago, when she was just a few months old. A story about how she had been raised in the presence of his absence, how at a tender age she was burdened with the fact that she was lucky to be the unstolen one, and how this extra baggage of responsibilities and existence shaped her.
Characterized by subtle giveaways of various plot points, starting with the climactic incident and unraveling the story thereon, the book doles out critical information and details with a noticeable ease, complimenting the story telling. For once, you are taken aback, surprised by the ease with which certain revelations have been made; forcing you to pause, step back and wonder how such a thing could be fitted in those countable words. You re-read to confirm if the act is actually mentioned, and the subtlety thus adds a certain charm and credibility to the story telling.
Alternatively moving between the past and the present, quite literally with each chapter, slowly unravelling the mystery behind the foundation of the story, revealing the thread that connects the two or rather the thread that the two share. There is an alternate symmetry in the entire book, almost about everything, be it hopping between the past and present with each chapter, or hopping between words said and unsaid, or the actions of the characters, hopping from one to the other, or an alternating subject line. This gives a distinct kind of frame and setup to the story, depicting alternatively the narrator as a kid and now when she is a grown up. We are introduced to these distinct worlds, contrasting innocent childish fantasies to the grown up maturity with which she faces the twists and turns of life, yet a distinct tinge of childlike innocence and characteristics to each.
The book tries us to show how, at times, being a human and having the ability to vent out our emotions is a blessing and how one shouldn’t avoid confronting one’s emotions, how sometimes our coping mechanisms and our definition of being strong do us more harm than just making us seem vulnerable and human. It shows us that at times we are so engrossed in our own loss, in fighting our own fights, that we tend to overlook the harm an event and our reactionary behavior might be causing our loved ones and those around us.
The book is an emotional roller coaster ride, a fine example of wonderful story telling and a great read.
Maniishark 