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Genre : Fiction

Rating : 5/5 

Pages : 231

Chapters:  12 

“The aristocratic and fashionably slim lady stood at the door of an elite ground-floor apartment. She looked warily at the twenty-six-year-old before her…….” This is the opening sentence in the first chapter – ‘The young visitor’. The author Richa Gupta introduces us to varied characters. Most of them we see around us. 

Each story describes people from different walks of life. The characters range from a young, love-worn Kevin of the future. Another character is a housewife named Parul, who has free-thinking ideas in a stifled, conservative family. There is also a guilt-ridden Alex and a secretly jealous Cynthia. Each character stands out in its environment. Each story is beautifully crafted with contrasting characters like Kanika and Kanta from different socio-economic backgrounds. Tiya and Bijoy have different levels of commitments. Rakhi and Mamta vary in their sense of loyalty and age. 

She guides you through diverse lifestyles in each story. You visit the drawing rooms of upscale Delhi. You explore the conference halls of corporate offices. You see the one-room tenements in the slums of Delhi or Kolkata. Reading this book is like going to a colorful village fair without missing the confines of our home and hearth. 

Her stories are not about the protagonists alone. They are about the masters and mistresses. These characters add beauty to the stories. The decisions taken by the women protagonists are wonderful. Tiya in the story titled ‘Watershed’ makes simple and practical decisions. Namita in the story ‘Diagnosis’ exercises choices that are not pathbreaking. Inaya in the story ‘The Choice’ opts for decisions that are life changing. These are not revolutionary but are life changing.

Richa, with her lucid writing style, touches on the impact of adult decisions on young, impressionable minds. This includes the young Aban, who cannot comprehend infidelity. It also includes Bunty, who is the youngest child in the family. Bunty desires a happy ending for Moira’s poverty-ridden story. Lastly, there is Kyra, who is willing to relocate with her mother.

The stories in this book are neither preachy nor force you, as are readers to make value- judgements. You get to explore the rational and logical thoughts of Anay. These thoughts occur just minutes before she decides  to take her life. She is emotionally weak. You  compare it with the mind of her husband Alex. He is confused and guilt-ridden but emotionally stronger. You get to appreciate Ravi. He is the strong and supportive spouse of Bhanu. Ravi speaks volumes with his deafening silence. He expresses deep love for her with his minimal conversation and concern. You get to appreciate conscience-ridden parents, Mamta and Ravi, in the story ‘Theft.’ They find a practical way to get their daughter to accept reality. 

Richa takes you to different points in people’s lives. She leaves you there as an invisible being to observe the characters in the household. You witness the mundane chores in Parul’s households. You also see the dull life of Jamila and the life in a steel, cold corporate office. Despite the environment, there are measured amounts of warmth and love. 

There are stories that have suspense woven into them. The last chapter ‘Knots’ is not to be missed. Some stories leave things to your imagination. For example, how did Kevin’s application to cohabit get approved in one city and not in another? Or how did Parul support her daughter in her dreams?

The characters are wonderfully sketched. Bhanu is memorable for resilience. Alex stands out for dealing with his inferiority complex. Ashok Nigam is notable for his secret love affairs. These are a few characters that remain in your memory long after the book is read. All the characters you meet in this book have depth and all the stories have a proper closure. Please get in and get out of the relatable yet surreal ‘slices of life’ of different people. Happy reading!