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From education to aviation to writing, Rajshri Raajgopal has got a taste of various avenues in life. She has written a couple of children’s books. And this one is her first attempt at entering the world of adult fiction. Does it work? Let’s check it out.
The blurb goes like this –
Set in a scenic village on the outskirts of Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, this is the story of the struggles of a woman in its hostile society. The journey of Anna through her battle for freedom from an unhappy household, her first love, a debilitating marriage and a stressful divorce shows the reader how difficult life is for a young woman even in this modern era. Her remarriage is a blessing in every way but it comes with a curse too Anna finds an unusual friend who is determined to destroy her new life.
With a darkish blue cover and the silhouette of a woman, you expect this to be in intense story of one woman and her struggles in life. The presentation and the font style of the text is quite well done.
The concept is quite interesting to start with and as the story moves ahead, things become really gripping. The story can be quite literally divided into two parts. The first part deals with how Anna suffers through a stressful marriage. Rajshri has beautifully portrayed the stress, the troubles, the problems and the issues a woman goes through in a troubled marriage. You can almost feel the pain Anna suffers.
Just as Anna remarries and starts living a happy and beautiful life, you wonder what next is in store. And then comes Anna’s unusual friend. Though nothing seems wrong at first, the buildup to the climax and the climax in particular is quite sensational. Till the finale, you keep thinking on how its all going to end. There’s reality, there’s fantasy and there are emotions. It all comes across as a heady cocktail which leaves you wanting for more.
The narrative is well structured and keeps the reader interested till the end as there are no subplots to cause any confusion. The characters – Anna and her friend are beautifully portrayed. Things seem so life like that you can feel that you are standing next to them when the two are talking to each other.
The only negative if one could think of it as a negative was the fact that in the first part of the story, Rajshri could have edited things a little bit. Though reading all the troubles of Anna provoke empathy but somewhere, the reader may feel that he / she wants to move to a lighter point in the story.
All in all, quite an awesome start for Rajshri in adult fiction. Go for it!
Rating – 4/5
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