05 Jan Book Review: Elixir
When you hear the word Elixir, it immediately conjures up the image of vial containing some magical life-saving potion that will rejuvenate and warm up the soul of the most lifeless.
Elixir by Sinjini Sengupta, published by Readomania, is a life-saving potion for the reader’s soul.
Blurb:
Where does our mind go, when we fall asleep? Can dreams weave a layer of parallel existence? Can there be another reality beyond all that we touch, see or feel?
It is a normal day for Manisha. She wakes up from sleep and goes to work. On her way back home, she walks into a coffee shop. The cafe is empty but for an old man behind the counter and another man at a corner table. Later in the night, this man comes back to her in her sleep and then, every night thereafter. A new journey begins and a transcendence. A story weaves itself around a life unfulfilled and a destiny, beautiful and fated.
But… where does this journey lead her to? Will Manisha be able to find her way through these parallel worlds?
Dreams are our only connect with our unconscious selves. The people you see, the events you are part of, the emotions and feelings you experience are all an indication of an underlying message. The subject of dreams has captured the interest of many. But never have I read a more engrossing story around dreams and blurring of reality. What truly happens when we fall asleep? Do we really get transported into another world? What is it that helps us distinguish between our reality and dreams?
Sinjini attempts to answer these questions through Manisha Roy – a successful career woman living a luxurious life. The author weaves a powerful tale – unique, evocative, and heart-wrenching – of a woman who leads a seemingly comfortable life, yet feels lonely, incomplete, and discontent. What are her reasons for her aloofness? What more is she looking for?
The author weaves the mundane events of Manisha’s life with the extraordinary events that unfold in her dream. The use of slowing down the narrative to bring into focus her existence and pacing up the story when she is dreaming was remarkable. Soo Manisha blurs the lines between the two, and the author uses her prowess to trick the reader even into wondering which part is the dream and which is real.
My only issue was with the excessive narration in some of the early chapters but that could also be attributed to the fact that I was already impatient to get to the end of the story.
The writing impressed me the most. The narrative, in present tense, works well to present the story in a very unusual way, as if you were an eye-witness who was viewing Manisha’s life from behind a glass façade alongwith an insight into Manisha’s mind. The author creates a world – dynamic, vivid, enriching – that unfolds right infront of your eyes, and leads you into Manisha’s world. Words create moving images that unfold the story as if in a movie.
The last few chapters were the most gripping for me, and even though I personally felt a little let down at the climax, I have to admit there could have been no other end possible.
Thoroughly enjoyed this brilliantly written novel. A must read if you are looking for a book that goes beyond the usual story-telling of this world that we live in.
Grab your copy from here.
Have you read any book with such an unusual concept or writing style? Do share your experiences and comments via the comment box below.
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