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Book Review: Stories of Us by Bobby Sachdeva

by Enakshi J
(Bangalore)




Title : Stories of Us
Author: Bobby Sachdeva
Publisher: Pan Macmillan India
Rating: 2.5/ 5

The dream of living in a world where no one is judgemental, no one promotes a tendentious point of view and no one discriminates on the basis of factors that do not determine the personality, is still a far cry! Unfortunately, the people today are so worried about their reputation that Keats’ concept of enlightenment doesn’t attract them. They prefer to remain an armchair critic than think pragmatically and contribute to the development of the nation at large.

Stories of Us is a collection of 41 short stories that are more like anecdotes from the lives of people the author would have come across. These stories highlight how trivial the mind of the man is! These stories aim at posing some harsh questions at the audience in an attempt to help them make the right choices. Touching upon various themes, the author does his best to initiate the process of learning and retrospection. However, the narrative is too weak to grasp the desired attention. Grammatical errors and the use of simple present tense do not allow the characters in the story to seem relatable. The stories feel more like concocted tales that lacklustre!

Some of the stories are definitely good and evoke empathy and realization. For instance, the story ‘The Theft’ discusses the plausibility of the actions of the criminals, the story ‘A Reason to Live’ questions the forms of love that exist in the present world and the story ‘Sharpshooter’ questions if the freedom of speech actually exists in our country (hinting at the intolerance and irrational point of view). There are several other stories that ask the right question. However, the biggest drawback is the language that fails to make the readers think.

Nevertheless, the efforts of the author are praiseworthy as he brings into light the issues that are plaguing the society since donkey’s years. It is high time that these issues are resolved or else the future generations will bear the brunt of the actions of their elders!

Best wishes to the author!

Link to Buy: Amazon

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