Figuring t o t nd n ea e and ha ness a ter adversity

Ultimately, the strength of the book lies in Gupta’s unpacking of the essential themes that lague today s youth. Through her characters, she talks about body shaming, identity crises, poor mental health, unhealthy relationship dynamics, and famesee ing tendencies. isha s struggle ith her body image and her self-involvement ith her online resence rings out eo le s o session ith social media fame and ecoming online influencers. ut her eventual realisation that being healthy is more important than being thin develops her character arc really ell. Te as and uhi s relationshi challenges traditional ie s of love and relationships and promotes a more esternised outloo on dating. uhi s commitment to her job advocates for the riorities of a modern oman ho leads a alanced and content life.

The book is a good and easy read for rainy afternoons or late night indulging. As a Delhi girl personally, I enjoyed the familiar setting and friendship dynamics in the story. The cha ter titles ere a rare highlight during the course of the oo . I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a light and insightful take on adult life in contem orary e elhi.

BY JANINE HOLGATE

At a time hen readers are more and more often confronted ith a chaotic o ersu ly of clutter and social media stimuli, Angshu Dasgupta has achieved a beautiful balance in this, his first published book, Fern Road.

The story conveys social and cultural re udices around to ics that hilst they are becoming less taboo in our times, are nevertheless still often very controversial, misunderstood and s e t a ay. ngshu asgu ta deals ith these su ects in an ndian setting ithout eing indulgent or atronising hich could so easily e the case. or is the result confronting for his readers. There are no cliches to this original story and it’s impossible to guess hat ha ens ne t.

He leads one through the streets of ol ata here his story is set in such a ay that the e ents and atmos here ecome al a le.

e learn of the a ful ain inflicted on

Orko, the adolescent at the heart of this oo y oth others and himself. es ite this sad undertone hich ermeates the story through Orko’s despair, fear and selfloathing, the text has a surprising lightness a out it so one isn t left feeling ereft. ather e en hen r o is at his most retched and one is concerned for his safety, there is a glimmer of hope carried by a thread of resilience that peaks and retreats throughout. n this ay ngshu asgu ta has ritten a no el of fortitude and ultimately eace clarity and ra eness as e follo r o through the di cult and ery confused final years of his high school life. It’s a positive story that leaves the reader satisfied and no ing it as time ell s ent. n a ay it s also ins irational as e tread through Orko’s perspective and learn ho he deals ith ad ersity am iguity and ugliness - a lesson that potentially serves ell for oth adolescent and adult attitudes and strategies on ho to deal ith these and other human tendencies that lead to similarly destructive emotions and social udgements. or e am le he rites n ecem er the mornings are grey, the afternoons short and yello li e the final moments of an ant dro ning in a ar of honey . e descri es the folds of his mother’s saree as being like the folds of a letter that as forgotten for decades et een the ages of a oo .

The te t is oyfully sim le. asgu ta s economy of descri tion hilst dealing ith com licated childhood angst of the ery orst ind ma es one ant to return to this oo again.

There is no need to say more about Fern Road. t ill s ea for itself. ts re ity and tone make it perfect holiday reading if one is looking for relaxation, but at the same time a level of seriousness and gravity of thought. t raises the ho e that asgu ta ill soon gi e u his day o as a com uter rogrammer to rite more no els. e deser es a gro ing fan ase.