Ankita Chatterjee

Although I am impressed with the style of writing (Juxtaposition) two parallel stories belonging to different times and spaces, I expected more from the novel. The novel drives you high with your expectation but ultimately doesn't satisfied. I liked the characters and the way each character tells their perspective is good. The book is based on Sufism and the essence of Islam. The book truly tries to bring out the meaning of love i.e. love with God, love towards the human hood and the universe in its entirety. It also explains what it feels like to be with your love (broader interpretation of love) and how the loss of it affects you. All over, it was good but not wonderful. Language is simple and connects the characters easily with the reader through the day to day activities of their lives. Shams and Aziz have lots to preach while Rumi and Ella find the true meaning of love. Have a good time while reading.

My description about this book is going to contain more words than used in the book. It is not a novel but simply a poem which has it's own story, expressed through very few words alongside with the pictorial illustrations and enough to break the reader's heart. Based on the Syrian crisis, it tells a story about a helpless father who wants to save his most precious one, his son. The poem is about fate and uncertainty. How a peaceful life of a city can be torn apart in few days, is illustrated through the paintings. Even if you keep the words off, the pictures tell their own story. Well, we don't get to know whether both the father and the son get to live in another country where they want to make their new home or not. But the reality was different where the boy dies by drowning in the sea while trying to escape from his country. The poem is written based on the helplessness of the father who tries to console his little one fails ultimately. Again a masterpiece indeed!