Piyali Kundu

Book- The Nine Chambered Heart Author- Janice Pariat Genre- Fiction, romance Rating- 4.5/5 "The ones we pretend to ignore the ones we're most aware of." • Well, first things first. This book isn't the conventional kind of romantic novel that we are generally used to reading. The Nine Chambered Heart or rather the nine chambers depicting the nine men she had given a place in her heart, is a collective narration of love by nine different men, who had loved, or who were loved by one woman! • It's a treasure trove of shifting perspectives surrounding one woman, traveling through different shades and layers of her existence. This book also points out the fact (so intricately) that our identity is so brittle and fragmented when it comes to other's perspectives. It's not the kind of book that only focuses on the love that we are most familiar with. • It talks about different shades of love, the various layers that makes each one of them unique from the other. • One of the most unique components of this book is it's anonymity. Set in nameless places, with vivid descriptions, it will give you a sense of familiarity. This also enables our expansion of imagination of a certain place. • Neither the names of the men, nor that of the woman is revealed in the book and that's another striking feature. Each chapter of this book is so well crafted that you will keep on guessing and making pictures in your head. • The nine men are justifiably addressed since the beginning of each chapter and their narration feels like they are actually talking to you. • The bonus piece of eroticism adds more to the flavour of this book. In short, I absolutely loved reading the book. • If you are thinking of picking up this book make sure to read the blurb at first (else you might feel lost in the maze of words) and also keep yourself free from any kind of judgements if you really wish to enjoy every bit of this book. Lastly, ending with another line from the book- "We're curious creatures...that we like imitating the world and seeing how we can do that in different ways."

Three Thousand Stitches - By Sudha Murty Genre- Non-fiction "Ordinary people, extraordinary lives"- is what the tagline of the book says! This book is a collection of 11 stories of ordinary people with their extraordinary lives, somewhere or the other connected to the author. Sudha Murty is the sole narrator of this book which will get you a clear insight about her perspectives, her nature, and her outlook towards life. This book blatantly unmasks the dark side of human nature and also doesn't fail to amaze you with the beauties of human nature and life. Each of the true stories in this collection will let you perceive life through various layers. Starting from the lives of prostitutes, the privileged, the unprivileged, to the author herself- this book offers each ingredient to enrich your reading journey thoroughly. Also, the lucidity in the language of this book is commendable. It's a very light read, yet an intriguing one. You will learn a lot about LIFE. The shere honesty with which the book has been crafted is something to hold on to. If you are going through a reading slump or have just finished reading a heavy book, this one can be a good go for you! Happy Reading :)

The Girl On The Train - By Paula Hawkins Genre- Fiction, Thriller. Centers around 5 major characters- Rachel, Meghan, Anna, Tom, and Scott, this novel by Hawkins is a real-time page turner! I admit that at some points, I did find it a bit stretchy, but maybe for the sake of building the plot and the characters, it was needed. I can't also ignore the fact that I didn't see the ending coming, until it was Rachel who reassembled her memory! You will know it if you have read the book. This is really an amazing book in its own way, despite the fact that it's Hawkins's  debut novel. There's one striking feature about the book. The book is written in 3 narratives solely- Rachel, Meghan, and Anna. Initially, things might get a bit confused for you, but eventually you will realise that all the characters in the book are closely linked with one another. I won't reveal anything of what happened in the book, it's on you to discover. So, go and give it a read! PS- Don't judge the book by the movie, atleast not the one with Parineeti Chopra. I haven't watched any of the movies though I felt the Hollywood one was better (by watching the trailers). Much of the information got altered in the movies.