TheChill Person

Bride of the Forest: The Untold Story of Yayati's Daughter is a tale of deception, love, friendship , betrayal , suspense.! I started the book, expecting to read a few chapters before dropping off to sleep, but the book had me glued because it is so easy-to-read and I ended up finishing it in one go. I must note that the book was extremely easy to read, even though I'm using an e-version (kindle app) . The author has somehow done the impossible of weaving together multiple extremes even in the style of writing - for example, strong depictions of strength, character and sensitivity alongside moments of humour. This story maybe an untold sequence of the Mahabharat. However, for the average kid growing up in an Indian household, you are forced the lofty ideals of dharma, karma . So you think, ok, if this a story of the Mahabharat, we already know who is black and who is white. But in Bride of the Forest, the characters you've been taught all along to dislike are suddenly those you feel sorry for. Starting from the moment you pick up the book, you find yourself in a grey area, continuously taking sides between right and wrong, vulnerable and strong - switching along the journey, because as every page turns, you get exposed to a new shade of the characters - big, small , central , insignificant or even heavenly. This is probably one of the finest depictions of the moral compass in every man/woman today ever since the grand story of the epic of the Mahabharat itself, because of how much one can resonate with the themes of the book and draw parallels to one's everyday situations in this modern world, one's encounters, attitudes or intentions. Every character - Yayati, Drishadvati, Devayani, Sarmistha, and even the "sidekicks" like Ghurnika have a role in shaping impressions, and by the end of it, you realise how perfectly placed everything has been. It really left me thinking deeply.. TLDR, This was book was completely enjoyable , fun and an absolutely surreal ( in a great way) experience!