Kamalini Reena Natesan

- A fine debut. When I began the book, I was eager to know why the young author had named the book Lost Edges. It seemed pointless to me, but I didn’t want to waste any more time on the whys and wherefores of such a title. Salini kept me hanging till the last few pages to reveal its nuanced significance, but it was a satisfactory revelation, bringing a quiet smile on my face. For a debut, Vineeth has a good grip on the story which meanders between the two protagonist’s voices – Ravi and Geethu. She has given them consistent characters and a psychological makeup which is beautifully divulged in tones that are befitting to their backgrounds and cultures: Bengal and Kerala. They run into each other at BITS, Goa, and what a fabulous setting, clearly familiar terrain. The descriptions of the Goan countryside are mouth-wateringly enticing and add flavour to the story without a shadow of doubt. The narrative begins with disagreements- a couple struggling to make sense of their lives in the present; desperately wondering what went wrong and why. The author carries us back and forth seamlessly between Ravi and Geethu’s life, both together and apart. It is a modern telling, in a modern setting, perhaps one that many young couples would be living in this day and age. I get that it is possible to have strong relationships with oneself, and another simultaneously, without having to sacrifice one or the other. Trouble brews when sacrifices become the order of the day by one partner. What Salini Vineeth has managed to bring out quite successfully to my mind is the fact, that we fail to delve deeply into another’s life- we fail when we don’t venture into what makes us who we are as adults, with our idiosyncrasies, our flaws and our strengths. Do we want perfect mirror images in our partners, or do we desire to fill up the vacuum that perhaps lingers from our childhood? When we encounter a flaw in our spouse/partner, do we run, or do we study and plummet the depths of the one we claim to love, in a bid to better embrace the partnership, chisel it and make of it an everlasting bond? Youth plays with our emotions, clouding our better judgement. When in love, or what we deem love, we underscore those traits which bite, and hype up that which suits our temperament. Geethu, a Bengali girl, has her own troubles, but in saviour mode most often, wants to right her world. Ravi, on the other hand, her Malayali suitor, later spouse, has a past he is unable to escape from, especially in his sleep. The story woven together fairly deftly by Vineeth, has its moments of revelation- at times it sags, most often it holds your attention. I enjoyed the back and forth; I loved the distinct voices and I absolutely loved how she has closed the story, an end that upholds what her tale set forth to point to: there is hope where there is love; there is effort required to uphold one’s values against all odds and there is friendship above all, when two worlds want to link up and stay bonded. This is Salini’s first full-length feature and I do hope she continues to write and entertain. ©kamalininatesan