Book Review: The Lady in the Mirror by Charu Vashishtha

About the book

Do you know what you really are? Or has life not tested you yet!

8 stories

8 situations

8 emotions

Lata is quintessential Indian housewife. How come her blissful life got disturbed by all but a gentle sermon? The handsome Piyush had the world at his feet and yet his world was empty! Meera, an IAS officer, was living her dream but why wasn’t she happy? Centuries ago, Ila the Playwright, found happiness in pursuing her passion but why was this a bane to many? What happens when your subconscious tries to pass on a message?
Hurt and pain helped Madhav become a millionaire. How would be come to terms when he realizes that it was not him that was wronged but it was he who was wrong. Meera is a budding comedian, but a great tragedy befalls her. Would she be able to hold her own in adverse circumstances? Kapil found liberation in his quest for knowledge, but would his daughter follow his lead ?

Explore Greed (via Manifestation of God), Unspoken words (via The Last Confession), Internal Conflict (via The Lost Meera), Self-Belief (via The Mysterious Playwright), Subconscious-self (via Three of Him), Love (via Madhav and Meera), Jealousy (via The Comic’s Tragedy) and Freedom (via Life goes in a circle).

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About the Author

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“An architect by education, software engineer by profession and a writer by choice.” Charu is an IIT graduate and an award winning blogger. She is based out of Gurgaon.

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Team KC thinks

With a intriguing cover and an exciting blurb, author Charu’s debut looks extremely promising. This anthology compromises of eight short stories revolving around different emotions of life. They aptly display the changing faces of relationships and highlight their fragile nature to the reader.

Life is extremely uncertain and it is this uncertainty that adds a bit of mystery to our existence. But what if we try revealing that mystery to ourselves and in that process unlock hell? These stories are witness to such attempts of people where they try to control life, know it and triumph it. That is when life turns around and gives out a nasty bite.

“All of the people who ever succeeded,” declared Mahesh “had a story, a story of hardships. Iti do you have a story_” --from “Life Goes in a Circle”

The characters are extremely relatable to the extent they could be one of us. It is interesting to note how the author has given each character a unique trait. These eight stories are like the solfege which come together to form a brilliant symphony in the form of this book.

The language is extremely lucid and easy to read. The stories and their titles are compelling. They make you want to know the story hidden behind them. At the same time, they also have the power to make you pause and think. Interestingly, the author creates a powerful imagery with her narrative, one that stays with the reader and encouraging them to ponder about life at large.

Certain debuts have the power to make you notice the author and look forward to their next work – it is one of those debuts where you want to read more of Charu’s works. Strongly recommended for its simple yet effective storytelling and the power to connect with readers across age groups.