BOOK REVIEW OF- Letters in the Rain

BY Anubhav Shrivastava and Ananya Roy

· Paperback

· Publisher: Rumour Books India (7 December 2017)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 1513627252

· ISBN-13: 978-1513627250

THE PLOT IN BRIEF-

Quite early in his life, Aman had been labelled a ‘weirdo’. His side-parted, oil soaked hair and gawky physique made him the butt of jokes among his peers. There is nothing spectacular in his life—he studies all day, has never had an interaction with a girl that lasted more than five minutes, and scribbles his inner musings into his best friend, a personal diary.

Deep down, however, the guilt of being considered a social killjoy by the society starts to have a negative impact on him.

When forced out of his solitary shell into the action-infused warehouse that is ‘college’, Aman’s life takes a drastic U-Turn. Owing to a Chemistry project, he is forced to partner up with Kiara—a cheerful, carefree soul who tucks away her dark, brooding past upon arriving in Manipal.

What follows is a series of awkward encounters and quirky adventures; ones that throw them in the deep end and make them face their worst fears

THE TITLE-

Indeed Letters in the rain is a very interesting and appropriate title for the book. The title itself brings out the positivity associated with the Plot. Life is a bowl of cherries. Some cherries are rotten while others are good; it’s your job to throw out the rotten ones and forget about them while you enjoy eating the ones that are good! There are two kinds of people: those who choose to throw out the good cherries and wallow in all the rotten ones, and those who choose to throw out all the rotten ones and savour all the good ones. Letters in the rain not only displays the emotions attached with the plot but also acts as a catalyst to all the encounters that take place throughout the plot. We always tend to have a negative impact on us for example; there is a magnificent, beautiful, wonderful painting in front of you! It is intricate, detailed, a painstaking labour of devotion and love! The colours are like no other, they swim and leap, they trickle and embellish! And yet you choose to fixate your eyes on the small fly which has landed on it! Why do you do such a thing?

Letters in the Rain fights the negativity and creates the perfect romantic atmosphere to start the plot.

REVIEW OF THE BOOK-

Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness; it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate. It is not the empath who is broken, it is society that has become dysfunctional and emotionally disabled. There is no shame in expressing your authentic feelings. Those who are at times described as being a ‘hot mess’ or having ‘too many issues’ are the very fabric of what keeps the dream alive for a more caring, humane world. Never be ashamed to let your tears shine a light in this world. I really loved the way Aman was portrayed in the plot. As the plot moves on, we also get a hint of the way the authors has portrayed love to us. Genuine love is rarely an emotional space where needs are instantly gratified. To know love we have to invest time and commitment…’dreaming that love will save us, solve all our problems or provide a steady state of bliss or security only keeps us stuck in wishful fantasy, undermining the real power of the love — which is to transform us.’ Many people want love to function like a drug, giving them an immediate and sustained high. They want to do nothing, just passively receive the good feeling.

The introduction of the next character (Kiara) in the plot brings a change in the course of the plot. Everybody has a home team: It’s the people you call when you get a flat tire or when something terrible happens. It’s the people who, near or far, know everything that’s wrong with you and love you anyways. These are the ones who tell you their secrets, who get themselves a glass of water without asking when they’re at your house. These are the people who cry when you cry. These are your people, your middle-of-the-night, no-matter-what people. Each time you meet an old emotional pattern with presence, your awakening to truth can deepen. There’s less identification with the self in the story and more ability to rest in the awareness that is witnessing what’s happening. You become more able to abide in compassion, to remember and trust your true home. Rather than cycling repetitively through old conditioning, you are actually spiralling toward freedom.

I also loved the metaphorical meaning which the author has tried to developed through his plot, In today’s world, it is tempting to follow suit and artificially numb the emotions you don’t want while inducing the ones that you do want. The problem is that pushing pleasure into your veins will not get you out of quicksand, nor will blocking pain bring you relief. The solutions do not lie in the world of emotions, but rather in the world of thoughts.

Letters in the Rain beautifully describes the fight of emotions and negativities. It describes how to win Life. Don’t be afraid to stand tall in YOUR truth! Boldly and confidently face everything that has, and is, keeping you bound. Fight for your inner peace! Fight for your happiness! Fight for everything and everybody that’s important to you! You are NOT a victim! Don’t even play into that. You owe it to yourself to LIVE! Live your life without the regrets, without the resentments, without the unforgiveness, without the blame game, without the self-pity, without any and everything that keeps you from experiencing true joy within! You are too important to waste your life away! Learn to appreciate and value your life, but most importantly, learn to appreciate and value yourself! You count too, no matter what you’ve done!

I would recommend the book for you. You can buy it from

https://www.amazon.in/Letters-Rain-Anubhav-Shrivastava/dp/1513627252/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519050559&sr=8-1&keywords=letters+in+the+rain

Overall I would like to rate the book 42 on a scale of 50.

4 stars out of 5

1. Originality of the plot and sub plots- 9/10

2. Net emotions in the story- 8/10

3. Usage of words and phrases-8/10

4. The title, cover and the illustration-8/10

5. The net impact on the readers- 9/10

Life is truly a matter of choices, reactions, and actions. Each and every choice is governed by our reactions which in turn affect our actions and consequently the future turn of events.

Reviewed by-

Sayan Basak

Kolkata