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Portrayal of two complete lives with tremendous details , perspectives spanning across the entire twentieth century.
Tracing the lives of Shanti and Henny acting as a mirror of their daily lives, the book unfolds with reflections on many facets of their lives, how they lived, what they liked, what they felt and what they did and what they spoke about.
Book's form is mosaic of many touch points. Author Vikram's direct relationship with his Uncle Shanti and his aunty Henny forms the bedrock. Vikram does a series of Interviews with his Uncle to unfold Shanti's Life while his Aunty Henny s life unfolds through series of letters she wrote and received. Picture gets completed by Shanti's relatives view points , all three masterfully emotionaly woven to the book by the author turning it into a fantastic and humbling read.
Novel offers a precious window to see how a person grows, from the spring of youth to the firmness of the middle to the frailties of the old to the senility of last, a complete view of a life lived with all its highs and lows evened out.
This Novel is Double biography, as the author puts, throws light of two persons in exile , both exiled under completely different circumstances, One by choice or chance of fate to other by political developments.
This book helped author to overcome his understandable bitterness on how things turned out, perhaps there in lies a life lesson of able to see things as is with a degree of detachment.
In Author s Own words....
"What is Perfect? In a world with so much suffering, isolation and indifference, it is cause for gratitude if something is sufficiently good".
