2117th BLOG POST
22nd Book of 2024
I remember reading
Shadow of the Past published by FingerPrint publication exactly 5 years back
and I had rated it more than 4 stars – quite much as I wouldn’t rate romantic
books that highly because all of them sounded the same. After reading the
amazing climax written by the author, Mayank Manohar, I had written the
following in my review-
"Talking about
the climax, the last paragraph is too open for you to be surprised and shocked
for some time. I just couldn’t believe what I read which made me read the
paragraph multiple times which made me realize that it’s an open ending and
there’s a chance we can find its sequel soon. I would request author to bring
it out soon as the way he is writing romance right from his 1st book itself is
very promising and I would like to read him more."
Finally, after 5
years, author took the story ahead and published the 2nd part of it
named “A Glimpse of the Future” which also has the tagline that says “A journey
of redemption and resilience”. I must say that the book exactly matches the
vibes with its tagline because the way the characterization of Rehan moves on
from where it ended in the first book, it’s all about his patience and
expectations that sets the future of his life. Author tries to take us deep
into the mindset of the person who has lost his first girlfriend and ended up
ruining his relationship with his 2nd girlfriend as well. Obviously,
he is going through a lot mentally and it has come to a stage where he has to
visit a rehab center as well to get back to his zone.
Author has very
nicely narrated the whole section where Rehan meets with his ex-girlfriend
again and gets a chance to revive his relationship. Reading about his past
about how the relationship arc went through its ups and downs during the 2nd
innings makes this book interesting to read. The book is written in two
timelines which are just couple of years apart but it tells about two versions
of the protagonist- firstly, what happened with him in the past and secondly,
where he is currently in his life due to his past which makes the book exciting
as it’s not all-and-all a romance and break-up story but also about the
mindset, philosophy and mental health a person has to go through after a big
life-transforming event in their life.
Mayank makes this
book sound like an autobiographical account where we get to read many entries
such as diary scribbles where the protagonist writes what’s going in his mind.
I felt like re-reading these pages. Then there are multiple sections wherein every
sentence is quote-worthy and you feel like highlighting/noting each one of
them. Not even once does Mayank gets carried away by the concept of his book
and become preachy about mental health. It’s all explained only through the
character’s pain and rehab stories.
The small catalysts
that add up to one’s mental shift such as anxiety, helplessness, failure,
rejection, hopelessness etc. are nicely conveyed. Author further tries to
explain to his audience and clarify the fact that even after rehab, a person
might end up in darkness for a long period of time. He keeps it evident that it
doesn’t transform you immediately but things settle down gradually for someone
who has gone through mental health issues.
In the last few
pages, Manohar gives a glimpse into how two people who have walked a similar
path in their respective lives related to heartbreaks and mental issues can
understand each other through better communication and come together for a
better life. Author has used this book to mention and explain every possibility
that can lead a person towards a better future after a bad past or present. I
am glad that this book shall connect with people who have been into isolation
once and talked a lot with themselves. They’ll understand the big monologues
where Rehan talks with himself quite often.
Overall, this book
despite being 300-pages long keeps you invested. I must say that author could
have edited it more to bring it down to 240-odd pages as it also become tiring
to read the similar state of mind of the protagonist for a very long time. But
yes, the book is a hopeful story and Mayank’s writing has only got better with
time. I give this book 4.25* out of 5. It is as good as its first part. You can
still directly read this book without having to read both the book to
understand the story. Author has managed it very well. Go, get it!
Thanks..
WRITING BUDDHA
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