From - Reviews, Vol I, Issue II
“There will not be a day when we wake up
and it’s now okay to express ourselves publicly. We make that day by doing
things publicly until it’s simply the way things are.”- Tammy Baldwin
Payal Dhar has taken a step forward to
bespeak her mind against the dramatized psychology of mass against the LGBT
community in India in her sixth book, Slightly Burnt. The author has tried to
register her dissatisfaction against the social boundaries in a very distinctive
manner.
This book is about a 16 year old girl
Komal who finds out that her best friend Sahil has a deep-rooted secret within
him. His secret puts him with thousands of other Indian children who are
completely invisible in their real life and have no acknowledgment from
society, except that there is something wrong with them.
Komal finds herself in extreme distress
once Sahil confesses about his real identity. For her everything changes, her
best friend does not remain the same person she knew for past many years. As
she tries to accept this fact, a new secret awaits for her. She tries to reveal
the truth but gets confused when finds her own brother Vikram unwittingly
raveled in the whole mess.
Komal encounters a fact which carries
her mind away, leaving her anxious and muddled. Will she manage to get
everything back on track? Will everything revert the way it was before Sahil’s
confession? Will she be able to salvage her brother out of the whole mess? These are the surprises for readers.
The author has been successful in her
attempt to pen down the problems faced by the new emerging India. This fiction
is a new psychological investigation reinforced with the shades of character,
distinctive plot, and realistic drama of the 21st century. Although
there was lack of anything extraordinary to kindle the imagination of readers.
Aiming at the impartial presentation of real
life these days, this book is humorous, romantic, and thriller, but at the same
time it raises a big question against the attitude and approach of society
towards sexuality.
Reviewed
by Swati Singh
Swati is pursuing her graduation (final
year) in English from Dhanbad, Jharkhand. She may be reached at swati.sti@gmail.com
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