Nilanjana Haldar

Book Title: Quiet Screams to the Quiet Healer: A Child's Perspective of Domestic Violence Using it as a Weapon to Heal People Through a Journey of Mystery and Riddles
Author: Nilanjana Haldar
Format: Kindle

My Thoughts:
Of late, Indian authors have written books on either myth-fiction or complete fiction with the romance genre as the backdrop. But, sometimes, readers get to read books that fall under the Realistic Fiction category. Fortunately, I have happened to read such books in this year. This happens to my second book this year that falls under the ' Realistic Fiction ' category.

When it comes to realistic fiction, this genre portrays the world as it is. It contains no fantasy, no supernatural elements, and it usually depicts ordinary people going about the business of daily living, with all its joys, sorrow, successes, and failures. Generally in good realistic fiction, the characters are engaging, the dialogue is believable, the plot is relatable, fresh and original, the story setting is true to life, the problems faced by the characters are honestly portrayed.

This story by Nilanjana Haldari talks about the muted voices and especially the muted voices of children who are the victims of domestic abuse, the abuse that they are prone to directly or indirectly. The word abuse is not accountable only to physical or verbal abuse. Like passive smokers who also become victims to the ill effects of nicotine, people who witness domestic abuse also get affected. This is very well explained in the story with examples in the form of characters.

The story also talks about the problems faced by children who are nurtured by single parents. The concept of wedding and divorce is an intelligently woven web of emotions but, on a thin thread. Though the intention is strong, the strength of a relationship lies mostly on the values and standards it is built upon. In the story, there are incidents where a woman in front of her child is abused for silly things. Parents often fail to recognize what kind of aftermath consequences such actions create.

Children and teenagers who become victims to anti-social elements mostly have an ill background during their upbringing. It is not to blame the parents on their faces but a word of caution to check their actions and reactions.

These things are very well described in the story. The beauty of realistic fiction lies in the portrayal of the characters and the incidents. Author Nilanjana has excelled in this aspect. Her narration which is articulated in a very effective manner.

What to expect from the story?
The book is based on certain real incidents that happen in houses that are seldom reported or even thought about. The word magic of author Nilanjana is very impactful, and thus the book entertains and hooks the reader. The language and the narration are appealing. With dialogues and conversations that reflect the people next door, the book stands as an entertainer.

The book is divided into three parts. Every part is special in its own place. The pace at which the story progresses, how the events unfold and how the characters are related to each other and how they travel as the story progresses is impressive. For example, the character of grandpa, which I chose not to disclose many details, appears and surprises the readers when they don't expect.

The story oscillates between life, struggle, pain and brutality. Overall, ' Quiet Screams to the Quiet Healer ' is ala-carte of life in reality!

Who can read?
I say this book is especially recommended to the parents and young adults. The book talks about how important is it to be transparent and communicate with each other.

My take on the characters
The characters of Sanjana. Kriti and Grandpa happen to be the central characters. There are many other characters which have their own space and scope in the story. All characters in the story are dynamic, strong, and sometimes hateful. The character of Aditya and Vivek look very real. There are some incidents mentioned that will stay on the nerve of the readers. The scope and strength of the characters, which are both on the good and evil side of the human psyche are well sketched. Because of the real incidents perfectly combined with fiction, the characters look alive.

How entertaining is the book?
The book is a very good entertainer in terms of story, characters, and incidents mentioned. It is also a good mix of drama, emotions, grit with sufficient amounts of darkness. The book is a complicated story with unseen encounters and unexpected events.

Final Verdict
Intense, impactful and interrogative!

Rating:
4/5









… (mehr)