Sia

Title:           Sia

Author:       Prionka Ray

Price:          INR. 145/-

Publisher:  Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd

  

Growing up in a tranquil yet full of charm & heritage town of Banaras had its benefits and Sia was enjoying that. Quite yet ever questioning Sia had a personality of her own but always overshadowed by her vivacious & beautiful elder sister Munni.

Life would have moved at the same pace had Munni not fallen in love & met a tragic end, an end which pushes the Sharma family into a state of shock. They eventually move out of Banaras.

Sia moves on but lives with the guilt that she could have saved her sister. She marries, bears a girl but has a built a wall around which even her husband was unable to break. Her perfect world comes to a halt when she meets a man from her past and everything comes tumbling out.

She walks down the memory lane and relives the shock & grief which the scandal which lead to her sister’s death had brought. After much deliberation she decides to go back to Banaras with a resolve to know the secret behind Munni’s death & to lay her demons to rest.

What follows next and how the story unfolds is best read.

My Verdict

The book begins in 1978 and culminates to present day and traces the life of a tragedy bound family. This book is well told simple story giving us a glimpse of a tranquil life and life of kids in the days of no TV when things were simpler and smaller issues had a tendency of snow balling into major issues.

I liked the writing and the treatment of the book. I liked the way in which the author has handled the growth of Sia from a young tension free girl to woman who lives on with guilt and surrounds herself with a wall so that she could protect her family and her 16 year old daughter. In her daughter she sees her sister which brings a fierce protectiveness in her which in turn suffocates her daughter.

I liked the subtle message in the book that every incident has an effect and the Indian tendency of hushing up a family scandal under the oldest carpet impacts the family. It reiterates the fact that talking helps and transparency in a family is not a sign of westernisation but a sign of a happy & closely knit family. My only compliant with the book was it goes slow & little dull in between.

But overall a well told story & despite having no major drama the book holds your attention. A good emotional read.

My Rating - 3 /5