RATING: ★★★3/4 (3.75/5)
what is ‘us’ made of? Is it just a bunch of people, huddled together clutching at their commonalities and separated by their differences? What lies between two humans, what hangs in the heavy air that is between two humanly bodies?
What hangs in between, according
to me, is their stories and emotions. The web of the colourful words that were
spoken and those that were not, along with the unanimous beliefs that sprouted
from it….they make up the air in between the two personalities.
Bobby Sachdeva’s ‘Stories
of Us’ draws its inspiration from the common men that inhabit the various strata
of the society, and talks of their problems and insecurities. It is a
collection of 41 short stories, with each lasting not beyond 4 pages, and they
all challenge age-old-beliefs and perceptions that have only been brought over through
generations due to their staunch familiarity. Through the stories, the author
questions our existing notions that although deep sown, are questionable based on
morality. At the end of each short anecdote, the author throws a question at us—that
bravely points a finger sometimes at a superstition that is harmful, sometimes at
societal issues that erode human trust, and sometimes at ordinary happenings
that isn’t completely ethical and justified. They all glide over issues that
concern casteism, gender biases, superstitions, religious prejudices, and body
shaming.
The calm familiarity that
exudes from the stories is very satisfying, as is the universal appeal of the
book. The ordinariness that the book carries doesn’t let the stories get too
far-fetched or fictitious, rather they feel like the chapters from our own
life. The impact of the stories (beyond the appropriateness of the backdrop) could
have been heightened if more care had been given to the dimensions of it. Oddly
enough, they felt very hasty and linear—and the over-simplistic style of narration
fell short of the seriousness of the topic the story was based upon. The stories
only contributed to a very light reading experience, and the language could have
been slightly more impactful.
I would recommend this
book because it challenges some toxic mindsets and aspects of the society that
continue to threaten our harmonic existence. The question that the author aims
at us at the end of each story, makes us introspect and think about what we
have been doing all these years.
Post a Comment