Creative Reviews discussion

Name - Khushi Manau ya Dukh
Author - Sonee Singh Chauhan
Publisher- Bluerose Publishers

The book is about an orphan girl, Shiva. After the death of her parents, her maternal uncle takes her in but family life for her is far from perfect. She is neglected and has no one to ask her what she wants. She is forced to study in Hindi medium school while her cousins Juhi and Priya study in good English medium schools. But one incident turns her life upside down. Despite being treated as a stranger at her own house, she tries to save Priya’s life, but she is unable to. After Priya’s death, the environment is that of gloom. The family is sinking into despair. During such time, a handsome rich man proposes to Shiva. She could see her dreams fulfilling if she gets married to him but she doesn’t want to rub her happiness in the nose of the grieving family. What to do?

The book is written in first person from the POV of Shiva. The writing is simple with small short sentences and simple words. It’s not very descriptive and concentrates more on the conversations and Shiva’s mental musings. The book highlights the day to day problems faced by girls and how, every boon come with a trail of banes attached to it. It’s a coming of age story, simple, sweet and relatable. It also emphasises on having good qualities, apart from hard work, as the road to success. All in all, it was a good one time read.

My rating 4/5