Wednesday 21 September 2016

Book Review : A Window Seat by Vishala Katta

Book- A Window Seat

Author- Vishala Katta

Genre- Fiction

Publisher- Frog Books- An imprint of Leadstart Publishing

Pages- 251

Price- 250


Blurb-

A dying man has made the trains his second home to find some peace after he got some shocking news. He is only connected to his Thatha; otherwise no one knows his whereabouts.

A newly wedded bride whose only dream is to reach Mumbai but there are a lot of hurdles in between that she needs to cross before becoming a big name.

A boy who is finding something which he has lost long back, and with him resides only his faith of finding something good one day.

What happens when they meet and experience something extraordinary? Will they reach where they are supposed to?



Title-

The title was somewhat related to the lives of all the three leads, Hari, Kuhu and Stalin. What role a window seat plays in their lives is what the story all about. In Kuhu’s life the window seat that make her peep in the life which she always wanted for herself is what make her adrenaline rush higher than before. I found the title really fascinating and apt.



Cover-

A beautiful cover with all the essential elements the book has. I loved the faded image of the man through which one can see a train and that shows how a journey having a person in common makes some lives really meaningful. The colour scheme, the background images are marvellous.



Characters-

I loved the characters of the book because they were the common man with a very basic and limited wisdom which they pass on different generations and thus we see doomsday. A great mirror is shown in the book to all the readers that what is right to preach and what is not. People with half knowledge like Panditji often brain washes the people who know nothing at all and there is where the things take drastic turn.

From the major characters I liked Stalin, Kuhu and Hari and from the minor characters I loved Kuhu’s man and his mother. These characters were hilarious and very precisely penned. I also liked the man who was travelling with the three leads and narrated the story of the ghost. He was a piece totally. And the water guy Stalin met at the station was also a very important character who was genuinely interested in helping and not just to make money out of people like Stalin who was over helpful. I think the author has balanced things quite well.



Narration-

The narration was simple third person narrative. The author kept the things straight. The stories were handled singly and then they were merged for better movement. I liked the pauses and dialogues, they were very easy to grasp. The language was also simple and easy.



Review-

Not every day you receive a book which has all the elements in its pages to show some extraordinary traits. Well, “A window seat” is one such book where I could feel a lot of things in just a single go. I was fascinated by the three different stories that had something in common which made them collide and start a new venture to experience something very different.

A small kid, a married lady and a wanderer are following their dreams but don’t know the way. The idea was superbly crafted by the author and she kept the essence alive till the last page. Dreams are not uncommon but the path surely is. The book made a mark in my heart because it was close to reality. There were no extra efforts done by author to show how they reached the goals. It was a journey about how they started. And that is the beauty of this book.

From the start I was sure of reading something different and this was proved right by the revolutionary ideas of the main lead Stalin. He was a man of great worth but uneasy mind. I found him to be lost in his journey.

The fact that he was able to draw attention towards him wherever he went is really worth noting. The scene where he shut up the man who thought he knew a lot was a high point. Dialogues, facts and frenzy were all delivered with great effect by Stalin.

At some points I found the tale and him to be a little Paranormal but later I realized that the man was really on his toes to fill his life with some meaning and such out of the box concept make people a little paranoid about the stability of one’s mind. I found this aspect really nice.

When he was on the stairs, addressing a few bunch of people about what is a good omen and what is not, I found in him the revolution that we need in the present scenario. He preached the right end but the author very smartly showed what happens in general, without making the lead over power.

If we talk about the life of the girl then we see an upgraded version of a village girl, Kuhu. The author hasn’t hesitated about penning a character that isn’t shameful about her physical intimacy and desires. I loved the girl very much because she was so powerful and focussed that I sometimes found her a little stronger then the others.

She was subjected to my rage when all she thought was about her but then at the other point I found her brave to do that. And a credit for that goes to our author. She has crafted feminism without even bragging about it. And that's where the beauty lies, when you say a lot even without saying anything.

Her selfishness was her asset. But that is not all. She is still that little girl who is in the dilemma due to her upbringing and the thoughts filled in her from the very start. And this was shown largely when she meets the man of her life again. Her feeling are clear but the two types of thoughts that are running in her mind shows the picture of our country widely.

And the last character Hari, the small boy who is on a quest at this early age proves to be a very powerful tool to connect the dots. Without him neither Stalin could have founded what he was in need of neither Kuhu could have reached the zenith.

I loved the ending particularly because there was no end in particular.

Summing up- A window seat is a great novel dealing with the dreams and quests of three people who didn’t even knew each other but prove to be greatest asset in finding new meanings to their lives. A lot was said in the little incidents and a lot was shown by meagre imageries. A book worth cherishing.



Eye-catchers-

“...the loner you look at someone’s eyes, the more sincere your soul is.”

“And she would love to be a man. At least, she would have her freedom.”



Turn-on’s-

I loved the journey that was commenced.

The different people and their fixed frame of mind were shown fully to make us realize the real condition.

The incident of a lady ghost.

Right amount of different genre mixed to form a great product.



Recommendation-

This book can be anyone’s venture in finding out what destiny can do in a person’s life.



About the author-

Vishala Katta writes about the untold stories that ordinary people carry on their shoulders. She finds extreme gleeful childlike pleasure in conversations with strangers. Originally, an engineer, she set out to pursue her love for Communications at Mudra Institute of Communication, (MICA) Ahmedabad.



Connect with the author-

Twitter- @vishala_katta

Email- i.vishalakatta@gmail.com



Buy the book-

Amazon Link-

https://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/935201619X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474467261&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX118_SY170_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=a+window+seat+by+Vishala+Katta

No comments:

Post a Comment