Online book discussion / Chillibreeze giveaway/ Of Dreams - Aditi Talwar Sodhi

[Udita Shrivastava]

Hi Sloka,
Yourself said that the book exposes the flaws of the society and you agree with me on the point that the story discusses ways to work towards a flawless society. Naturally, when you highlight the flaws of the society and think about the means to fight them, somewhere you are working towards a flawless society. Talwar may be discussing gender disparity but at the same time she is making all or most of her characters, irrespective of their genders, undergo introspection. In her interviews, Talwar herself has highlighted inner transformation as the theme of her novel.

Hi Vidya,
I think Of Dreams presents a harmonious blend of the struggles of various characters belonging to different strata of society. Aditi Talwar proceeds towards resolution through character evolution. She uses the technique of succession of simultaneous proceedings of lives of all the characters with exciting twists and turns of events. It arouses an interest in the readers to know what will happen next. There is unity and order in the events that help the characters to develop themselves. An exciting beginning, a gripping middle and an unforced natural closing makes Talwar a good story teller. There is no fantasy; only a real narration of contemporary young life.
Talwar’s use of colloquial language rather than symbolic and obscure words makes her writing quite reader friendly. The vocabulary in the novel has a modest range which well depicts the sentiments of urban life.

[Vidya Prabhakar CB]

You have made an interesting point about the narrative, Udita. Do you think this is any different from other books in the same genre? is there anything different in this book?

[Sloka]

Hi Udita, very interesting perspective. I think I'm beginning to see that yes, while highlighting the flaws of society and discussing ways to change them for the better, Talwar does in fact hint towards a flawless society. I didn't think of it that way

Vidya - I think the lucidity of the language helps the reader to connect with the characters. Aditi uses the "alternating technique" to bring out events in each character's life which keeps the interest in the story alive right till the very last page. Udita is absolutely correct in describing the story as "a real narration of contemporary young life" - couldn't have put it better myself!

However, since we are discussing language, I would also like to point out that I found quite a few grammatical errors in the book (which I had also mentioned in the review). I think these should be looked into during the next round of editing.

I would also like to know from all of you what you feel about the writer's use of props in the story - such as the locations used and the use of other characters in the story aside of the main protagonists? Personally, I am of the opinion that they played an extremely pivotal role in taking the story forward and sustaining reader interest. The additional characters such as Karan's step-mother or Aarti's father or Amrita's husband were very well used - neithre underplayed nor overbearing. What's your take?

[Vidya Prabhakar CB]

I liked the way you make your point, Sloka. About the props seamlessly blending into the narrative. Often we come across books that introduce characters and places that don't quite fit in!

Language errors - I think all 3 reviewers have made the same observation!

Does this book remind you of any other book by other authors?

[Udita Shrivastava]

Hi Vidya and Sloka,

The management of the narrative plays an important role in establishing the unity of the action. Most of the contemporary writers are generating their own narrative styles according to their motives of writing a novel. For instance, Abhay Nagrajan’s narrative in his debut novel Corporate Atyachar is entirely different from that of Aditi. While Nagrajan uses the protagonist to narrate the story in the form of day-to-day experiences of a single person’s professional venture in the society in a comic vein, Aditi herself narrates the story. However, in Chetan Bhagat’s Two States, the hero and the heroine are at the centre and redefine the society in the circumference. His concern is to reveal socio-cultural conflict through love and marriage which is narrated by the hero himself. As far as Talwar is concerned, she uses narrative technique of succession of proceedings of the lives of all the characters belonging to different strata of the society which suits to her purpose of inward journey, character reformation and social solution. She chooses characters from the whole society and makes them move through a problem ridden society and reaches towards solution with all of them. Her unique style of observer and narrator agent to present the society as a whole makes her a class apart.

[Vidya Prabhakar CB]

Udita and Sloka,

What are your key takeaways from this book? Did you find any singular thing that stands out or something that you would personally think of as a takeaway from this book?

[Sloka]

Udita and Vidya,

Apologies for the inordinate silence on my part - got tied up at work and was not able to log in these past few days.

To answer your first question Vidya - the book, or rather the story, does not really remind me of any other book off the top of my head but yes, the narrative does remind me of Chetan Bhagat's works (as Udita too mentioned).....the easy-flowing conversational style and the moving back and forth in time between events seems to be employed in a very similar manner by both these authors. Another book which comes to my mind is "Maverick" by Ricardo Semler - though the genres of both books are poles apart (Maverick is a real-life business house's growth story), the writing style there too is very colloquial which makes for an easy read.

A point I would like to make here is that it seems to be a characteristic of Indian authors to infuse some random Indian words into the language which I find Aditi has, delightfully, refrained from doing. Thumbs up on that!

With regard to takeaways from the book - i'd say the lessons are clear. All through the book, there is a comon strain of empathy - Amrita expects her mother to empathise with her and stand up for her which she doesn't do and which in turn, Amrita almost doesn't do for her daughter!!! Aarti's parents and Karan support her, understand her dreams and help her turn them into reality. Payal husband reaches out to her when she needs a companion - though it may be for selfish ends as well. The book emphasises on the need to understand others and respect their hopes, dreams and ambitions.

It also shows that generation gap need not be a norm - parents need to reach out to their children before they start looking outside for the love and support they aspire.

It exemplifies the fact that where we will be tomorrow does not depend on where we are today but where we want to be and how we strive to get there.

And of course, it shows that no star is too high, no distance too far and no dream truly impossible if you set your mind and heart to it!

These are my takeaways from the book - look forward to your views

[Vidya Prabhakar CB]

Beautifully summarised, Sloka!

[Udita Shrivastava]

Hi Vidya & Sloka,
Talwar makes two important points in her novel. First, we must follow our dreams but at the same time sacrifice our vices in the purgatorial fire burning within the spirit to have a life divine. In their journey of dreams, all the three friends go through a tough time and superficially their losses are greater than their achievements. Through Rhea, Aditi teaches that one must be truthful to oneself. Then only one can be genuine to others. What she means by truthfulness is realising one’s vices and virtues for which one needs introspection, the way Mahatma Gandhi did. In her interviews Talwar herself has emphasised on inward journey.
Second, all human beings have a purpose of their existence on earth and they must realise it. For instance, all the characters in the novel have their respective roles and by continuously reforming themselves they perform well and the drama of life ends happily. For example, Amrita’s role as mother, Amit’s role as father, Karan’s role as son and lover, Aarti’s role as beloved, Kavita’s role as wife, Varun’s role as husband and father continuously undergo transformation by practice of virtue.

[Vidya Prabhakar CB]

Loved the philosophical touches, Udita!

Thanks Sloka and Udita for participating in this book discussion. Your discussion was insightful and you both have brought out the contextual depth in the novel. We enjoyed following your discussion and hope to see you more often at the forums!

Thanks,
The Chillibreeze Team