"Tell me about the happiest or saddest moments of your life in a few words. Let's share some happiness and sorrow with each other."
Name of Book: A Voyage Called life
Author: Shashikala Gadepally
Publisher: Independent
Publication Date: 12 May 2024
No. of Pages: 52
Format: Digital
A Voyage Called Life, a collection of eight short stories, doesn't show a perfectionist approach to life. Life strives for Success in all aspects: professional, personal, relations, friendship, and a connection with self. Success is a relative term. In this pursuit of success, man sometimes leaves behind the entity called LIFE. Little do we realize at what cost we have wrenched ourselves free from the grip of life.
A bouquet of emotions that sizzle through the stories marks the unity in diversity theme. If one character is low on emotions, another is irresistibly loving and caring; if one is grief-stricken, the other has something to celebrate.
A fusion of humour, grief, pleasure, sympathy, disgust, envy, fear, admiration, surprise, and nostalgia colours the characters.
'Reversal' is a commentary on life's paradoxes. Strangely, a girl living a luxurious life yearns for a cosy little house where the walls do not separate the inmates. Ironically, the girl living in shambles finds herself dreaming of life in the luxurious bungalow.
Interspersed with light-hearted comedy, A Unique Love Story and Much Ado About Nothing lighten the heaviness caused by the tragedy in The Last Touch.
This collection of short stories is a tapestry of smiles and tears. Just as tears start trickling down the cheeks, a smile washes away the sorrow.
Isn't life all about a journey through various emotions?
Shashikala Gadepally has embarked on a journey with her newfound passion for writing. Her creative urge and imaginative faculty, have given her wings to explore the unknown realms.
She has authored several books in various genres, fiction and poetry, with themes ranging from socio-political suspense- thrillers to romance and human relationships.
Her favourite authors are P.G. Wodehouse and James Hadley Chase.
Her simple, lucid language enhances readability and the easy flow of words connects the reader to the storyline.
Her eBooks published on Amazon Kindle are collections of poems on the relationship between nature and human beings, human relationships and the conflict between nature and man.
Her debut novel, The Absent Citizen, focuses on a civilized society where social and ethical values have taken a back seat.
Beyond the Horizon, Till Eternity…., The Untold Sagas and A Twist in the Tale are her collections of short stories.
Her collections of poems are Verses of Life, Silent Musings, Waves and Petals, Symphonies - ruminations of Fragments and ‘An Ode to Love’.
She started her author journey at sixty and continues to enjoy the experience.
My Opinion
Writers I feel have a social responsibility when they're writing and it became very clear to me when reading this book that Shashikala Gadepally the author of this collection of stories understands that. She has picked very different and unique subjects and written rather riveting narratives around them. So you have a unique love story of a potato and an onion on one hand while on the other you have a take on women empowerment and how even every person whether man or woman dear es to chase their dreams. There are also other tapes about the divide of affluency in our societies and love in a different shade, so I believe there's something for everyone here. They also show a writer with a keen social eye and that's always refreshing to read. It's very evident that a lot of thought went behind each story and it's a commendable effort. My only grouse would be that sometimes the narratives felt a bit self-indulgent, like the author either has taken the liberty to both say too or too little. Maybe finding a balance there would have been nice. But overall it's a fantastic read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. The book deserves 4 stars.
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