Thursday 7 August 2014

Book Review: An Audience with Lama

Book : An Audience with Lama
Author: Abhilash
Publisher: Venkatesh Publisher
Price: 100 INR
ISBN: 9789350675

Blurb: In August 2010 the city of Leh was ravaged by a cloud burst. Amidst the destructive facet of mother nature we also witnessed true grit from the survivors. One of the survivors who grappled onto life was Abhilash. He recorded anecdotes and messages of fellow survivors and weaved them into a tantalizing narrative. 

A story that expanses a road trip across the picturesque landscape of Khardung La, laced with mystic spiritualism of Tibet. Aptly titled "AN AUDIENCE WITH LAMA" This piece of biographical fiction coupled with real life events makes a perfect anytime read.

My rating: 3.7/5

My review:  First of all, I must congratulate the author for writing a beautiful book that is a blend of adventure and spirituality. The story begins with ten strangers spending a night on a secluded roof, with apprehension that death may visit them any moment. Leh is galloped by a gigantic flood and destiny brings these ten survivors together. They spend the entire night talking about each other's life, their fears, their flaws and insecurities. When these ten survivors face their demons together, they learn to see their life in a new perspective.

All the characters are different from each other, yet very interesting and relatable. The character that I found the most interesting is the character of Hrijan. The ending is beautiful. Readers will be content when they will finally draw the connection between the prologue and the ending.  The landscapes described in the book will make you fall in love with the places. While leafing through the pages, I literally felt that I have also traveled to Manali, Keylong and Leh with the narrator.

On the downside, some portions of the book were a little dragged. Another drawback that I found in the book is that it becomes difficult to understand who is talking among the ten characters. With proper and frequent change of paragraphs, this problem could have been avoided. 

The author has done a decent job in this book. This book is recommended for people who love spiritual fictions and books on journey of rediscovering oneself.

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