Book Review: Emotions Unplugged

Book: Emotions Unplugged

Author: Vishal Anand

Publisher: Moments Publication

Pages: 157

Price: 88 INR (Paperback) 49 INR (Kindle)

Blurb: Emotions Unplugged is a collection of 15 short stories based on different genres. Diksha travels through the roads of Mumbai a day prior to her divorce with her husband, Virain; Gauri steals the money from her master’s locker and runs to her village; Rizwan works as a laborer in construction sites at Dubai in spite of being the son of a rich man from Bangladesh; Samar gets last gift of love from his grandmother after her death; Patrick believes after visiting a state that he has visited a country, he still had to visit 27 more countries in India; Rajat spends the night in different bars with a friend to meet a lady, Palak; an old lady who believes in her religion and hates Muslims finds an indigestible truth when she visits her daughter’s home; Vinit falls in love with a veiled girl while travelling in Delhi metro to reach his office everyday and a lot more.

Numerous emotions pluck in to bring a thought provoking cocktail. Indeed pen is mightier than sword, and words have potential to bring the change. And surprisingly you never know when it does… 

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

 

My Review:  

Emotions Unplugged is an anthology of 15 short stories and every single story is fed highly with emotions. Sometimes, the emotions produce a beautiful symphony of words, whereas at some other times, it fails to produce the perfect melody.

Nevertheless, there are some stories in Emotions Unplugged that are so beautiful, heart touching and profound that they will surely leave an imprint in your heart. 

The first story of the anthology “A day before my divorce” is definitely one of the best stories of the book. The emotions of the to-be-divorced couple Diksha and Virain are beautifully captured in the story. I couldn’t help but admire at the story telling skills of the author when I read this story.

“Let’s turn oldies” is a story that would teach you a deep lesson and make you smile. “Granny’s last gift of love” would fill you up with affection or nostalgia for your loving grandparents. “The first love” beautifully captures all the emotions when our heart starts beating for a stranger. “A country with 27 other countries” carries a very true message that we often fail to see. 

“Theft” is another golden story of this anthology. It tells the story of a poor little girl who falls in a quandary while saving her ailing father. The narration is beautiful.

“Karma returns” is the last story of the anthology that stresses on the saying What goes around, comes around.

The remaining stories of the anthology were mediocre and failed to impress me because the narration was somewhat weak. Though the theme or moral of the stories were good, the impact was somewhat lacking.

However, Emotions Unplugged is a book that everyone will relate to as we all are enslaved by emotions...aren't we? Therefore, if you want to read a couple of short and sweet stories filled with emotions, pick up this book right away.

You can buy the book here

Book Review: Murdered To Moksha

Book Name: Murdered to Moksha

Author: Rohit Shetty

Publisher: First Step Publishing

Pages: 190

Price: 180 INR

Blurb: 
Wife's Murderer or a Victim of fate". This headline flooded the news channels. A 35 yr old guy killing his wife at City Hospital and then trying to jump off the same building. A selfish, ruthless murderer who took away a 10 yr old girls mother and then attempted a suicide. Why? Financial problems?... NO. Disputes with wife?... NO. Mentally unstable?... NO. Then, WHY? Only person who had an answer to this question.. He, himself. His silence even at the court sessions added to the twists of the case. He said nothing in his defense neither hired a lawyer. He seemed heartless, cold blooded killer, a murderer, a maniac, mentally unstable to the world. Every medium spoke bad for him but no one really cared to know the reason why he killed his wife. He was a Murderer until ... 

My Rating: 4/5

My Review:

 

“Murdered to Moksha” is a heart wrenching love story. If you are an emotional person, it will surely move you to tears. And, I guess the success of the book lies in the fact that it has the ability to emotionally move any sane person reading the book. 

The story starts on a gripping note where Aarav Rathode is sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his ailing wife. The start of the story would definitely catch the attention of all readers. The story proceeds with Aarav reminiscing about the integral events of his life which finally led to the catastrophe.

The story is divided into two sections: the first section is joyful whereas the second half is somber. In the first section, you would get to read about the beautiful love story of Aarav and Esha. The way Esha supported Aarav to be a successful businessman when the world turned against him would definitely draw a smile to your face. The first section of the book is beautifully pleasant whereas the second half of the book can prick your heart again and again.

The winds change the moment when Esha gets diagnosed with a life threatening disease. The way Aarav takes care of Esha sacrificing everything that he has, the way their little daughter Ira goes through a troubling time as her mother tries to detach herself from her and the way Esha fights with death for days would surely move you to tears. 

There are plenty of moments in the book when I felt like crying. It is the way the author has narrated the incidents that you would feel that not only the protagonists of the book, but you are also suffering from the setbacks and the testing times.

The climax of the book made a lump form in my throat and I kept on contemplating about the story for hours even after closing the book. On the flip side, the narration of the first half of the book was not as strong as the second half of the book. 

 

Nevertheless, Murdered to Moksha is a book that will stay with you for long, even after you have finish reading the book. But yes, the tragedy and pathos of the book will definitely break your heart.

The poem that is included in the last chapter of the book is profound and heart-touching. Some of the lines of the poem are:

Neither does life love me,

Nor does it let me free.

It has caught me tight,

Forbidding me from walking to that bright light.

In its barbed wire fence

I’m trapped, bleeding in pain from its thorns, so dense.

Recommended to people who prefer to read love stories with a hint of tragedy. 

You can buy the book here