Book Review : ‘Twists of Fate' by Priyanka Naik

‘Twists of Fate’ by Priyanka Naik has a strange sense of being autobiographical, but again, how far it is, I do not know. For me, it actually comes up at a funny time, I am due to visit Mumbai in a few days, and this book, which has all the nostalgic memories of Mumbai comes to me at exactly this time. So, naturally I picked it up and read it. You could also check out her Interview here.

Let’s get to the book. It is a story of three friends, Sharvari, Parizaad and Nandini. The story begins with dealing with their growing up years, through school, college and their years of separation. I liked the way she started off with Sharavari, because there were a few parts in there, where it became easy for me to empathise with her. Her love for books and her tomboyish nature, reminded me of my earlier times.  So, I became more interested in the book.

As I flipped pages, I came across Parizaad, who belongs to a typical Parsi household, and also the rich family of Nandini. Parizaad, who is the daughter of a mother who ran a place called Café Connect. She could have been a misfit, is left to find her way in the UK, as a photojournalist, with a sick mother in tow, finds her way back to Mumbai.

Nandini, who has to face a sad love story and a sadder marriage, is back in Mumbai, thanks to an ugly divorce. Sharvari, who had survived her years in Mumbai with a misunderstood marriage, finds herself riding near Café Connect, on day when she comes upon Parizaad. The two meet after a long time, and get back in touch with the third soul sister of their friendship, Nandini.

What and how the three are doing today, and how they come back together, with their stories and how they would travel the path together, forms the end of this debut novel.

I liked the novel, but I felt that it was a little too long at times. I was left wondering how close it was to the author, for her to have taken the time to weave in so many elements into the book. There were a few odd moments in the book, which broke into the flow of the story.

But, I leave it to you readers, and you might pick it up for your own reasons, it definitely will leave you with one or two of its many elements to remember it by.

Author: Priyanka Naik
Genre : Fiction/Romance
Publisher : Mahaveer Publishers 
ISBN : 9789350881002
Price : 150/-