The Fate I Cherished-Debashrita Manik

Book: The Fate I Cherished
Author: Debashrita Manik
Publisher: Poetic Imagica

Do you think that there is fate involved in what happens in our lives?

The Fate I Cherished by Debashrita Manik is the story of Pihu, a person who has suffered a lot through the hands of life and yet she has come out like a phoenix from the ashes. Based in Cuttack, Odisha, the story tells us the story of a modern, bold and self-sufficient girl who lived for herself and others. However, life is not fair, and out of the blue, one of the happiest days of her life takes a turn for the worst, so much so, that she is almost on the brink of ending her life. How things unfold in her life and was she able to walk away, unscathed from that traumatic experience is the story of the book.

The plot of the book has been planned well, with the entire focus being Pihu’s life and how different events in her life affect her. The story is quite simple as Pihu finds the closure to one of the most traumatic events of her life, at an unexpected moment. The buildup to the actual event is quite high, but the narration disappoints a bit as it is narrated in a somewhat flat tone. Some of the events in the book does not seem relevant and just add volume to the central plot of the book. Narrated in parallel timelines, we see Pihu’s past as she recollects various milestones in her lives, both happy and sad. The thing I liked about the book is the honest storytelling and a colloquial language that helps the reader connect with the plot. The love story and the romance in the book is quite commendable and it adds credence to the story of Pihu. On the other side, the biggest issue in the book is its editing and poor grammar. There are common words that have been misspelt and issues with sentence formation that might make a reader squirm. The story seems powerful with everything happening at a rapid pace, but falls flat towards the end as if the author was in a hurry to wrap things up.

Coming to the characters, while the book focusses on Pihu and her past, I liked the character of Anirudh and the way he conducts himself. There are genuine moments when he is likeable and affable. I would have loved to read a bit more about Vivaan and Mukul’s story and how things shaped up for them as well.

Overall, a decent read that scores a 2.94/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.