Once Upon a Reunion-Nithya Sashi

Book: Once Upon a Reunion
Author: Nithya Sashi
Publisher: N K & Co.

What is your take on reunions?

Once Upon a Reunion by Nithya Sashi is the story of Nirmala, who is happily married and living in Chennai. Living with her Husband Sreenivas, she secretly pines for her ex-lover Suresh, and when memories of her past life surface, it does ripple her happy life. Unable to fully love Sreenivas with the insane intensity she had felt for Suresh, she is conflicted and lives in a parallel world, always tormented by the probability of a what-if! When she comes to know of a school reunion which Suresh would be attending as well, she is in facing a dilemma. On one side, she has a chance to close a chapter of her life permanently, and on the other hand she isn’t sure of her reaction on confronting the past. Either way, the events at the reunion would change her life permanently, and changer her opinions of the people close to her.

The story of the book is a bit confusing in the fact that it is not clear as to what is the intention of the author in penning it. A major part of the story focusses on Nirmala, her life, her past and her interactions with the various characters. The title of the book makes a reader think that a reunion would be the focus point of the story, which, though critical, does not form the crux of the story. The storytelling is engaging and keeps a reader hooked to the happenings in the story. the visual cues are quite powerful, and Nithya has tried to incorporate elements that can engage the other senses of the body as well. The language of the story is easy to comprehend and suit the characters. The scenes however seemed a bit disjointed as there were some events which did not seem relevant to the plot, and the events at the reunion seemed quite rushed and hurried. The climax was planned well, but could have been executed well.

Coming to the characters, Nirmala as the primary character is well sketched, and the details about her personality are well explained. Her family life, her professional life, and her equation with her friends has been explored in detail. Sreenivas as a character seemed a bit interesting in the beginning, but his mood swings, though well crafted, did not seem natural.

Overall, an interesting plot that could have been executed well.

The book scores a 3.75/5 for me.

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