Happy Endings-Suchita Agarwal

Book: Happy Endings
Author: Suchita Agarwal
Publisher: Self Published

Do you think there are happy endings to stories?

It was the best thing that had happened to her. Who knew? Maybe the future. You do not go after dreams – but after goals. She let her tears fall. He was the unlikely hero of this fantastical tale. Sameera, Mayank, Avantika, Urmilla and Pranjal have nothing in common – except a tragedy that leads to a happy ending. Happy Endings by Suchita Agarwal is a collection of 5 short stories.

Reading short stories has always been something I have cherished because the ability to tell a story in so many words is quite rare. Suchita’s stories have a charm that pull you into it and keep you hooked. Each of the 5 stories is unique and I loved how she develops a curve of emotions in the time that passes in the stories, culminating in a happy ending. Sameera as a story is an inspirational story of a young woman fighting against odds and not letting it affect her resolve to live, and see beauty in all things. The thing I liked about this story was the fact that there are no over the top affirmations or positivity, rather the focus is on how Sameera looks at her situation and reacts to it. Mayank as a story is interesting because it is a story of self-discovery and how perspective can be important in one’s life, and how a support system is crucial for a person. Avantika as a story was the best of the lot for me simply because of the subtle and innocent romantic thread that develops in the story along with a message to the reader to make a distinction between dreams and goals, and how to approach them to be happy. Urmilla was a powerful story, however it did not work for me because I felt the theme of family could have been explored a bit more and the spotlight could have been a bit more focused. Pranjal as a story was impressive and I liked the focus on child psychology and the impact that events in our childhood can have on our present.

Suchita’s stories are character focused, as is evident from the titles, and each of the characters is distinctly created and they stand out on their own in a wonderful manner. Be it Sameera, or Mayank, or even Avantika, they possess a life of their own, and their own world which comes our very clearly in the storytelling. I specially liked the example of Mayank, and how she uses the interior design of his home as a window into his psyche.

Overall, a book that I would definitely recommend if you like to read short stories that are crisp and engaging. The book scores a 4.56/5 for me.

This review is a part of the #BlogchatterEBook Carnival 2022 and Powered by Blogchatter. You can download your copy from here.

I also interviewed Suchita and the same can be seen on my Instagram Profile!