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Aashi is a story of a young woman, the decisions she makes and how she eventually overcomes all the hurdles to live a life of her own. It is a story of dreams, love, faith and belongingness.
Book : Aashi
Author : Maitabi Banerjee
Publisher : Writer’s Collective
Language : English
Genre : Fiction
The cover of the book looks beautiful with the face of a young woman that blends well with the title. The title of the book is aptly chosen keeping in mind the character around which the story revolves.
The author has done a wonderful job by weaving a relatable story, has realistic characters and an interesting flow that keeps you hooked till the end of the book. Interestingly, I could see myself in some of the pages of the book and in a way it is the story of not just Aashi but you and me. It is a story of every woman who dreams to lead a life in her own terms and is not afraid to take difficult steps towards it. It is a story of how beautiful love is, how one draws strength by love even when you are miles apart and how one can love unconditionally.
Aashima Lahiri aka Aashi is a journalist who is in passionate about her job and she fearlessly works towards busting a human trafficking racket. Her job is what keeps her lively and adds meaning to her life. In her personal life, we see her getting prepared to get married to Kaushik but somewhere deep down in her heart she still misses Abir. Her mobile still has his number and his photo that she could never delete. When everyone congratulated her for her professional feat, she was waiting to hear from Abir. She knew he would be the happiest as he was the one who made her believe she is made for bigger things in life.
My heart sank when she burst out in tears before her wedding day. As the story unfolds, you come to know about the choices she made. Her life takes a turn when she had to quit her job and move to the US with her husband. What looks like a dream life to many, proved to be suffocating and depressing for Aashi. What she does next is what makes this book a must-read.
Abir Ganguly has my heart. He is the kind of person that women need more in their lives. He shows immense confidence in Aashi and makes her believe what she can achieve in life. He just lets Aashi be herself. He is always there for her, both professionally and personally. He is a lover who is mushy and practical at the same time and treats his woman with the utmost respect.
The author has given the other characters also an important role to play. Kaushik Sanyal, like any other NRI husband, fails to understand what makes Aashi sad even after providing her with all the comforts of her life. How Aashi’s parents stand by her in her difficult times and don’t allow the society to judge her by her decisions. How Bashir becomes a part of their lives and plays a role till the end of the story.
The story is set in the beautiful backdrop of Kolkata which adds the required warmth and belongingness to the story and stays with you beyond the book.
What happens to Aashi, what are the choices she makes, does Abir re-enters her life, these questions and many are answered in layers as you turn the pages. Read the book at leisure and fall in love with it at your own pace.
As a debut book, author Maitabi Banerjee has done a wonderful job. The book ends with a twist and leaves you with a heavy heart. It has left me wanting for more and I wish she comes out with a sequel or maybe another book entirely on Abir. Aashi is a must-read and I would highly recommend it.
You can also read my review here on Amazon
[…] Coincidently, I also began my 2021 blogging with a book review. When the author reached out to me to review her debut novel, I was more than happy to do that. You can read the book review here – “Aashi“ […]