With You I Dance by Aarti V Raman

A heartwarming and heady romance, a love story of second chances - this is what awaits you in Aarti V Raman's book 'With You I Dance'.

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With You I Dance
by

Aarti V Raman

Blurb

Meera Sagar had everything—the perfect job as a principal ballerina (for a prestigious New York ballet company) and a man who loved her as much as she loved him. But tragedy struck on the night
before her biggest performance, forcing her to do the one thing she never wanted to do—come back home. To Mumbai.

Now, a year later, Meera is still trying to pick up the pieces, while fending off marriage proposals from her well-meaning but traditional Gujarati family, and figure life out all over again. By starting a ballet school in Mumbai. But she has two problems. One, she doesn’t know anything about running a business. And two, she can’t dance. Not anymore.

Enter . . .
Abeer Goswami. Hotshot junior partner at a South Bombay law firm and a man nursing a broken heart. When he meets Meera again, the woman who left him, he tries his hardest to be her friend, to help her . . . and not let the past get in the way.

And then . . .
There is the sexy Zoya Sehgal. Meera’s only friend in the city and the woman Abeer is currently seeing. They say triangles have pointy edges, for a reason. Will Meera find a new dream in her ballet school? Can Abeer and Meera find their way back to each other again? And, most important, has Meera danced for the last time?

With you I dance is a warm, funny, at times heart-rending, love story of second chances, true love, and finding yourself when your dearest dream has vanished.

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About the Author

Aarti V Raman is an established novelist in the romantic thriller genre (White Knight, Kingdom Come) with her third book, a contemporary romance titled “With You I Dance” out soon with Fingerprint Publishing.

29 years old, she graduated from Mumbai University in 2007 with a degree in Mass Media focused on Journalism, which provided her the perfect background for conducting sound research on any project. She then went on to study Creative and Professional Writing at Deakin University in Melbourne for post-graduation in 2008. It was there that she learned to hone her craft and lifelong ambition of writing romances that had strong characters and stronger stories that remained etched in the reader's minds.

While waiting for her big break, Aarti pursued commercial writing and gained a vast amount of knowledge (from fishing tackle to soft toys) that she claims have helped her with molding better stories. Her first novel "White Knight" was published by Leadstart in 2012 and gave her the impetus to continue writing. In 2013, her work was excerpted in the Tamil Edition of Mills and Boon novels. And in 2014, her short story "Post-Coital Cigarette" was chosen to be part of the Rupa Romance Anthology "An Atlas of Love" curated by bestselling author Anuja Chauhan.

Her latest novel "Kingdom Come" (Harlequin MIRA) has enjoyed a brief stay at the bestseller lists in Amazon India. Her work is represented by Red Ink Literary Agency, Delhi. And very recently, she was a speaker and panellist at the Goa Arts and Literary Fest 2014, Vth Edition.

She is currently expanding her skill set to include copy editing, content marketing, and creative writing workshop that help her explore the wonderful world of words in various forms.

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The Edge of Another World

Pepita Seth

“I felt no fear and yet I shivered, suddenly feeling as if I had come up to the edge of another world.”

‘The Edge of Another World’ by Pepita Seth, pans out as a sweeping saga of the three women, Sophie, Ines and Thattakkutty, whose lives play out in different ways, but seem to criss-cross at certain junctures, as  fascinating parallels bring their lives together, even if they never share space together.

The contemporary Englishwoman, Sophie Neville, whose mother’s death is more of an ending of everything, decides to go to Portugal, when “the whisper of an inner voice” tells her to risk changing her life. Evora’s Hotel Convent, “a paradise, untouched and natural” brings her peace of mind, as she finds a connection with the Cromeleque, an ancient arrangement of prehistoric monoliths, “standing stones, rough-hewn, lichen-covered.” It is there that, apart from certain mystical manifestations, she finds a heavily stained ivory figurine of a young girl with an enigmatic smile, and she wonders if it is the idol of a Hindu goddess there in the Alentjo in Portugal, or that of the Madonna, the Virgin.

When she, along with her guardian spirit, a black dog, walks into the tiny church in the courtyard of the hotel, she is amazed at the breathtaking depiction in glorious colours of the birth, life and death of the Virgin Mary. She meets Satishan Nambiar, who is there on a project to study the story of Portugal and its connection to Kerala. When he invites her to visit Malabar, the reader is aware of a faint premonition of events that are yet to unfold, a little while later.

When Sophie sees the name of Francis Neville in the hotel register, she re-admits thoughts of a father whom she had erased from her mind over twenty-five years, a father for whom she has no love lost. This strange coincidence sends her to Malabar, as she accepts Sathishan’s invitation to stay at his ancestral home, where she hears about the powerful Goddess, the Bhagavathi. When she actually witnesses the magnificent sight of the Koladhari carrying the Goddess and turning into Her, as the human element turns into the deity, Sophie realizes the ivory figurine has finally come home, and hands it over to Satishan.

Ines, the second of the women, lives in 16^th century Portugal, a foundling who is found alive, covered in blood, in the rubble of a devastating earthquake, where she loses her mother. Even as she pulls her mother back from anonymity by “endlessly layering and embroidering” her reality, she forms a precious bond with Joaquina, who takes her into the house of Dom Martim and Dona Briolanga. Fed on the wondrous stories of Joaquina and the African slave, Balthazar, the little girl grows up along with Leonor, the daughter of the house, who is meant to go into the convent. Ines too has a strong bond with the Lady, her Mae, the Goddess who had watched over her since birth.

When Leonor and Ines enter their new life at the convent, they are drawn into “the welling of silence, an empty hush that comes like an enveloping cloud, caught ... as the day ends and sighs away”, a sanctuary where they are bound by silence. The ancient stones of the Cromeleque, draw Ines towards them, even as they “kept their secrets, silently watching me with their unseen eyes” making her feel safe and protected.

 Lucas van Domburg, who is “if not handsome, good-looking and, if not young, at least not yet old” comes into Ines’s life when he comes to paint the frescoes of the Blessed Lady on the walls of the convent, and a fragile relationship develops between the two, as he paints her as the Virgin. However, circumstances beyond their control cause the young man to disappear. A tragic event takes place back home, and Ines’s life changes when Leonor is called back into the world to marry Dom Duarte da Cunha, who is stationed in India.

As Ines and Leonor, along with the protective Diogo, prepare to sail to Goa, Ines makes the acquaintance of the dark-skinned Thayathu Chandu whom she calls ‘Ammavan’ (Uncle), and his elephant, Kesavan . She carries a letter from him to his family in Malabar, and once again, circumstances beyond her control propel her from Goa to Malabar. A distraught Ines, buffeted with shocking losses, finds herself escorted by “an extraordinary, other worldly being... robed in red and crowned with a great headdress”, possessed of “an enormous and powerful energy” who leads her to her Ammavan’s tharavad (ancestral home), where another revelation awaits her. The Goddess Herself, the Bhagavathi, has come to her rescue, to lead her on to a new life, with new beginnings.

Thattakkutty is the third woman in the story, the Namboodiri Brahmin girl who lives in a life of seclusion, much like Ines’s in the convent, but here the restrictions, “the tightness of hidden tensions”, are those foisted on her by the conservative Keralite society in the days gone by. Once again, the Bhagavathi is a central figure in the lives of the household, and the young girl adores her with all her being. The birth of a female child creates tension in the household, even as Thattakkutty’s sister, Arya-edathi, brings disgrace upon herself, part of which is shifted onto Thattakkutty’s frail shoulders as well. However, she stands up to the accusations and feels the power of the Goddess in her, as she moves away from the fetters that have held her all these years, finding “a great and total peace” in the deepest core of her fears..

Pepita’s style is literary and lyrical, sections of her prose meander into the realms of poetry. An air of mystery suffuses the whole narrative, as the three women, from three different ages, contemplate the wonders of the Goddess in intensely personal ways. The story is akin to a jigsaw puzzle, where an unbroken pattern runs common through the lives of all three women... maybe in their fractured relationships, their devotion to a higher power, or their sensitivity that makes them all intuitive to strange visions that awaken awe but no fear in their minds.

‘The Edge of Another World’ is akin to the land it describes, of undulating plains, serene, with a feeling of ancient mysteries around, “full of the smells and perfumes of grasses and flowers, of the earth.” This is a book that delights the senses, even as it gently beckons the reader towards the edge of another world!

You can buy 'The edge of Another World' from the ink given below.

http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B013PZQI5M/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/THE-EDGE-OF-ANOTHER-WORLD/dp/9385288377

    

Pepita Seth's other books:

http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Earth-Universe-Keralas-Guruvayur/dp/9381523274/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Spirit-Theyyams-Pepita-Seth/dp/1890206253/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Defiant Dreams - Tales of Everyday Divas - Edited by Rhiti Bose and Lopamudra Banerjee

I am very proud to be part of this dream time, and to have my story. 'The Journey of Two Women' published in this incredible anthology titled 'Defiant Dreams'.

DEFIANT DREAMS

Tales of Everyday Divas

EDITORS

RHITI BOSE

LOPAMUDRA BANERJEE

CURATED BY: Incredible Women of India

PUBLISHED BY: Readomania

The Stories in the Anthology are...

1. Built From The Ashes – Radhika Maira Tabrez – Life brings widowed Nikita at the doorsteps of her estranged in-laws where she finds a new meaning to life.

2. It’s Not The End – Kirthi Jayakumar – A fresh start changes the foundation of what might have been the beginning of a bright future. But it’s not the end. 

3. She Chose To Live – Debosmita Nandy – She shines even when she is betrayed by love, uprooted from home and misunderstood by all.

4. Bidisha – Paulami DuttaGupta – Insurgency tore her life apart, will Bidisha be able to forget her past?

5. The Drug Addict – Santosh Bakaya – A 19-year-old turns to drugs after her parents' death in a mine blast. This story shows how she turns over a new leaf.

6. Safe Passage – Sanghamitra Bose – She survives extreme betrayal and is determined not to let it happen again.

7. The Bride – Esha Chakraborty – ‘The Bride’ toasts to a new beginning!

8. Dear Rangama… – Sutapa Basu – An 18-year-old bereft of family and friends, navigates her own and her unborn child’s life, defying all malignant forces. 

9. Unfound: Searching For Home – Vasudha Chandna Gulati – Can a child with two sets of parents still feel alone? This is Riddhi’s search for a place to belong.

10. The Journey of Two Women – Deepti Menon – Two Divas on divergent paths dare to dream, defy the world and carve out their entwined destinies!

11. A Second Chance – Arpita Banerjee – A girl pays for her innocence once, but becomes strong enough to avenge a betrayal, the second time around.

12. Dharmambhal – Bhuvaneswari Shivakumar Shankar – Can one ever recover from the trauma of domestic violence? A namesake finds courage from an inspirational story. 

13. The 40s – Ramaa Sonti – The story of a woman craving for love and attention, one who falters, yet takes the situation in her stride with the virtue of her wit and determination.

14. Amlanation – Anirban Nanda – An acid attack, a play of fate, the emotional trauma of both the attacker and the victim. 

15. Please Leave Your Sex Outside – Aashisha Chakraborty – What made a woman a top automobile entrepreneur of the country?

16. Tara – Geeta Negi – A simple girl from a remote hilly village discovers her womanhood while standing firmly against patriarchy.

17. Anjali Chakraborty – Tanushree Ghosh Dhall – A woman who is neither a mother nor a wife epitomizes love, sacrifice and support. 

18. Yamuna Maa’s Hand – Mahesh Sowani – Two patrons, one rich, another poor, use their funds to support poor women to be independent. 

19. Once, For a Change – Moinak Dutta – A fashion designer proves her mettle by taking up a challenge. 

20. Pregnant Dreams – Sridevi Datta – A woman’s dreams and desires face trials in the real world.

21. Second Innings of Ma – Namrata Chauhan – An exceptional bond between a mother in law and a daughter in law, proving women are soft, but never weak.

22. Here I Come Benaras – Avanti Sopory – Is marriage the only identity of a woman? A widow in Banaras finds her identity amidst strangers.

23. To Be Or Not To Be – Paromita Mukherjee Ojha – An act of crime, a betrayal rips her life apart,and now she must rise up to the test and face the realities of life. 

24. Some Porridge and an Education – Sreesha Divakaran  – Shanta leaves behind her village and her drunken husband to earn a livelihood for herself and provide an education to her son.

Grab Your Copy @

amazon.com | amazon.in

Meet The Editors 

Rhiti Bose 

Rhiti Bose is a writer/blogger/reviewer who is also the founder and Chief Editor of the e-zine Incredible Women of India. She has a first class Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Madras. She has done her Teacher’s Training, PGCE from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and holds a Child Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling Post-Graduate Diploma from The School of Natural Health and Science, London, UK. She has 6 years of experience in Education/Training. She has spent two years working with The Refugee Council, Sheffield, UK mentoring and counseling Bangladeshi and Liberian refugee children.

Her works have been published in Femina, feminafastfiction.com, learningandcreativity.com, redomania.com and she is also a part of short story collection, An Atlas of love, published by Rupa. Her poems are a part of poetry collections Kaafiyaana and Umbilical Chords: An Anthology on Parents Remembered.

When not reading, writing or curating stories for IWI, you can find Rhiti watching Bollywood masala movies, baking or playing with her children. She believes in kindness and love and hopes to spread the same through IWI. She currently resides in Bhubaneswar with her husband, daughter and son.

Rhiti also blogs at The Scattered thoughts of Mrs.Bose.

   

Lopamudra Banerjee 

Lopamudra Banerjee is a writer and translator, currently based in Dallas, USA. She has a Master’s degree in English with a thesis in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her unpublished memoir Thwarted Escape has been First Place Category Winner at the Journey Awards 2014 hosted by Chanticleer Reviews. She is an editor of Learning and Creativity, an e-zine for the literary and creative souls.

Her poetry, stories and essays have appeared at many print and online literary journals and anthologies both in India and the US. Her poetry has recently appeared in The Significant Anthology, Umbilical Chords: An Anthology on Parents Remembered and Kaafiyana, published by Readomania. Her English translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s novella The Broken Home is being serially published at Café Dissensus. She has received the Critics’ Award at Destiny Poets International Community of Poets, UK and also a Certificate of Merit as part of the Reuel International Prize 2015 for Writing and Literature. Her husband is an IT professional and they have two beautiful daughters, Srobona and Sharanya.

Meet The Team 

Similar Dreams

 Defying Distance 

          

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Sands of Time - Guest Post - Neelam Chandra Saxena

Guest Post: Neelam Chandra Saxena - Sands of Time Tour

Dear Neelam Ma'am,

 You have proved to be a very prolific writer and author, having written more books already than most writers have written in a lifetime. What is it that keeps you going, and where do you find your topics from? How long does it take to write one book?

Thanks for the interesting question, Deepti. All I can say is that my mind is extremely fertile. It can travel anywhere and imagine anything and everything.

At times, I imagine myself to be a child and enjoy the colours in the canvas of a child’s mind. I wonder what a child would love to listen to. Often, I also travel back in time and connect to that. I love the child's world, full of adventure and amusement. These are the times when my children’s stories are born.

At other times, I believe that I am a teen, full of dreams, living in a world of fantasy. What would happen to those dreams as I grow up? Having seen life from close quarters, I can very well comprehend a teeny mind, and during such moments, fantasy stories are created.

I love to be a youth too. I certainly was very romantic and I let this romance permeate my mind and love stories are coloured by my pen.

Then, there are moments I wish to remember forever and paint them with words. These are the poems, which are often small stories in themselves.

At times, I have seen my stories erupting from some newspaper items also. For example, one of my novels titled In the flickering of an eye, which shall soon be published by LiFi Publications blossomed this way. I was reading the newspaper and came across a news item in which the father desired to kill his daughter, since she had fallen in love with a boy of the same gotra. This amused and petrified me at the same time and this novel was crafted.

Basically, my stories are always woven from incidents and anecdotes in and around me, but in a world of my imagination and characters from my fancy.

 Thank you for your detailed and interesting answer, Ma'am!

Soul Warrior by Falguni Kothari

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Soul Warrior: Age of Kali 

by 

Falguni Kothari

Blurb

Fight fate, or succumb to destiny? 

In the dark Age of Kali, the Soul Warrior alone stands guard over the Human Realm, protecting its denizens from evil-willed asuras or demons. When a trick of fate appoints him guru to a motley crew of godlings, he agrees to train them as demon hunters against his better judgment. Suddenly, Lord Karna is not only battling the usual asuras with sinister agendas, but also rebellious students and a fault-ridden past. 

Spanning the cosmic realms of mythic India, here is a tale of a band of supernatural warriors who come together over a singular purpose: the salvation of Karna’s secret child. 

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Excerpt

Kuru Kshetra Battlefield. 

Day 17 of the Great Kuru War, seven thousand five hundred years ago.

Death is hot. 

That surprises me. I’d imagined death as cold and brutal. Merciless. But in truth, death is hot as blood, and constant like a heartbeat. 

Thrum. Thrum. Thrum. My lifeblood ebbs to the rhythm. My head ripped from its torso by Anjalika, the arrow of death that burns even now with the energy of the sun. Struck from behind like some novice. Felled in battle by that lily-livered usurper the Heavens smile upon—Prince Arjun. Brother Arjun. 

What have I done? I harness the thought. Cease all reflection and wrench free of my mortal body. I soar up, up into the gloaming, snapping the ties that tether me to life. Dead, I have no use for ties. 

“A matter of perspective, Karna, O son of my godsire.” The unearthly words strum through the air, and I quiver like a plucked bowstring, overcome as much by the voice as its blasphemous claim. “Bonds of devotion nourish the soul, brother.” 

There is that word again. Brother. Unpleasant laughter wells up in me. Alive, I am abandoned, denied my birthright—Celestial or royal. Death, it seems, changes everything. 

A bright, nebulous light brings forth Lord Yama, the God of Death, atop his divine mount. His elephantine thighs ripple beneath a silken dhoti, ochre and crimson of color, as he guides the mammoth water buffalo to a halt. An iron medallion sways against the God’s powerful cerulean torso, its center stone an ethereal blood orange. 

Hypnotic. Pulsing with life. I am drawn to the stone. 

“Piteous waste,” Lord Yama mutters, surveying the carnage of war far below us. 

I trace the trajectory of his gaze and behold the battered remains of my army drenched in the evidence of its mortality. Is it true? Have we died in vain? 

Words form inside me and I will them out. “Shall we go, my lord?”

 “Ha! Impatient to be judged, are you? Anxious to have your fate revealed?” asks the Judge of the Hell Realm. His red-black eyes burn with intelligence and compassion in a blue-tinged face that is long and lean and hard. “Rest easy, brother-warrior. You are not bound for the Great Courtroom.” 

Not bound for Hell? Where then? Fear has eluded me for so long that I take a moment to recognize it. A hollow-bellied feeling it is, as annoying as a bone stuck in my throat. 

“My lord, I have done bad deeds…terrible deeds in my life. I have waged wars, this horrendous bloodshed, and all because my pride could not—would not abide rejection. I have sinned. I must atone for my actions.”

Lord Yama smiles in a way I do not like. “You have redeemed yourself admirably, Karna. You forfeited your life for the greater good today. The deed far outweighs any misguided ones. Be at peace, brother, and enjoy the fruits of your karma.” 

There is but one place to enjoy such fruits—the Higher Worlds. 

I’d rather burn in Hell for eternity. I say so. “I won’t live amongst the Celestials.” Coexisting with the very souls who’ve spurned me is unthinkable. Watching her—for she would surely reside in Heaven soon—will be eternal torture. 

Yama shakes his head, the horns on his crown slashing to and fro. “I thought you might say that. Relax. Your destiny lies elsewhere.”

 “Am I to be reborn then? Am I to begin a new life, and forget the past?” Pain, sharp as a blade, lances through me at the thought. Forget my past? My family? Even her? Was that my punishment? To forget all that made me human? It must be so. For have I not betrayed them as surely as I’ve betrayed my prince regent? 

“Human rebirth is not your destiny, either. You are chosen, brother. Your war skills are needed for a higher purpose.” The God slips off his mount, his garments rustling in agitation. “This unjust war has pushed the Cosmos to the vortex of a cataclysm. Tomorrow, the Kuru War will end. Fearing its outcome, the Celestials rolled the Die of Fate and have unwittingly bestowed on Demon Kali untold powers.” Lord Yama bares his fangs in disgust at the foolish gamble. “Imagine the havoc that asura and his minions will wreak on the weak if left unchecked. The Human Realm must be safeguarded during Kali’s dark reign.”

 I can imagine the horror only too well as I have battled with evil all my life. But I am done with wars. I am done with defeat. I won’t waste another lifetime fighting. 

“With due respect, my lord, I am not the man for this task.”

 “You are not a man at all,” Yama thunders, fists shaking. “You are the son of Surya, the Sun God. Accept that you are no ordinary soul.”

 I say nothing. I think nothing. I feel something but I squash it down. 

Lord Yama’s thick black brows draw together. “Demon Kali will try to pervade every particle of good that exists in the Cosmos, beginning with the corruptible Human Realm. Once he obliterates all of humanity, he’ll set his sights on the Celestials. Kali will not stop until he’s destroyed our way of life. But you can stop him. You are light to his darkness. Do you understand now why you had to betray him? Your beloved humans need you, Karna. I need you. Our father believes in you. Claim your rightful place in the Cosmos.”

 Impatiently, Lord Yama removes the iron medallion from his neck and holds it out. The vermillion sunstone glows as if its soul is on fire. Nay! It is my soul that is on fire. 

Indescribable energy curls through me. I gasp, though not in pain. I shudder and feel myself grow large, grow hot. Was this rebirth? 

I am strong, full-bodied and lethal once more. Then I roar as light bursts forth from my very core and I throb with glorious, blinding power. When I come to myself, my world has changed again. Bubbles of color shimmer all around me: cobalt and saffron, azure and rose. By karma! They are souls. Infinite floating souls.

“Behold the spectrum of life: the worthy, the notorious, the righteous and the sinners.” The God of Death’s soul was a worthy sapphire blue with a tinge of silver. “Your duty, should you choose to accept the office of the Soul Warrior, is to hunt down the red-souled asuras and crush them. Whatever you decide, I wish you a long and successful Celestial existence, Karna,” Yama booms out and vanishes into the purpling sky.

The parley has stunned me. The world of color holds me in thrall. I was dead. Yet, now I am not. A new path lies before me. Unwanted, unwelcome, I insist on principle. I close my eyes. Open them to stare at the medallion cupped in my hand—a golden-hued hand at once familiar and not—and know myself for a fool. I do want this. It’s what I am. 

Bastard-born. Rebel. Son. Husband. Father. Warlord. And protector. I fist the talisman, buoyed by its concrete warmth. This is who I am. 

I am the Soul Warrior.

About the Author  

Falguni Kothari is a New York-based hybrid author, and an amateur Latin and Ballroom dance silver medalist with a semi-professional background in Indian Classical dance. She writes in a variety of genres sewn together by the colorful and cultural threads of her South Asian heritage and expat experiences. She is published in India in contemporary fiction with global e-book availability, and launches her mythic fantasy series, the Age of Kali, with SOUL WARRIOR. When not writing, dancing or being a domestic goddess, she fools around on all manner of social media, and loves to connect with readers.

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Dangle – Sutapa Basu

The very title ‘Dangle’ is, in itself, a bit of a dangle. The talented Sutapa Basu knows exactly what she is doing when she writes a tale that leaves her readers dangling in curiosity, in bewilderment, in excitement and finally, in realization.

Ipshita , the intriguing and vulnerable heroine, hears voices. She is the confident news anchor, but as the story progresses, it is clear that she is a puppet in limbo. There are deft touches throughout that show her harbouring uncertainties, especially with the chance encounters in her life. But life doesn't happen by chance.

Ipshita slowly begins to come across as a scarred soul who carries much baggage. The first hint comes when she opens up her mind a bit and lets go of the first horrific experience back in the past. Little hints come through, as the can of worms is opened out. There are umpteen hints about Ipshita's mind not being at rest, all well expressed. "Something skittered across her mind..." "Whirlpools swirled". "Snakes in her mind" and the like. However, the whole horror is unleashed only much later, as, right through, the reader is allowed only tiny glimpses to whet her curiosity.

Amar Seth, Akash Nag and Steve D'Silva are all men Ipshita is attracted to, under different circumstances. Her parents are keen to get her married, but certain horrific  experiences have coloured her own opinion. Marriage to her is akin to being handcuffed.

The one constant in her life is the adorable Aditya Rao. I love the way his character also develops through the story... from being practical and unromantic to keenly sensitive, a poet and Ipshita's Prince Charming. He is instrumental in making her exorcize her demons, as he knows everything that she has gone through. "I think you have finally decided to exorcise the demon that has been haunting you since you were a child." This provides a light at the end of the tunnel.

She decides to visit her sister and her  brother in law, Vikram (Viki-da) in Manipur. Life in the Army has been described in loving detail, “a lifestyle of grace and dignity", with terms like Road opening patrol, Army QRTs, jonga, bashas and references to Leimakhong and the INA Museum at Moirang.

It is there that she senses the beauty and the danger in Manipur. "Ipshita was stunned. This means, in Manipur, people are being squeezed like toothpaste; everyone demanded their pieces of silver; for promises of a land flowing with milk and honey offered by both, insurgents and security forces. And all that they want is what ordinary people anywhere want: safety and freedom to make choices."

The author offers an explanation for the title at various levels… there are dangles in every situation that she describes, and as the novel progresses, the reader feels more and more comfortable with the term.

The language used in the book is fluid, the narration masterly, as Ipshita goes through highs and lows, meeting many interesting characters who influence her thinking. What is the secret that she has hidden away deep within her heart? Why does she shut her mind and refuse to allow light to enter? There are many questions that get answered in the course of the book. The twist at the end leaves the reader wondering,

 “Were thoughts so strong that they took over your body and emotions?”

Readomania comes out with yet another winner,  a book that will leave you in deep thought even after the last word has been read.

Do use the link below to order your copy of 'Dangle'.

http://www.amazon.in/Dangle-Sutapa-Basu/dp/9385854011