#11 POETRY 101 REHAB : SMILE

A radiant smile,
Hid a queasy mind,
Painstaking plans,
Set in motion,
She was going to fall,
And he would rejoice.

Thia post is a part of 3WW and Poetry 101 Rehab.

Learn to Hope – The Story of a Suicide

 

The Story of a Suicide is not what you think it is, well, the title may imply a story of itself but you need to unravel the story that lies beneath the title. Six lead characters – Hari, Sam, Charu, Mani, Alex, and Anwar are intertwined in a compelling plot, the plot laid out by life itself. Sriram Ayer has exquisitely pieced this story, simple and crisp.

Homosexuality, love, rape, sexual abuse, depression, social media, feminism, male chauvinism, linguistic discomfort and best of all – just being a man and a woman, this book touches all of these topics and perhaps more. We can be sensitive towards all of the above or just some of them.

Love is a complication, a compromise and sometimes, a sacrifice. We do not choose whom we fall in love with, and that is the basic problem. Sam falls in love with Charu and he cannot help himself when he is overtaken by jealousy, rage and finally, a psychotic will to control her life (according to me).

Charu, the headstrong female lead does not disappoint at all with her sass and swag, paving her way for her. She has got a don’t-give-a-f**k attitude and you may think it gets her through life, but like all humans, more specifically, girls, she has a heart too. Though her rapid pregnant like mood-swings can really rake your nerves, her feminist approach to a lot of incidents in the book can really empower you. Ultimately, there is a brand for characters like her on everyone’s mind – Bitch. But she doesn’t necessarily have to be one, it’s all about how you construe her character. Her on and off relationship with Sam creates a turmoil in their lives. Question is, is their love enough to survive through anything?

Sam is your usual pain-in-the-ass techie who walks around the place with his head held high in the clouds. The hypothecated sensitive guy that everyone wants to date (not). It all comes around to how he realises his love for Charu is not all about her model-like looks.
In a romantic relationship between two supposedly equal partners, there is a constant urge to ‘dominate’ one another. It is the explicit deal that hovers over the love “bond” like a pendulum. Trust is lost amongst all the undesirable feelings and assumptions. People need to realise that they cannot own another person in the name of love and its likes.

Hari on the other end, a coveted son, a prized possession of his conservative father. Not all trophy-boys have a clean slate. We have all been caught in that state with our parents, with the fear of failing our parents riding hard on our shoulders. It is the recognition of our choices that awakens us in the end. Eventually, Hari gets caught in a crossfire and the repercussions of that “accident” are endless and he deems suicide as the only way out. But will Charu allow her friend to stray down that deplorable path?

Alex and Anwar vouch to help Charu out of her imperilment – A stalker! But will they, though? Read this story which intertwines six lives to bring about one of the most scintillating Indian novels. It is a noble attempt at highlighting the society’s pressing issues on a platter in the most desirable reading form – a novel!

Sriram Ayer has outdone himself with this captivating book. The most noteworthy part about this book is that they have these “how-do-I” segments at the end of each chapter which entails articles about the various topics the chapter deals with and how one can handle them in real life.  The momentum of this dynamic and intriguing story leaves you breathless and aching for more. With compelling and pictorial characters who are so convincingly brilliant, Sriram Ayer builds this story with finesse and flair.

How do we really cope in life, though, afraid of trusting the wrong people, constantly running away from who we are meant to be, making the worst of choices that get us nowhere! Learn to hope that we get better at making judgement calls, fail and fail until we trust the right people, there is always a better solution than suicide.

Check out the full story here – http://www.storyofasuicide.com/