Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Review: The Escaped Moments by Jaasindah R Mir

When life offers you nothing you need to dig deep and dig hard to find the best for yourself. There are times when you are down and out and support is scarce then you become your own support. Author Jaasindah R Mir in her book "The Escaped Moments" gives a young girl wings to fly and be on her own. So will this perspective to life work? Let's find out. 

Aatirah Rohail Kazi, a fifteen-year-old small town girl of Kashmir, has only seen the grey shades of childhood since her mother died. There are a lot of things Aatirah hates about her life: her cruel step-mother, her dad and her moronic step brother. For the past five years Aatirah has hidden her troubles from everyone. It's only when she finds Mysha at a social networking site, she confides into her. But now things are getting complicated: Mysha wants Aatirah to solve a complex love triangle between Mysha, Sahir and Tamanna. To top it all off, Aatirah has taken to smoking out of stress . Would Aatirah be successful at grabbing the freedom of her heart by opening up to a distant person or does the desire of having a friend to confide into have a bigger price to pay?



First look at the title and the cover and one can see a lit of grief in the eyes of the girl who adorns the cover. The title is quite out of the league but keeps the book's sanctity alive. The blurb talks about a girl and her tirades with life at a very young age. The blurb manages to leave subtle hints as what to expect from the book. 

The story is of Aatirah, a young girl living in Kashmir. Her family torn apart and she leading a life of a complete slave in her house. Her constant exchanges with her step mother and a disapproving father. Life is not as easy as she imagines and gradually it dawns upon her. With time she tries to seek solace from different facets of life and in it she gets involved completely. So will Aatirah be able to sustain the test of time? Will life be any merrier outside the four walls of her house? Where will she find inner peace and happiness? What will happen of her in time? That's what the story is all about. 

The story has a parallel imagination where it tries to differentiate between the mind and heart anomalies. The conflicts between the two pretty interesting and giving life to the young character. The innocence and fear partaking in grooming the girl throughout the book. Her constant measures to find happiness and seek solace and uncover various facets of life never going unnoticed. The narration lends a mesmerizing touch to the entire story. The added enigma being the brave decisions and lack of confidence at times in tandem. The young girl growing apart constantly and covering the societal dilemmas in a crude way. The ups and downs of her life is an engagement in itself. 

The downside of the story is its sluggish approach at times and taking away the charm from the story. The dull moments sometimes burdening the story and hampering the progress. A few more candles of hope could have been lightened up in the story. 

All in all the story has a mix of youth and adult perspective to a lot of things. The story taking deep plunge into the minds of a conflicted soul and steering away the thoughts of fear and negativity. The good and bad following the girl like a shadow. The book manages to steal quite a few moments from the readers. The entire set up a perfect scenario for a young life. A little more liveliness could have done wonders. A story with vivid approach to life. 

RATINGS: 

3 OUT OF 5  

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