Isn’t it exciting to stumble upon books that are slightly offbeat to lure our hearts? So, what’s special about them? My answer is that you take long time to push aside from your memory lane or sometimes they are so terrific that they never leave you. Such ever-haunting books are a different pleasure altogether to indulge in. Recently, I came across one such remarkable offbeat novel ‘Ripples of Eternal Love by Pravin Pandey’, it’s an Indian fiction with shades of memoirs. I read this book on Kindle and loved it for more than one reasons. Do you want to get deeper into the reasons, please keep reading?
- Purity of Thoughts among the Characters:
The novel was narrated from a young boy’s point of view. He goes to some school and lives with his grandfather in a village that has a river called Swarnrekha – a strong and unending river which affects the lives of many, be it day or night. The boy is the lead character. The way he is forced to be alone and sees the river and people and object around it, is well-captured in the novel, and somehow while reading I got the hunch that there is purity in the thoughts, just like the ripples of that river. Other characters in the novel with pure thinking process are that old fisherman Dina Ram and his daughter Malti.
I liked the way the boy dusted away susceptibility to confront his fears and reality while his friendship sees new horizon with Dina Ram. Later, the boy develops a sort of obsession for Malti, the more his urge to meet her increases, I felt more for him and his inherent integrity. But at times, he too falters while dealing with Dina Ram. Despite all drama, there remains essence and purity of his existence and confrontation with the pragmatism.
2. River Swarnrekha:
I Googled the word Swarnrekha, indeed there is a river with this name in India, but it spells a little differently. The novel has its centre this river. The village and other settings are in the reach of the river. I have heard about storms sweeping the lives of people living off the seaside and heavily dependent on fish, but in this story I got to know how a never-ending river those ripples shine like golden threads in the sunlight has all for the need of its people. The author has brought out the intricate boons and demerits of living around the riverside. Can you believe every river has specific attitude and some ethos? Through the folklores of fishermen and Dina Ram, the tale of the river becomes a living entity filled with good and morbid stories. Great experience!
3. Loss and Acceptance:
The river in the novel epitomizes loss and acceptance. These two aspects are like two sides of one coin – can there be life without loss and acceptance? The boy learns to accept new dimensions in his growing teenage life and he mourns the loss of Dina Ram and Malti in the aftermath of the deadly storm. I mean to say it was not clear what happened to Dina and Malti during the clutch of storm – but their lack of presence in the village was not less than a mortal loss to the boy. But gradually he accepts to embrace the loss as well.
4. Language, Narration and Other Factors:
A novel is not only made of just a good story and awesome characters, rather the most critical factors in its success are language and basic techniques like sweeps, back stories, pace, and sub climaxes, etc. The novel was over 170 pages; such an optimum length. The pace and involvement of other aspects into the backdrop was so soothing that my overall reading experience came out something that I could remember for decades. It was a perfect novel, even from language and other technical points. Hip…hip…hooray!!
ibooksta 
Soulfully execution !!
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