What comes first in your mind when you hear the word Sandcastle?
To me it was always a feeling of remaining temporary, a feeling of powerless and a feeling of getting destroyed. Sandcastles used to scare me for their lifetime. Thus was my thought about this book. I expected it to be powerless, hopeless, chaotic and depressing. But, the rest you should know.
When was the last time you soaked yourself in the first rain enjoying the petrichor hitting your senses, making you go wild and trance, welled up with undiscovered emotions to the peak, taking you to the new you? That’s what this book did to me. I was like a page soaked in the fresh water which made me realise how transparent, subtle and living I am.
A book that can make you happy at the end is similar to having a good cup of coffee after a tiresome struggle. It just hits your senses and makes you feel better. Upon diving through the story, I cried, laughed, blushed, felt sorry, got confused as the characters did, got hurt and by the end, I was content. In short, I was travelling along with the characters. No life is perfect and so is the literature. But it’s extremely appealing when you feel the beauty of the imperfections, both in life and books.
The life of Leno, Trisha, Ria, Neil and Vince who met each other at college become so closely bonded that later their life affects Nayna and Ruby. The unsaid love between Leno and her mother, friendship of Leno, Trisha and Ria, the love bond of Neil-Leno, the brother sister bond of Cyril and Leno, the complications in Trisha’s life, the unprecedent responsibilities that Leno takes up, the loneliness of Dr. Vince, the confusions that Nayna and Ruby have regarding their life etc are the major incidents through which the book goes. The story unfolds the philosophy of love and life with the tint of twists and turns that sublty takes the reader from one to another level. The book had various literature references like Shakespeare’s sonnet, Oscar Wilde’s poem which made the book feel rich in emotions and poetry. The story might seem simple and normal to people but the way it is portrayed and the perspective it provides is the true essence of the book.
The idea of Sandcastles got a new angle once I read the book. I had never even tried to equate the word with hope and love, I was scared. But this book just blew my mind. I remember sharing my reading experience with my friends and they commenting that I haven’t been this happier in the recent times. Not just people but books can also make you glow.
A 5 ⭐ pick for me.
Words behind the ink 