Pentacles - Book Review

The opening story in Sabarna Roy's Pentacles – A New Life is an enriching read. The complex characters, the vivid descriptions, the lyrical writing and the deep rooted emotions – everything deserves an applause.

I really liked the way the author brings the protagonist face to face with the daughter of the man for whom his mother left his father. This I feel was the USP of the story. It is shocking, interesting and makes the story even more gripping.

The author with his adept use of words keeps you hooked from the first line. The metaphors he uses are original and apt. Here are the opening lines of the story.

Loneliness is like smoke. It starts from a definite point

and ends up everywhere indefinitely. It eats up the soul,

actually chews it to miniscule shreds, from inside and out.

The author's writing style reminded me of the great Malayalam writer K R Meera. This dark, deep story shatters all your long-held beliefs. The author makes you believe that given the circumstances no person is wrong in his or her place. I believe Sabarna Roy deserves a place in the galaxy of writers like K R Meera. I hope he gets his due soon.

There are poems in this collection as well. However the story outshines and overshadows them. Sabarna is a writer of great calibre. Read his writings for sure or you will miss on something valuable.