Honest Book Review: Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar | ParnikaReviews
Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar by Kochery C. Shibu
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 284
Publisher: Niyogi Books
Language: English
"...Life is a daring adventure or nothing... "
The Plot
Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar narrates the story of 3 people who differ in almost all aspects of life. Nanda, an engineer from Kerela is hiding from his past and is working at a dam construction site. Khusru is a young man who is displaced from his native village in Kashmir and walks through various situations throughout his journey. Rekha is a doctor by profession but finds solace in Kathak dance.
Their stories start off completely different and unrelated but their paths cross.
Each of them has a story to recite and a dream to fulfill. "Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar" is about them finding their ways in life by one means or another. The book talks about the fury of nature and it spares none. Dhauladhar watches the men risking their lives to fulfill their dreams.
What I liked about the book
The book talks about Nanda, Khusru, and Rekha over the course of multiple chapters. Their lives are too different that their chances of ever crossing paths are minute but they do. How the diversity in characters is showcased is commendable. The main plot and the subplots and sub-characters are also taken care of.
The author must be appreciated for his technical knowledge and information on other aspects like cultures, religions, history, etc. The book also talks highly about sensitive issues like riots, partition, Kashmir, etc. The story is quite different and at times you can't wait to know what happens next.
My favorite part was the story of Khusru, Khusru's story has multiple shades of black and white and you can expect diversity in his character that makes his part more interesting to read. Khusru may not be a character I like but his story is far more diverse and broad as compared to Nanda and Rekha.
What I did not like about the book
Being a reader, I would like to mention a few things that I believe made the book a difficult read. The book uses many words from the native languages of the characters and me not being from that part of the country can't understand them in a flow of reading. Though the phrases are explained in English right after they are written but that made me re-read a lot of the lines again and it hindered my reading experience.
Though I appreciate the author for his commendable technical knowledge, Nanda's story had a lot of technical details that were not at all necessary in the story. You read those parts with expectations that they may be used somewhere but the story is as good if you skip the technicalities. Most of the technical details went over my head.
There were some scenes that I felt were left under developed and moved way to fast to absorb or sink in. The author could have developed it better I believe.
There were some scenes that I felt were left under developed and moved way to fast to absorb or sink in. The author could have developed it better I believe.
The author left a lot of things unrevealed in the book either on purpose or felt they were not necessary.
Conclusion
Keeping everything in mind, I believe that if you are a new reader, you should not pick up this book because then you may find it difficult to read and never actually finish the book. But if you are a reader already, then you can pick this book up. The things I like or did not like may not be the same for you, I know people who like a native touch in the books and would love to read this book.
I would recommend this book to people who love to read.
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