Author : Uday Mane
“The Helpline” is a story of a suicidal ,and how he went to this traumatic state ,and how he get over from it, which ended on a very crucial note.A story dipped in multitude of flavors of emotions and a worthy story to read which creates its aroma in a unique way and draws out the moral which could left one open- mouthed at the end.
As the back cover says-” Samir is suicidal.Rachael works for a suicide helpline.Fate connects them through a phone call.And so begin’ s Samir’s story of love,longing,errors,regret and a girl who changed his life.
As his story reaches its conclusion, Rachael will know the true reason behind his suicidal tendencies.But this suicide helpline is not any ordinary service.There is more to the mysterious and yet so convincing voice of Rachael.As this new mystery begins to unfold,Samir is going to discover three things:
What is The Helpline?
Who is Rachael?
What is Samir’s own identity?
Every year,several teenagers in India attempt suicide because of failing relationships,dwindling careers,parent pressure or the competitive world.
The story is about one such teenager,his early problems and the hurdles to cope with them.This story is about finding hope in the early struggle.This story is about fighting for what you believe in and discovering your true identity.This is not a story about falling in love.This is about rising from a failed love story.”
The blurb seemed fascinating to me, and after reading it, the story what I knitted in my mind fell wrong to the actual one. Opening of the book is omnipotent and so is the end,and that’s what casts and lasts impression on reader’s mind.
From the prologue itself, story entered my nerves and created a new ambiance around me that hold me to not to put it down until it ends. From the way the story is knitted to the writing fashion and well descripted characters this story holds the power to bring readers to a new world where readers can get something new to learn which is most most required specially for today’s era.Author has very poignantly described the way a suicidal feels.The story is narrated in a such facile way that any reader could find it’s space in it.
Excluding last few pages, this story is just a simple love story adored with multitude of feelings and rollercoaster ride of two lovers.I just love the short stories narrated in the book which comes out with a great moral.They are just like moral stories that I used to read in my school days.
The story was going so generously and so smoothly that I couldn’t had a thought that it would end up like this,despite of knowing the fact that something bad would turn up Samir’s life.As author said through this book that ” The story must have a moral,or it doesn’t qualify to be a story at all”
After reading this very statement,I was curious to find a moral out of this story.What could be drawn as a moral out of a love story? And yes, I found it at the end. And this is what I think is the backbone of the story.
A book laced with simplicity and festooned with intellectual strands, and is required for everyone to go atleast once through it.
Rating : 4.8/5
Reviewer : Shweta Kesari