that long Silence



"That long silence" is one book that, I'm thankful, was included in my syllabus or would have overlooked it. I read this book years ago and it still has an impact on me. Unlike the usual glamorous Bombay setting, Sashi Deshpande has given a dingy, crowded and chaotic Bombay staring as the backdrop.

The book unravels the story of Jaya, who starts questioning her existence, or rather the lack of it once she faces a turmoil in her life that shifts her from a posh neighbourhood to a dingy flat, away from the luxuries she was once accustomed to. It poetically describes a woman who has lived her life for others and starts introspecting her choices and wondering who she was and at what point in her life she lost herself to the responsibilities she had convinced herself she loved.

While the book doesn't have an extraordinary plot to ponder about, it speaks in high volumes about things that often get lost because of the communication gap that exists in spite of all the measures taken to avoid it. With a life that is falling apart in front of her eyes, a past that keeps coming back in bits and pieces and a hundred other demons that haunt her, Jaya tries to make sense of it all. But is anyone to blame? Read the book to know more!