- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Manju Chandran
by MITA MISTRY
ALL THE WORDS UNSPOKEN is a debut novel by British-Asian author Serena Kaur and set in England.
The story revolves around a protagonist, Maansi Cavale, who is battling depression and struggling to find a job after merely scraping a pass in university exams. With nowhere to turn to, she ends up back at home desperately seeking a way out. And her life takes a different turn when she meets wealthy Aryan Alekar during a chance encounter at an Indian wedding. Desperate to escape her dreary life, she agrees to marry him.
The story thereafter takes the reader on the trials and tribulations on Maansi’s married life as she searches for happiness. Aryan remains a mystery to Maansi who is sometimes warm and loving, other times cold and distant. Maansi questions who this man she married really is.
All the Words Unspoken is an intriguing story, which is fairly well-paced using strong metaphors and language keeping the reader turning the page. It is an enjoyable love story that challenges our preconceived ideas of relationships and shows us through beautifully plotted examples that the choices we make have consequences beyond our foresight.
There’s a little something for everyone in this book; ambition, the family drama around traditional Indian values, the stigma of divorce, the fear of bringing shame on the family, a woman’s quest to rediscover herself and relatable musings on love and relationships. This book is a good read.
