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Unspoken
The summer of 2024. Sixty-four-year-old Mrs G starts to reminisce about her love affair with a man she calls ‘A’. To Aisha, her daughter, ‘A’ appears to be a figment of her mother’s dementia-afflicted mind.
‘Miu, there was no A. You were happily married to Boy,’ an exasperated Aisha tells her mother. Even as it starts to seem that her mother had, for years, lived a whole other life. A life peopled by those who had together played out the obsession of love, morbid jealousy, hurt, harm and finally death. ‘Shree’s death,’ her mother whispers to Aisha.
But how could it be? Her father had been so deeply in love with her mother and theirs was almost the perfect marriage. Who were these people that her mother now spoke about at odd hours? And the death that seemed to weigh so deeply on her mind… a death that leads Aisha to the holy city of Varanasi where people go to die.
‘Miu, there was no A. You were happily married to Boy,’ an exasperated Aisha tells her mother. Even as it starts to seem that her mother had, for years, lived a whole other life. A life peopled by those who had together played out the obsession of love, morbid jealousy, hurt, harm and finally death. ‘Shree’s death,’ her mother whispers to Aisha.
But how could it be? Her father had been so deeply in love with her mother and theirs was almost the perfect marriage. Who were these people that her mother now spoke about at odd hours? And the death that seemed to weigh so deeply on her mind… a death that leads Aisha to the holy city of Varanasi where people go to die.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 25, 2023
Could you love two people together without tragic outcomes for one or the other person?'
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Aisha is struggling with her mother, Miu's onset of dementia. In her state of mind Miu often ventures into her life as Mrs. G, before her husband - Boy' s death, her time as a history teacher and to an unidentifiable character 'A' who Miu seems to have had romantic liaisons with
.
As Aisha moves on towards her wedding with Miu's good boy - Bugi, Miu reveals to her in bits more about her past that Aisha is now determined to sort out. Who is 'A', how could an impeccably perfect relationship of love, mutual care and devotion give in space to another person.
.
We have Aisha baking her petite fares and also discussing Miu with Rohan - whose father has dementia too! After a revelation about another character Shree Bose, Aisha takes in Rohan's help to go into the depths of the relationship that existed between these three - Mrs. G, Abhimanyu Mishra and Shree Bose. This quest takes them onto the streets of Varanasi - where a boat beckons them.
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Set in the greys of human relationships, speaking of plays between emotional needs this book by Gooptu sets a powerful example of how often a human heart and mind plays out. Often we don't know what we want, often in the unconscious we merge experiences, often we are vindictive in love, often we are selfish in devotion.
.
Depicting not us a beautiful mother - relationship, the book throws light on different kinds of relationships on the whole. The conversations between Aisha as the protagonist and all those around, deeming from her conclusion from Miu's life is actually thought provoking for all.
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As a single child with one dead parent and another ailing parent, I could identify with Aisha a lot. I share the same kind of deep bonding with my mom and I could feel where her feelings stem from
.
.
Aisha is struggling with her mother, Miu's onset of dementia. In her state of mind Miu often ventures into her life as Mrs. G, before her husband - Boy' s death, her time as a history teacher and to an unidentifiable character 'A' who Miu seems to have had romantic liaisons with
.
As Aisha moves on towards her wedding with Miu's good boy - Bugi, Miu reveals to her in bits more about her past that Aisha is now determined to sort out. Who is 'A', how could an impeccably perfect relationship of love, mutual care and devotion give in space to another person.
.
We have Aisha baking her petite fares and also discussing Miu with Rohan - whose father has dementia too! After a revelation about another character Shree Bose, Aisha takes in Rohan's help to go into the depths of the relationship that existed between these three - Mrs. G, Abhimanyu Mishra and Shree Bose. This quest takes them onto the streets of Varanasi - where a boat beckons them.
.
Set in the greys of human relationships, speaking of plays between emotional needs this book by Gooptu sets a powerful example of how often a human heart and mind plays out. Often we don't know what we want, often in the unconscious we merge experiences, often we are vindictive in love, often we are selfish in devotion.
.
Depicting not us a beautiful mother - relationship, the book throws light on different kinds of relationships on the whole. The conversations between Aisha as the protagonist and all those around, deeming from her conclusion from Miu's life is actually thought provoking for all.
.
As a single child with one dead parent and another ailing parent, I could identify with Aisha a lot. I share the same kind of deep bonding with my mom and I could feel where her feelings stem from
.
July 18, 2023
SYNOPSIS
Aisha's mother is suffering from dementia. She mixes up people and timelines. Sometimes she talks of people who seem imaginary. Aisha is unable to separate the past from the present and real people from fake and realises that her mother has a past she doesn't know anything about.
#bookhoarderreviews
Honestly, towards the beginning, the story left me confused and I could not comprehend what was happening. Around 50+ pages into the book, I start connecting things. From this point onwards there was no looking back. So the book calls for some time and patience before it grows on you.
The story is about Aisha, a patissier, and her mother, Mrs. G, who suffers from dementia and her health is gradually deteriorating. The story catches up pace when Mrs. G recalls some strange people and incidents from the past and Aisha starts digging them up to understand her mother's mental health.
The author's writing style is interesting and engaging. She brings in an air of mystery laced with philosophy to make the readers understand the ill-effects of dementia. There is repetition of certain thoughts but the author keeps on sprinkling some new facts along with the old ones making it an intriguing read.
The book also has a philosophical side to it which is interesting as well as insightful. The metaphorical writing about a boat in the waters is thought-provoking. The conversations about loneliness and being alone, the complicated relationships humans create in life is truly brilliant.
The book also had quite a few insights into dementia. The disease affects not only the patient but also it is a constant struggle for the care-takers to manage. It was agonizing to read those parts where their struggles were highlighted.
I have never come across a book where mystery and philosophy are combined together in such a clever manner. I enjoyed reading this book and would certainly recommend this one.
Aisha's mother is suffering from dementia. She mixes up people and timelines. Sometimes she talks of people who seem imaginary. Aisha is unable to separate the past from the present and real people from fake and realises that her mother has a past she doesn't know anything about.
#bookhoarderreviews
Honestly, towards the beginning, the story left me confused and I could not comprehend what was happening. Around 50+ pages into the book, I start connecting things. From this point onwards there was no looking back. So the book calls for some time and patience before it grows on you.
The story is about Aisha, a patissier, and her mother, Mrs. G, who suffers from dementia and her health is gradually deteriorating. The story catches up pace when Mrs. G recalls some strange people and incidents from the past and Aisha starts digging them up to understand her mother's mental health.
The author's writing style is interesting and engaging. She brings in an air of mystery laced with philosophy to make the readers understand the ill-effects of dementia. There is repetition of certain thoughts but the author keeps on sprinkling some new facts along with the old ones making it an intriguing read.
The book also has a philosophical side to it which is interesting as well as insightful. The metaphorical writing about a boat in the waters is thought-provoking. The conversations about loneliness and being alone, the complicated relationships humans create in life is truly brilliant.
The book also had quite a few insights into dementia. The disease affects not only the patient but also it is a constant struggle for the care-takers to manage. It was agonizing to read those parts where their struggles were highlighted.
I have never come across a book where mystery and philosophy are combined together in such a clever manner. I enjoyed reading this book and would certainly recommend this one.
August 1, 2023
Name : Unspoken
Author : Sharmistha Gooptu
Genre: Contemporary
❗Trigger alert : Suicide❗
I just finished reading this book and I'm feeling so many emotions. I love it when characters make me think so many new things!
The story is, simply put, a mother daughter story. When I had read the blurb from Goodreads, I knew it had a mother daughter arc to it in addition to a mystery element. But I didn't know that it would envelope the whole story. And it was a warm surprise indeed.
I had never read a book with a main character suffering from dementia before. I know all about this disease, theoritically and practically, almost. I know that it is a degenerative disease that keeps progressing, making the patient almost childlike and forgetful of everything, even themselves. But they DO have crystal clear memories of their past, specially incidents that touched them the most in their lifetime. Kudos to the author for researching the disease and its effects so thoroughly and made Mrs G's character so real.
I liked Mrs G but I REALLY had mixed feelings about Aisha. She frustrated me very much in the first half of the book. She was weirdly fixated on her parents' love and idolised them to a point that she started turning blind eye to the real facts. I have absolutely NO idea how her friend Rohan kept tolerating her. Maybe smitten guys like frustrating girls? No idea. Even her fiance seemed to be treating her like a real baby, as he kept calling her throughout the book like a total cliché. I guess it's obvious that I liked Rohan more than Bugs the bunny 🤭. Anyway, so, Aisha kept ignoring the obvious facts throughout the book. If it hadn't been for Rohan, we would have never met A. Is it so hard to accept that our parents might have a private life of their own as well? That they might have experienced some other love? If it were me, I would have fully supported them. But I really loved Aisha's caring nature towards her mother. I envied their friends like bond 🥹.
I liked the concept of unspoken love. A love where you don't need to express it. A glance, a smile, a slight change is enough to evoke all your passion. The romantic in me sighed soo much reading these parts.
.
As for A, from the beginning I had pegged him as a loose character guy, always flirting with women. But I liked how everything unraveled at the end and I understood that we are ALL flawed. A, Shree, Mrs G, Aisha, Bugi, Rohan, everyone. And I was really satisfied that Aisha finally started seeing her mother outside her rose tinted glasses.
.
In conclusion, the story revolved around very complex everyday characters and long lost love and regrets and learning to deal with your past buried self. The reading experience was almost like a journey inward for me. I will definitely be revisiting this book again. Also, evening boat ride in Varanasi has been added to my travel goals thanks to the ending of this book.
.
P.S. I was craving cakes sooo much while reading about Aisha's cakes 😋. It gave the book a very cozy aura.
Author : Sharmistha Gooptu
Genre: Contemporary
❗Trigger alert : Suicide❗
I just finished reading this book and I'm feeling so many emotions. I love it when characters make me think so many new things!
The story is, simply put, a mother daughter story. When I had read the blurb from Goodreads, I knew it had a mother daughter arc to it in addition to a mystery element. But I didn't know that it would envelope the whole story. And it was a warm surprise indeed.
I had never read a book with a main character suffering from dementia before. I know all about this disease, theoritically and practically, almost. I know that it is a degenerative disease that keeps progressing, making the patient almost childlike and forgetful of everything, even themselves. But they DO have crystal clear memories of their past, specially incidents that touched them the most in their lifetime. Kudos to the author for researching the disease and its effects so thoroughly and made Mrs G's character so real.
I liked Mrs G but I REALLY had mixed feelings about Aisha. She frustrated me very much in the first half of the book. She was weirdly fixated on her parents' love and idolised them to a point that she started turning blind eye to the real facts. I have absolutely NO idea how her friend Rohan kept tolerating her. Maybe smitten guys like frustrating girls? No idea. Even her fiance seemed to be treating her like a real baby, as he kept calling her throughout the book like a total cliché. I guess it's obvious that I liked Rohan more than Bugs the bunny 🤭. Anyway, so, Aisha kept ignoring the obvious facts throughout the book. If it hadn't been for Rohan, we would have never met A. Is it so hard to accept that our parents might have a private life of their own as well? That they might have experienced some other love? If it were me, I would have fully supported them. But I really loved Aisha's caring nature towards her mother. I envied their friends like bond 🥹.
I liked the concept of unspoken love. A love where you don't need to express it. A glance, a smile, a slight change is enough to evoke all your passion. The romantic in me sighed soo much reading these parts.
.
As for A, from the beginning I had pegged him as a loose character guy, always flirting with women. But I liked how everything unraveled at the end and I understood that we are ALL flawed. A, Shree, Mrs G, Aisha, Bugi, Rohan, everyone. And I was really satisfied that Aisha finally started seeing her mother outside her rose tinted glasses.
.
In conclusion, the story revolved around very complex everyday characters and long lost love and regrets and learning to deal with your past buried self. The reading experience was almost like a journey inward for me. I will definitely be revisiting this book again. Also, evening boat ride in Varanasi has been added to my travel goals thanks to the ending of this book.
.
P.S. I was craving cakes sooo much while reading about Aisha's cakes 😋. It gave the book a very cozy aura.
July 21, 2023
"Unspoken" follows Mrs. G's dementia struggles, and Aisha's challenge to decipher her mother's past recollections. The discovery of Mrs. G's hidden affair sparks Aisha's captivating quest to reveal the truth and find the mysterious 'A'. Sharmistha Gooptu's emotive writing delves into human complexities, creating a thought-provoking literary masterpiece that lingers with readers. The novel's profound exploration of silence, relationships, and vulnerabilities leaves a lasting impact, making it a true gem that touches the soul and reminds us of life's intricacies.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews