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a Hundred Lives for You
I wish we had the courage to have a second child. Abhimanyu Sharma, 13, is on the threshold of a new beginning when his father's remark scars him and his relationships forever. Why did you not say it that day? He is in love but does not fathom the depth of his love till it is too late. And mark my words, you are the best! He adores his Daddu, the old man whose faith in him keeps him going. You saved me, and in time, I shall rescue you back. And then, there is Simran, the little girl who gives him hope and love. For whom he can give a hundred lives. Join Abhimanyu as he proves every perception against him wrong - even his own - as he lives through tumultuous relationships, a broken friendship, lost love and merciless carnage in the very heart of Delhi. A Hundred Lives For You is a melting pot of emotions that moves with the anger and pace of a thriller.
251 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2014
About the author
Abhisar Sharma
4 books4 followersAbhisar Sharma is the winner of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Indian Express Award for his work Laal Masjid Ka Safed Sach, 2009 and the winner of the Red Ink Award, 2016.
A journalist with more than two decades of experience he currently hosts the 8 p.m. show on ABP News.
He lives in New Delhi, India.
A journalist with more than two decades of experience he currently hosts the 8 p.m. show on ABP News.
He lives in New Delhi, India.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 1, 2025
This is the story of 13-year-old Abhimanyu Sharma, who is about to embark on a new beginning when his father's words terrify him and permanently change his relationships. As you peruse the pages, you will feel a connection to Abhi.
The tale moves at a leisurely pace, which may have been better. What I initially took to be a simple schoolboy tale evolved into something far more meaningful and serious.
You might like to wander through a few artistic journals — they’re full of sparks and surprises.
The tale moves at a leisurely pace, which may have been better. What I initially took to be a simple schoolboy tale evolved into something far more meaningful and serious.
You might like to wander through a few artistic journals — they’re full of sparks and surprises.
April 22, 2026
Though fast paced but in my view it doesnt do justice to Abhisar,given his forte as a journalist having worked in BBC,NDTV etc. I was expecting some journalistic material but it gave me masala fiction.
Sorry, not upto his reputation.
Sorry, not upto his reputation.
January 7, 2015
The truth serum: Review of ‘A hundred lives for you’
If you’ve ever played that game of plucking out petals from a flower while saying ‘She loves me’ and ‘She loves me not’, you’ll know what I mean when I say that the first few pages of this book made me say ‘I’ll read it’ and ‘I’ll read it not’… and yet, I read on. I’m glad I did it because what I thought was a mere school boy story suddenly turned into one that made me turn my own life inside-out. A novel that went on to put back the clock for me, to give me deep investigative interpretations on society, love, families, riots, journalism, and even friendships.
Now if you are going to read this review to know what the story is all about, let me just tell you that the story doesn’t matter… because it is your own story. Yes, every few pages I looked up and murmured, ‘Hey, I know this happens! I know this is true.’ Well, not just this, the way Abhisar Sharma, the author, goes on to tell the story of Abhimanyu Sharma, one sees the words on the pages flying off to turn into some sort of a truth serum.
I’ve heard a few reviewers talk about this book and say, ‘Well, we thought Abhisar will give us another thriller. Another Machete where terrorism will be hanged upside-down.’ Now that I have finished reading the book, I know that the number of goose-bumps have been the same, the pulse had raced just as fast, and I had loved the way the author had gone inside the mind of a child, a lover, and even a rioter. This book rests on a foundation of painstaking research into hurt psyches… and was stunned as I read:
‘the bitch is dead, the bitch is dead…’
Yes, the line took me back to the year and month and day when even I saw and understood that ‘smoke bellowed from houses that were inhabited by Sikhs.’ I remember vividly that I was standing in front of the ICU in Bara Hindurao Hospital on the top of the ridge and could see Malkaganj, Chandrawal, and other areas where the riots were in full swing, and like the protagonist in the novel, I too ‘realised how the mobs had changed the landscape in a matter of hours, burning cars, tyres and gut down shops lay down the road.’
No, I did not see ‘a sea of rioters, their hands raised, their mouths chanting slogans of “eternity to the martyred prime Minister”’ but I did see a young Sikh child run, trying to dodge a few miscreants wanting to smash his head with a massive flower pot. I watched in impotent silence as the child ran into the ICU and got temporary reprieve. I know this one Sikh child was saved, because we had his hair cut and had all his Sikh identities removed and hidden. So, as I read of what Jaspreet felt, I knew every word was true:
‘It wasn’t a smile; it wasn’t even pain. There were traces of grief and an appeal to save her husband’s life. He thought that she had smiled. He thought she did. And then she slumped over Harvinder.’
But the pages that take us into the heart of a Delhi that was inundated with riots, are not all about a graphic description of those hours… the novel explores how moments like these can change attitudes, friendships, and even lives. It was probably unreal expectations that added to the distance that appeared between two friends and even though Abhimanyu says that ‘…reports are based on the truth. And I did not have facts to support the claim. I spoke to many people, but none of them would come on record. Murmurs in a dark street don’t make the truth, Jagtar’ the cracks that had appeared, refused to go.
The book weaves in the hell of the riots to bring out the unexpectedness that relationships must thrive on. They were probably another reason gifted to Abhimanyu to go on…
Please read the complete review on my blog (www.passey.info)
Review here: http://passey.info/2015/01/the-truth-...
If you’ve ever played that game of plucking out petals from a flower while saying ‘She loves me’ and ‘She loves me not’, you’ll know what I mean when I say that the first few pages of this book made me say ‘I’ll read it’ and ‘I’ll read it not’… and yet, I read on. I’m glad I did it because what I thought was a mere school boy story suddenly turned into one that made me turn my own life inside-out. A novel that went on to put back the clock for me, to give me deep investigative interpretations on society, love, families, riots, journalism, and even friendships.
Now if you are going to read this review to know what the story is all about, let me just tell you that the story doesn’t matter… because it is your own story. Yes, every few pages I looked up and murmured, ‘Hey, I know this happens! I know this is true.’ Well, not just this, the way Abhisar Sharma, the author, goes on to tell the story of Abhimanyu Sharma, one sees the words on the pages flying off to turn into some sort of a truth serum.
I’ve heard a few reviewers talk about this book and say, ‘Well, we thought Abhisar will give us another thriller. Another Machete where terrorism will be hanged upside-down.’ Now that I have finished reading the book, I know that the number of goose-bumps have been the same, the pulse had raced just as fast, and I had loved the way the author had gone inside the mind of a child, a lover, and even a rioter. This book rests on a foundation of painstaking research into hurt psyches… and was stunned as I read:
‘the bitch is dead, the bitch is dead…’
Yes, the line took me back to the year and month and day when even I saw and understood that ‘smoke bellowed from houses that were inhabited by Sikhs.’ I remember vividly that I was standing in front of the ICU in Bara Hindurao Hospital on the top of the ridge and could see Malkaganj, Chandrawal, and other areas where the riots were in full swing, and like the protagonist in the novel, I too ‘realised how the mobs had changed the landscape in a matter of hours, burning cars, tyres and gut down shops lay down the road.’
No, I did not see ‘a sea of rioters, their hands raised, their mouths chanting slogans of “eternity to the martyred prime Minister”’ but I did see a young Sikh child run, trying to dodge a few miscreants wanting to smash his head with a massive flower pot. I watched in impotent silence as the child ran into the ICU and got temporary reprieve. I know this one Sikh child was saved, because we had his hair cut and had all his Sikh identities removed and hidden. So, as I read of what Jaspreet felt, I knew every word was true:
‘It wasn’t a smile; it wasn’t even pain. There were traces of grief and an appeal to save her husband’s life. He thought that she had smiled. He thought she did. And then she slumped over Harvinder.’
But the pages that take us into the heart of a Delhi that was inundated with riots, are not all about a graphic description of those hours… the novel explores how moments like these can change attitudes, friendships, and even lives. It was probably unreal expectations that added to the distance that appeared between two friends and even though Abhimanyu says that ‘…reports are based on the truth. And I did not have facts to support the claim. I spoke to many people, but none of them would come on record. Murmurs in a dark street don’t make the truth, Jagtar’ the cracks that had appeared, refused to go.
The book weaves in the hell of the riots to bring out the unexpectedness that relationships must thrive on. They were probably another reason gifted to Abhimanyu to go on…
Please read the complete review on my blog (www.passey.info)
Review here: http://passey.info/2015/01/the-truth-...
February 27, 2016
This is "the book" I really felt like reading in a long long time. This was neither recommended by anyone, nor was this a copy for review. Just found this at my parent's place. And I am so glad that I did since turning the pages was never so easy. Though it helped that I was on a solitary train journey and this book kept me awake and engaging at a stretch. I am not embarrassed to admit this made me cry at times whenever the story turned emotional.
Read more reviews at my blog Ethereal Jinxed.
A comparatively slow paced at the start, the book picks up speed and makes you correlates many experiences with your own. The frightened kid growing into someone one aims to, the first crush, the conflicts during riot, the ever growing complications, the unending care for someone not exactly related by any relationship, the misunderstandings and yes, the happy ending. And I liked that for a change. Just a perfect mingling of relationships that can be put in a book!
Read more reviews at my blog Ethereal Jinxed.
A comparatively slow paced at the start, the book picks up speed and makes you correlates many experiences with your own. The frightened kid growing into someone one aims to, the first crush, the conflicts during riot, the ever growing complications, the unending care for someone not exactly related by any relationship, the misunderstandings and yes, the happy ending. And I liked that for a change. Just a perfect mingling of relationships that can be put in a book!
March 31, 2015
Review at A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2Ns
What I liked:
+ Could relate to the main character easily
+ Language and narration overwhelms even the few typos
+ Attention to details like emotions and relationships
What I didn’t like:
- Slow start to the story, could've been better
An engaging book that I'll be re-reading one day for sure.
What I liked:
+ Could relate to the main character easily
+ Language and narration overwhelms even the few typos
+ Attention to details like emotions and relationships
What I didn’t like:
- Slow start to the story, could've been better
An engaging book that I'll be re-reading one day for sure.
November 24, 2014
Full Review: https://antorjatikbangali.wordpress.c...
If Hundred Lives is the first book penned by Abhisar you are reading, you would find it hard to believe that this book has been written by the author of two action-thrillers.
If Hundred Lives is the first book penned by Abhisar you are reading, you would find it hard to believe that this book has been written by the author of two action-thrillers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews