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Hidden Husband
Aisha is trapped in her own secret which makes her life hell.
Her love for Raghav is true. But hailing from two very different cultures is the basis of their continued friction. Aisha is a Punjabi girl from Gurgaon and Raghav a Bihari from Ranchi. Raghav’s family will certainly not accept a girl from outside their community. And yet, he continues giving her false hopes through his efforts and promises.
And then they take a step which entangles her life further.
Will she manage to come out of this quandary or must she continue to live in her self-created web? Explore her journey that makes her realise the atrocities being committed on women in Indian society and the tough decisions she must take, keeping her most loved ones oblivious to everything happening in her life.
Her love for Raghav is true. But hailing from two very different cultures is the basis of their continued friction. Aisha is a Punjabi girl from Gurgaon and Raghav a Bihari from Ranchi. Raghav’s family will certainly not accept a girl from outside their community. And yet, he continues giving her false hopes through his efforts and promises.
And then they take a step which entangles her life further.
Will she manage to come out of this quandary or must she continue to live in her self-created web? Explore her journey that makes her realise the atrocities being committed on women in Indian society and the tough decisions she must take, keeping her most loved ones oblivious to everything happening in her life.
- GenresRomanceContemporary
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2015
27 people are currently reading
1527 people want to read
About the author
Shikha Kaul
12 books182 followersAuthor of 4 published novels
Upcoming book - Based on the case of Sarvjeet Singh Bedi whose life changed for worse when a FB post by a girl falsely accusing him of harassment became viral.
Writer of the featurette 'Bedhab' and short film ‘Dum Dum Dumroo’ streaming on Disney+Hotstar and Filmeraa.
Contributing author in two published anthologies and author of a short story 'That Itch' available on Juggernaut
A post graduate in HR, Shikha has worked in the telecom industry for more than twelve years heading the staffing division. It was her love and passion for writing that made her quit her job in 2016 to devote her absolute focus on her career in writing.
She was introduced to the world of literature in 2015 via her debut novel, Hidden Husband. From there began a journey of a pen that knows no rest and is passionate to bring life to beautiful stories one after the other.
Upcoming book - Based on the case of Sarvjeet Singh Bedi whose life changed for worse when a FB post by a girl falsely accusing him of harassment became viral.
Writer of the featurette 'Bedhab' and short film ‘Dum Dum Dumroo’ streaming on Disney+Hotstar and Filmeraa.
Contributing author in two published anthologies and author of a short story 'That Itch' available on Juggernaut
A post graduate in HR, Shikha has worked in the telecom industry for more than twelve years heading the staffing division. It was her love and passion for writing that made her quit her job in 2016 to devote her absolute focus on her career in writing.
She was introduced to the world of literature in 2015 via her debut novel, Hidden Husband. From there began a journey of a pen that knows no rest and is passionate to bring life to beautiful stories one after the other.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
December 9, 2016
" She looked back at her life, contemplated over and over again, in search of an answer, that how and where it all went wrong and not finding it. "
If the above quote makes you read this review further then you should stop reading it and grab a copy of Hidden Husband first and come back to it later.
If you are a person like me who enjoys the drama and tension the characters themselves create for them, and there's nobody to blame, nobody you can raise your finger at, except the protagonist and want to have a good time, scolding them and advising 'only if you did this one thing my way, then you wouldn't be suffering and burning in such tormenting fate of yours. ' then it sure is to entertain you.
Full of enjoyment, melodrama, with a crazy protagonist who in the name of being confident and independent, goes on taking her life in wrong direction and is and will be the main and sole attraction to sorrow, pain and misery.
The protagonist's habit of reading Agatha Christie mystery novels, made me think that these books would really have made her intelligent, but no, to the end line of the book, fate doesn't stop to play with her, which is what makes it an exciting read.
All kind of bad things will happen to her, for nothing but to leave you amused.
Wow, such immorality and stupidity these characters show to entertain the readers, I'm such a fan of these books.
Aisha'a love life or should I say failed love life, will sure to put senses in normal people's mind.
There's so much I want to talk about!
First chapter of the book, such melancholy you will feel for Aisha's fate and sympathize with her, the very next moment you are engrossed in it.
I became the witness how Aisha carelessly handled her life.
I objected when Aisha refused to move on.
I detested all the male characters for treating and thinking of Aisha as their own property.
The dowry system and conservative mindset.
Nobody will do something with a cool head on their shoulder, thinking a lot before doing it.
Everyone has a theory of themselves.
Nobody is truthful to anyone. In the name of saving other's from a bigger tragedy, they will go to any limits they can.
This is how a book should be!
A stab on the face of society and revealing the truth from it.
I loved how flawlessly the author has described it all. Gripping the reader to the end.
Shikha Kaul's Hidden Husband deserves a rating of more than 5 stars because of the ending.
Those who are willing to aspire a career in writing should learn from her how an ending should be. It justifies why she has got Author of the Year award for Hidden Husband.
Verdict : With this book,the author has gained herself a lifetime fan of her!
July 10, 2015
Being my first novel, it's very close to my heart. I had a beautiful story in mind and wished to pen it down and then...'Hidden Husband' happened. It has been a wonderful journey with this book so far. I feel the characters living with me and cheering every moment of appreciation and love showered by my friends. The amazing reviews are just the cherry on the cake.
I wish people read this book and love the characters as much as I do. Aisha will touch every heart and every woman will relate to her in one or the other way.
This book has six parts. Before even I had begun to write, I knew what all was to be covered in every part. And that was the reason I was writing all six parts together! Yes, indeed. I kept drafting creating and building the characters gradually with the right moments and the right feelings.
This book promises to remain in your heart forever as its not just a love story. You would wish that the book hadn't finished and if you could read more of it. :)
I wish people read this book and love the characters as much as I do. Aisha will touch every heart and every woman will relate to her in one or the other way.
This book has six parts. Before even I had begun to write, I knew what all was to be covered in every part. And that was the reason I was writing all six parts together! Yes, indeed. I kept drafting creating and building the characters gradually with the right moments and the right feelings.
This book promises to remain in your heart forever as its not just a love story. You would wish that the book hadn't finished and if you could read more of it. :)
December 29, 2015
★★★★½
When I first read the book blurb, I was not all sure if the author could pull off the premise of intercultural marriage considering the number of Bollywood films and serials that have tried to deal with it (most of which failed spectacularly IMO). However, the author takes an entirely different albeit more realistic take on it and she really does deliver.
Aisha meets Raghav at an office interview. It doesn’t take long for feelings to sprout and romance to bloom between the pair. Raghav sweeps into her life and makes a place for himself as if it’s the most natural thing to happen. Yet, there are subtle hints that everything might not be as simple. Very soon, situations start to spin out of control and before Aisha can even realize it she finds herself entangled in a secret marriage with him.
I was pleasantly surprised to soon find myself rooting for Aisha. I expected a lot of angst and emotional drama where the characters pussyfoot around the real issues wallowing in grief. But Aisha remains practical, and what’s more is that she takes into consideration the bigger picture, her family and their happiness instead of being selfish in love. She tries really hard to make her secret marriage work despite all the complications that keep rising. I’d really like to add that this secret marriage is not something they do out of spite and not entirely without any deliberation as to the results of such an act. For most people living in India, growing up minding the several rules and moral obligations towards one’s family, marriage to someone without the blessing of their respective family is not at all easy and rarely without conflict. Nevertheless, this is purely Aisha’s story; her trials and tribulations as she comes to terms with injustices that may not be as discernible but are still prevalent in several corners of our society. And her acceptance that surrendering her love maybe the only way to piece her life back together.
A few things that I really liked are, firstly, the fabulous cover; the ingenious, even subtly cathartic dreams of Aisha involving God. The ending, which if not quite probable, surely had a severe impact and left me in absolute agony born from pure frustration and panic (as to what’s going to happen next, will their secret finally surface?!). Also, my compliments to the editor for a very good job. Now, the reason it’s missing half a star, I confess that it is a purely personal expectation of seeing the relationship between Aisha and Sameer evolve more (Yes! I was entirely rooting for Sameer) and .
My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
When I first read the book blurb, I was not all sure if the author could pull off the premise of intercultural marriage considering the number of Bollywood films and serials that have tried to deal with it (most of which failed spectacularly IMO). However, the author takes an entirely different albeit more realistic take on it and she really does deliver.
Aisha meets Raghav at an office interview. It doesn’t take long for feelings to sprout and romance to bloom between the pair. Raghav sweeps into her life and makes a place for himself as if it’s the most natural thing to happen. Yet, there are subtle hints that everything might not be as simple. Very soon, situations start to spin out of control and before Aisha can even realize it she finds herself entangled in a secret marriage with him.
I was pleasantly surprised to soon find myself rooting for Aisha. I expected a lot of angst and emotional drama where the characters pussyfoot around the real issues wallowing in grief. But Aisha remains practical, and what’s more is that she takes into consideration the bigger picture, her family and their happiness instead of being selfish in love. She tries really hard to make her secret marriage work despite all the complications that keep rising. I’d really like to add that this secret marriage is not something they do out of spite and not entirely without any deliberation as to the results of such an act. For most people living in India, growing up minding the several rules and moral obligations towards one’s family, marriage to someone without the blessing of their respective family is not at all easy and rarely without conflict. Nevertheless, this is purely Aisha’s story; her trials and tribulations as she comes to terms with injustices that may not be as discernible but are still prevalent in several corners of our society. And her acceptance that surrendering her love maybe the only way to piece her life back together.
A few things that I really liked are, firstly, the fabulous cover; the ingenious, even subtly cathartic dreams of Aisha involving God. The ending, which if not quite probable, surely had a severe impact and left me in absolute agony born from pure frustration and panic (as to what’s going to happen next, will their secret finally surface?!). Also, my compliments to the editor for a very good job. Now, the reason it’s missing half a star, I confess that it is a purely personal expectation of seeing the relationship between Aisha and Sameer evolve more (Yes! I was entirely rooting for Sameer) and .
My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
July 31, 2015
FROM Yea-Yea to Page Turner .......
Hidden Husband is a romantic debut by Shikha Kaul staring the life of the girl who was trapped in her own secrets . Story revolves around a Punjabi girl , Aisha who works as HR Head in a MNC in Gurgaon , who met Raghav while taking his interview for joining the company . With time , they started sharing table in the canteen while lunch hours and from there blooms the love between them . Raghav is basically from Ranchi , Bihar and belongs to a family which are winded up with terms of old tradition like not accepting girl/guy from another caste , dowry , killing girl child etc . Raghav glued to her with false promises . One day she stumble into Sameer , who was her ex-classmate and lives in London . Sameer is on a month off to India & had a crush on Aisha since 4th standard which takes the story to new level . Author has put wise-words by plotting conversation with god
Author has bolted various social issues like eve teasing , Terrorism , How humans are divided on the name of religion , corruption and many more in brief . Albeit Author has highlighted the corruption but the protagonist is portrayed as a corrupt person who flows with this dirt inspite of fighting against it .
Sameer is the character that I grew most attached to in this novel while Raghav and Aisha are considered as bit of negative characters by me . Lie to Parents is one of of the biggest sin that any one could commit and they did that . Inspite of staying on Path of Righteous , they turned for what was convinent .
Story stays " Yea-yea " ( good but niether very good nor best ) till half of the book because somewhere I'm dragging myself to read inspite of natural reading because of of negative vibes radiation but with the 2nd half ,which let me give 4/5 rating inspite of 3/5 , story turns into a "Page Turner " which let me glued till the last page and LAST PAGE IS WRITTEN IN A MANNER THAT IT LET THE READER TURN THE PAGE !
I think Author need to put a different prologue which doesn't reveal anything big except a part of Aisha's life and so did the Title of the Book . Current Prologue spill the beans upto large extent losing lots of twists
So HIDDEN HUSBAND is an outstanding debut and reading the book while travelling elevates the fun numerous times !
Hidden Husband is a romantic debut by Shikha Kaul staring the life of the girl who was trapped in her own secrets . Story revolves around a Punjabi girl , Aisha who works as HR Head in a MNC in Gurgaon , who met Raghav while taking his interview for joining the company . With time , they started sharing table in the canteen while lunch hours and from there blooms the love between them . Raghav is basically from Ranchi , Bihar and belongs to a family which are winded up with terms of old tradition like not accepting girl/guy from another caste , dowry , killing girl child etc . Raghav glued to her with false promises . One day she stumble into Sameer , who was her ex-classmate and lives in London . Sameer is on a month off to India & had a crush on Aisha since 4th standard which takes the story to new level . Author has put wise-words by plotting conversation with god
Author has bolted various social issues like eve teasing , Terrorism , How humans are divided on the name of religion , corruption and many more in brief . Albeit Author has highlighted the corruption but the protagonist is portrayed as a corrupt person who flows with this dirt inspite of fighting against it .
Sameer is the character that I grew most attached to in this novel while Raghav and Aisha are considered as bit of negative characters by me . Lie to Parents is one of of the biggest sin that any one could commit and they did that . Inspite of staying on Path of Righteous , they turned for what was convinent .
Story stays " Yea-yea " ( good but niether very good nor best ) till half of the book because somewhere I'm dragging myself to read inspite of natural reading because of of negative vibes radiation but with the 2nd half ,which let me give 4/5 rating inspite of 3/5 , story turns into a "Page Turner " which let me glued till the last page and LAST PAGE IS WRITTEN IN A MANNER THAT IT LET THE READER TURN THE PAGE !
I think Author need to put a different prologue which doesn't reveal anything big except a part of Aisha's life and so did the Title of the Book . Current Prologue spill the beans upto large extent losing lots of twists
So HIDDEN HUSBAND is an outstanding debut and reading the book while travelling elevates the fun numerous times !
July 3, 2015
‘It was 12:13 pm’. Some novels are truly hard hitting with their climax; the same is with Hidden Husband. Shikha Kaul with her debut novel had made it very clear that she’s here to stay for long. Hidden Husband is a kind of novel that makes you smile, cry, fathom back to some memories of your life and then leave you thinking about the book.
The story starts with Aisha’s life; a regular working woman coping up with fast life and different relationships. The story maintains a great pace at the beginning, just to create the world of Aisha in reader’s mind and then the author introduces Raghav. With the introduction of Raghav, the story picks up a steady pace and that stays till the very end.
Aisha and Raghav start to work in the same company at different posts and eventually fall in love. But as we all know that in our society, falling in love isn’t everything, family matters the most. Aisha somehow manages to prepare her family but the problem was with Raghav’s family. They tried everything but then, decided to marry each other but kept their relation hidden from the society. Aisha thought that at last everything would be fine but there were still some secrets of Raghav that were waiting to get disclosed in front of Aisha. Hidden Husband discloses the ugliest face of society in a very sober manner.
Writing style of the author is pretty good. I loved the way she maintained the flow of the story. Some of the parts of the book were out of the box; the interview of God, Raghav’s way of handling the situations that were actually out of everyone’s hand, Aisha’s thought process and the best one was the epilogue.
Now the drawbacks. I found the character of Raghav exceptionally good but his part was actually very less in the story. The storyline of the book is not something exceptionally good but the concept had the potential.
Overall, I would say that Hidden Husband deserves to be read and kudos to the debut author for her promising start in the industry. Hope to see you rise soon.
The story starts with Aisha’s life; a regular working woman coping up with fast life and different relationships. The story maintains a great pace at the beginning, just to create the world of Aisha in reader’s mind and then the author introduces Raghav. With the introduction of Raghav, the story picks up a steady pace and that stays till the very end.
Aisha and Raghav start to work in the same company at different posts and eventually fall in love. But as we all know that in our society, falling in love isn’t everything, family matters the most. Aisha somehow manages to prepare her family but the problem was with Raghav’s family. They tried everything but then, decided to marry each other but kept their relation hidden from the society. Aisha thought that at last everything would be fine but there were still some secrets of Raghav that were waiting to get disclosed in front of Aisha. Hidden Husband discloses the ugliest face of society in a very sober manner.
Writing style of the author is pretty good. I loved the way she maintained the flow of the story. Some of the parts of the book were out of the box; the interview of God, Raghav’s way of handling the situations that were actually out of everyone’s hand, Aisha’s thought process and the best one was the epilogue.
Now the drawbacks. I found the character of Raghav exceptionally good but his part was actually very less in the story. The storyline of the book is not something exceptionally good but the concept had the potential.
Overall, I would say that Hidden Husband deserves to be read and kudos to the debut author for her promising start in the industry. Hope to see you rise soon.
July 9, 2015
An Interesting story from beginning till end, a page turner at every moment, a novel full of curiosity and surprises.
Every aspect of Hidden Husband is so beautifully revealed that you will fall in love with it.
Loved Aisha’s character the most, her intense love & faith for Raghav, her bold step against society’s myths related to caste & marriages, the bond which she shares with her childhood friend Piyali, her love, respect and sacrifices for her parents, her aggression towards unfortunate incidents happening all over the world and much more.
Some of the extracts will truly win your heart such as Interview with God, True love confession, letter to PM and many more!
Ending is unexpected and will leave readers amazed, joyful and excited!
I really feel like re-reading it, and would certainly recommend to everyone… this novel is seriously worth buying and reading… :)
Looking forward for a sequel and many more exciting books to come from Shikha Kaul… a new gem in the industry!!
Best Wishes to Shikha for her Debut novel!
Every aspect of Hidden Husband is so beautifully revealed that you will fall in love with it.
Loved Aisha’s character the most, her intense love & faith for Raghav, her bold step against society’s myths related to caste & marriages, the bond which she shares with her childhood friend Piyali, her love, respect and sacrifices for her parents, her aggression towards unfortunate incidents happening all over the world and much more.
Some of the extracts will truly win your heart such as Interview with God, True love confession, letter to PM and many more!
Ending is unexpected and will leave readers amazed, joyful and excited!
I really feel like re-reading it, and would certainly recommend to everyone… this novel is seriously worth buying and reading… :)
Looking forward for a sequel and many more exciting books to come from Shikha Kaul… a new gem in the industry!!
Best Wishes to Shikha for her Debut novel!
July 10, 2015
Shikha Kaul does wonders with her story-telling skills. I was lost in the world of the protagonists for almost the entire day. Very remarkably crafted characters and truly a heart wrenching story hidden husband is. And how beautifully the epilogue has been written!
I want you to pick up this book, as I’m sure, Hidden husband will surely sneak into your heart. I loved it to the core and I’m sure this tale will touch your heart too!
My Ratings: 4.5 out of 5
Read the full review at https://nehalilalwani.wordpress.com/2...
I want you to pick up this book, as I’m sure, Hidden husband will surely sneak into your heart. I loved it to the core and I’m sure this tale will touch your heart too!
My Ratings: 4.5 out of 5
Read the full review at https://nehalilalwani.wordpress.com/2...
August 5, 2015
The first look at the book, and it’s hard to get your eyes off from it,it will force you to go through the blurb, and then after that through the story.Authoress has marked the arrow in those things,a reader initially seeks in the book.Exquisite cover design with equally attentive title and sub-title,that connotes about something being extra-ordinary and raises your expectation from the
book to a new level.
To read full review click : http://madhyapradesh.johntext.de/revi...
book to a new level.
To read full review click : http://madhyapradesh.johntext.de/revi...
July 14, 2015
A book which had a potential not to make its reader bored. There is the flow of the book which will make you urge to read the book till the end with a beautiful climax at the end that will make you smile and it will remain on your face for quite some time.
Full Review: http://www.himanipassion.com/book-rev...
Full Review: http://www.himanipassion.com/book-rev...
February 23, 2017
** I received an ‘autographed copy’ of ‘Hidden Husband’ by the author Shikha Kaul in exchange for an honest review**
Read more at thebibliophile2016
PUT UP A BOLD SMILE & get ready to 'FACE THE WORLD'. This book was a roller coaster ride of emotions, at one point I hated the characters so much that I wanted to just get inside the book and talk some sense into Aisha & Raghav especially Aisha and at the same time felt so pity towards their idiocracy that I actually just wanted to cry my heart out. Life could be so difficult at times for people in love especially in India. We have so many things to be taken into considerations; to begin with is the biggest enemy called the society, then distant family if not parents and then as if that was not enough comes religion & cultural background.
Aisha & her family are very loving people, they always support Raghav but abide to the circumstances he keeps explaining. Aisha has her share of doubts as well upon the long wait that Raghav puts her through with his false set of promises that one day his family will accept Aisha as their daughter-in-law but much in vain, nothing happens! Aisha is always insulted and rejected by Raghav's family which she tolerates with only one hope that one day she will get what she deserves. True love should play its part and one day the hearts should melt. Given the circumstances, Aisha and Raghav are fighters as I would like to call them! They keep fighting till the end, but will they win the fight? Will the stone-cold hearts melt?
Hidden Husband, is a very realistic approach to present the lives of couples in India. It talks about the situation that one genuinely has to face and the writing skills of the author is magnificent. A
If you like my review, follow me at thebibliophile2016
Read more at thebibliophile2016
PUT UP A BOLD SMILE & get ready to 'FACE THE WORLD'. This book was a roller coaster ride of emotions, at one point I hated the characters so much that I wanted to just get inside the book and talk some sense into Aisha & Raghav especially Aisha and at the same time felt so pity towards their idiocracy that I actually just wanted to cry my heart out. Life could be so difficult at times for people in love especially in India. We have so many things to be taken into considerations; to begin with is the biggest enemy called the society, then distant family if not parents and then as if that was not enough comes religion & cultural background.
Aisha & her family are very loving people, they always support Raghav but abide to the circumstances he keeps explaining. Aisha has her share of doubts as well upon the long wait that Raghav puts her through with his false set of promises that one day his family will accept Aisha as their daughter-in-law but much in vain, nothing happens! Aisha is always insulted and rejected by Raghav's family which she tolerates with only one hope that one day she will get what she deserves. True love should play its part and one day the hearts should melt. Given the circumstances, Aisha and Raghav are fighters as I would like to call them! They keep fighting till the end, but will they win the fight? Will the stone-cold hearts melt?
Hidden Husband, is a very realistic approach to present the lives of couples in India. It talks about the situation that one genuinely has to face and the writing skills of the author is magnificent. A
If you like my review, follow me at thebibliophile2016
September 29, 2020
I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Update September 2020:
I'm one of those people who judge books by their covers. And never have I regretted this whim of mine as much as I did with this book. The cover is all nice, cute, and well designed. The story and writing is anything but. Look at how the story starts. Please. Indulge me.
I feel strongly that when the reader has to spend minutes trying to figure out what a weirdly worded, weirdly constructed sentence means, the book might as well have been written in hieroglyphics. If only I could get back the hour I spent on this book. At this point, I'm losing my mind over the fact that I rated this book 3 stars four years ago.
First reading May 2016: 3 stars
Boy, did this book stay true to the title! Aisha (the main character) sure is stuck in a web of lies-or secrets rather. The storyline never strays and the plot was pretty great. There are quite a few twists. There is always something happening and there were a lot of interesting incidents. The characters were pretty mediocre though. Aisha was a bit boring. She is passive and almost never takes a stand for herself. Raghav (the person Aisha is in love with) is an aggressive and controlling person. Overall though, this book was a really nice read.
Update September 2020:
I'm one of those people who judge books by their covers. And never have I regretted this whim of mine as much as I did with this book. The cover is all nice, cute, and well designed. The story and writing is anything but. Look at how the story starts. Please. Indulge me.
"It had become a perfunctory fashion for me to stretch the hours at office. Days seemed to be too ponderous to spend. The density of every moment was suppressing my emotional quotient. Keeping myself busy at work seemed to be the only option to divert myself from the redundant vicissitudes."
I feel strongly that when the reader has to spend minutes trying to figure out what a weirdly worded, weirdly constructed sentence means, the book might as well have been written in hieroglyphics. If only I could get back the hour I spent on this book. At this point, I'm losing my mind over the fact that I rated this book 3 stars four years ago.
First reading May 2016: 3 stars
August 24, 2015
It’s a fantastic read with lots of twist & turns in the story. The unique thing about “Hidden Husband” is that you can find accounts of some recent events that happened in India few months back. Be it 16th Dec. tragedy, landslides & flash floods in one of the states of India, or killing of innocent kids in neighboring country. It reflects the plight of women in India.
How at an early age they may be abused & little choices they are allowed to make.
Conversation of Aisha with God in dreams at one point is really an appreciable effort by the author.
The title “Hidden Husband” may leave you wondering about it for some time. Still “Hidden Husband” is justified by the story plotted.
The story is about Aisha, who is a Punjabi girl.
She is HR Consultant in one of a company at Gurgaon.
She falls in love with Raghav, who is from Ranchi.
Due to cultural differences & family problems@ Raghav, marrying to Aisha is a daunting task without the consent of his family.
So, they decide to go for a court marriage.
With many difficulties they make it successful.
So, what’s next?
Will they ever be able to confront about their court marriage to their parents? Aisha meets Sameer, an old friend from school.
What role shall Sameer play to her life?
Why the guy never mattered to Aisha now feels sensible?
It's an amazing one@@
How at an early age they may be abused & little choices they are allowed to make.
Conversation of Aisha with God in dreams at one point is really an appreciable effort by the author.
The title “Hidden Husband” may leave you wondering about it for some time. Still “Hidden Husband” is justified by the story plotted.
The story is about Aisha, who is a Punjabi girl.
She is HR Consultant in one of a company at Gurgaon.
She falls in love with Raghav, who is from Ranchi.
Due to cultural differences & family problems@ Raghav, marrying to Aisha is a daunting task without the consent of his family.
So, they decide to go for a court marriage.
With many difficulties they make it successful.
So, what’s next?
Will they ever be able to confront about their court marriage to their parents? Aisha meets Sameer, an old friend from school.
What role shall Sameer play to her life?
Why the guy never mattered to Aisha now feels sensible?
It's an amazing one@@
July 3, 2015
World seems to be changing around us but still we do have to travel a pretty long distance when it comes to choosing our life partner in our society. On the same plot runs the story of Hidden Husband. A ‘legitimate’ marriage of a couple but still hidden from the society. The story revolves round Aisha’s love life with Raghav. After finishing the novel you did feel bad for them but author played a great trick at the end. She left the story on a pretty good point which will surely leave a smile on your face.
Shikha Kaul has written the story in very simple language and the narration of the story is pretty commendable, keeping this at mind that the author is debuting with this novel.
There are few points in books which actually make the reader clinch the book tightly and eyebrows rise up automatically. I would surely recommend this book to everyone who wants to read good literature and a refreshing story. I loved the characterization of all the character but especially Aisha because it was easy to connect with her.
I will rate this book 4/5.
Shikha Kaul has written the story in very simple language and the narration of the story is pretty commendable, keeping this at mind that the author is debuting with this novel.
There are few points in books which actually make the reader clinch the book tightly and eyebrows rise up automatically. I would surely recommend this book to everyone who wants to read good literature and a refreshing story. I loved the characterization of all the character but especially Aisha because it was easy to connect with her.
I will rate this book 4/5.
January 11, 2016
Love the story- Very contemporary, keeps you glued till the end.
October 14, 2015
First and foremost I'm really thankful to the Author Shikha Kaul for making it possible for me to read her book, I was on the seventh sky when I got to hold the book, Read around 40 pages the day I received it, but then left it on my side table for a week or so, as some other stuff needed more of my attention but, Daily before bed I picked it up, flipped through its pages, looked at it lovingly & left it back there, but as soon as I got some spare time, I finished it within the span of a day, Reading this book was a treat to my mind, soul & heart.
Too many spoilers ahead, Read at your own risk!
Starting with the number of pages, Its 239 pages long, the most admirable thing is that Author kept it short but it is not lacking anything, Even the smallest of the details are mentioned for the readers to know everything in detail about traditions & norms followed by different sects of India, You don't feel like an outsider at all, Reader feels like a part of that society, Author kept it to the point, Without missing on any debatable views & events happening around the leading characters. As the first line of the Acknowledgements in the book is "Creating a novel for me has been an experience similar to having a baby" Cheers to the Author because she did it so gracefully, As I got in to the story more & more it was becoming hard for me to believe that its a Debut Novel, I kept saying in my mind, Where was she hiding for all these years, Why she never considered writing a book before? Indeed the Author did the Best Of The Best for her baby. In 10 pages long Prologue reader feels like so much is being revealed but at the same point reader get the feeling that yet still so much is kept to the imagination of the reader. Brilliant use of phrases & selection of words, Loved it, For instance "Its not a rule of love that all secrets need to be disclosed."
First four lines of the novel are the essence of the whole book, - A stranger called 'me' - Beautiful lines. Love bond between of Raghav & Aisha is what every girl wish to have, Author did justice with every single emotion of the leading characters, Its was almost as if I landed into the hearts of the characters & I was reading whats written on the walls of their hearts. Intimate moments are still kept behind the veil up to some extent, but still the intensity of their love is told with the beautiful play of words, which felt better than reading what is actually happening. At some points things get so hard for Aisha, Its all messed up, her life is upside down & the reader is left there thinking like their is no way this book is going to end on a happy note, But the end was just breathtaking, Till last ten pages I was thinking "Okay, so now something unexpected will happen & palace of glass that Aisha made will fall apart, But what happens in the end is both unexpected & expected at the same time. I was thrilled to read the last pages of the book. I can honestly say this book is one of my favorites, & one of the best books I came across.
"But the ubiquity of his love, promises, compassion, commitment, suavity, elegance, truth, humour, emotions, vows, preservation, dominance, benevolence and friendship kept my hopes alive." We (women) are the most complicated creatures that exist on the face of this earth, But these three lines summed up all our needs of a happy & contented life so well. these lines impressed me so much. I almost fell for the author at page no. 49.
Authors views on Horoscopes is just amazing. Loved it. Letter to Prime Minister is one more mastery technique of writer that really inspired me, Every single thing about this book is simply amazing. This book blew my mind away, It's a perfect mixture of Love, Pain, Joy, Heartbreaks, Tears, Breakups, Family bounding, Loyalty, & friendships.
Ending was just so brilliant. All's well that ends well. Because Yes we all need to believe that happy endings exist. This book gave me some great life lessons which I'd like to keep in my mind forever, That'd surely help me moving forward in life & openly accept what life offers me. & Like all those old granny advises this book is also a must read for all the growing up girls. Infinite love & respect for Shikha, Author of this book, & a really good friend of mine.
This book is so close to my heart, As the name of the protagonist there's a lot more to the story which is relatable to my life, Some feelings that you just cant put into words no matter how hard you try, that's how I feel for this book.
I read a lot of Indian writers in my 4 years of Graduation, Some from course outline, some on my own will, & now I have this really special place for Indian literature in my heart.
Thank you so much Shikha :-)
Too many spoilers ahead, Read at your own risk!
Starting with the number of pages, Its 239 pages long, the most admirable thing is that Author kept it short but it is not lacking anything, Even the smallest of the details are mentioned for the readers to know everything in detail about traditions & norms followed by different sects of India, You don't feel like an outsider at all, Reader feels like a part of that society, Author kept it to the point, Without missing on any debatable views & events happening around the leading characters. As the first line of the Acknowledgements in the book is "Creating a novel for me has been an experience similar to having a baby" Cheers to the Author because she did it so gracefully, As I got in to the story more & more it was becoming hard for me to believe that its a Debut Novel, I kept saying in my mind, Where was she hiding for all these years, Why she never considered writing a book before? Indeed the Author did the Best Of The Best for her baby. In 10 pages long Prologue reader feels like so much is being revealed but at the same point reader get the feeling that yet still so much is kept to the imagination of the reader. Brilliant use of phrases & selection of words, Loved it, For instance "Its not a rule of love that all secrets need to be disclosed."
First four lines of the novel are the essence of the whole book, - A stranger called 'me' - Beautiful lines. Love bond between of Raghav & Aisha is what every girl wish to have, Author did justice with every single emotion of the leading characters, Its was almost as if I landed into the hearts of the characters & I was reading whats written on the walls of their hearts. Intimate moments are still kept behind the veil up to some extent, but still the intensity of their love is told with the beautiful play of words, which felt better than reading what is actually happening. At some points things get so hard for Aisha, Its all messed up, her life is upside down & the reader is left there thinking like their is no way this book is going to end on a happy note, But the end was just breathtaking, Till last ten pages I was thinking "Okay, so now something unexpected will happen & palace of glass that Aisha made will fall apart, But what happens in the end is both unexpected & expected at the same time. I was thrilled to read the last pages of the book. I can honestly say this book is one of my favorites, & one of the best books I came across.
"But the ubiquity of his love, promises, compassion, commitment, suavity, elegance, truth, humour, emotions, vows, preservation, dominance, benevolence and friendship kept my hopes alive." We (women) are the most complicated creatures that exist on the face of this earth, But these three lines summed up all our needs of a happy & contented life so well. these lines impressed me so much. I almost fell for the author at page no. 49.
Authors views on Horoscopes is just amazing. Loved it. Letter to Prime Minister is one more mastery technique of writer that really inspired me, Every single thing about this book is simply amazing. This book blew my mind away, It's a perfect mixture of Love, Pain, Joy, Heartbreaks, Tears, Breakups, Family bounding, Loyalty, & friendships.
Ending was just so brilliant. All's well that ends well. Because Yes we all need to believe that happy endings exist. This book gave me some great life lessons which I'd like to keep in my mind forever, That'd surely help me moving forward in life & openly accept what life offers me. & Like all those old granny advises this book is also a must read for all the growing up girls. Infinite love & respect for Shikha, Author of this book, & a really good friend of mine.
This book is so close to my heart, As the name of the protagonist there's a lot more to the story which is relatable to my life, Some feelings that you just cant put into words no matter how hard you try, that's how I feel for this book.
I read a lot of Indian writers in my 4 years of Graduation, Some from course outline, some on my own will, & now I have this really special place for Indian literature in my heart.
Thank you so much Shikha :-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2015
My Review and the critical appreciation of the novel Hidden Husband
I. Front Cover Of The Book.
The cover of the book blends perfectly with the title. It shows a mysterious girl (since her face cannot be seen ) sitting with a bag or rather a leather briefcase on her lap and holding it with two hands in a possessive manner close to her chest as if something very precious is in it rather something which she desires to hide from the world around her.
II. Title Of The Book (Hidden Husband )
The title Hidden Husband is an attractive title which will draw any and every reader's attention. It gives a hint to the theme of the story in a nutshell. And after reading the novel I find the title apt for the book.
III. Sub-title Of The Novel (Some secrets never leave you)
The sub-title of the story is also very apt and perfectly complements the title of the novel. It gives vent to the story of the novel that secrets are difficult to hide which keeps on chasing one like a nightmare.
IV. Plot Of The Novel
The Novel "Hidden Husband " by Shikha Kaul is divided into six parts along with a prologue and an epilogue.
I would like to redivide the six parts among the five stages seen in a drama or a play.
1. Part 1 = Exposition
2. Part 2+3 = Rising Action
3. Part 4 =Climax
4. Part 5 = Falling Action
5. Part 6 = Denouement
The prologue which introduces the readers with the main protagonist of the novel Aisha Saluja and the other three important characters Raghav, Piyali and Sameer.
After the prologue the exposition ( Part 1) gives more information to the readers and at once grasps the attention of the readers. It begins the story with the stream of consciousness technique or reveals the story in a flashback.
Rising Action (Part 2 &3) - Here similar to a play the main and the important incidents takes place in the life of the main protagonist Aisha which glues the readers to the book with great interest.
Climax (Part4)- A turning point takes place in the life of the protagonist, totally different from what she desired in her life.
Falling Action (Part 5) - Here, similar to a drama the issues in the life of the protagonist unravels.
Denouement (Part 6) - The protagonist accepts life as it comes to her and returns to normalcy.
And the epilogue gives a perfect conclusion to the novel.
V. Characterization
The readers will easily relate to the characters of the novel. The main characters Aisha, Raghav and Sameer are neither white nor black but whitish grey. Like people of flesh and blood they portray their love & lust along with their sins and good deeds.
The main protagonist is a contrasting character to Piyali whereas Raghav to Sameer.
I would like to conclude my review of Hidden Husband with it that the story of the novel not only revolves around love, romance, friendship, pathos and humour but also portrays social evils like killing the foetus of a girl child , dowry, terrorism and segregation done on the basis of religion instead of judging people as just HUMAN BEING.
# Merits
1. Characters are people of flesh and blood.
2. Recent events are blended well with the story.
3. Gives valuable messages to the society through the readers.
#Demerits
1. The post dates used in the story like December, 2015, end of 2017 etc.
2. The dates of the recent events ( cloud burst in Kedarnath, Nirbhaya case, terrorist attack in an army school in Pakistan ) which shook the nation and the world could be motioned. As because literature is also a source of history in spite of being a fictional product where reality and imagination are blended together.
The novel Hidden Husband by Shikha Kaul is a masterpiece in her own style. The theme of her novel marriage, religion reminds me of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" which dealt with marriage and class difference in the victorian society.
As William Shakespeare's plays were tailormade for the stage similarly I won't be surprised if someday "Hidden Husband " is made into a Bollywood movie since it has all the ingredients to make it a hit one.
My overall rating for the novel is 4. 5/5 stars.
I wish the author Shikha Kaul and the whole team of the novel Hidden Husband good luck.
I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to review her book.
I. Front Cover Of The Book.
The cover of the book blends perfectly with the title. It shows a mysterious girl (since her face cannot be seen ) sitting with a bag or rather a leather briefcase on her lap and holding it with two hands in a possessive manner close to her chest as if something very precious is in it rather something which she desires to hide from the world around her.
II. Title Of The Book (Hidden Husband )
The title Hidden Husband is an attractive title which will draw any and every reader's attention. It gives a hint to the theme of the story in a nutshell. And after reading the novel I find the title apt for the book.
III. Sub-title Of The Novel (Some secrets never leave you)
The sub-title of the story is also very apt and perfectly complements the title of the novel. It gives vent to the story of the novel that secrets are difficult to hide which keeps on chasing one like a nightmare.
IV. Plot Of The Novel
The Novel "Hidden Husband " by Shikha Kaul is divided into six parts along with a prologue and an epilogue.
I would like to redivide the six parts among the five stages seen in a drama or a play.
1. Part 1 = Exposition
2. Part 2+3 = Rising Action
3. Part 4 =Climax
4. Part 5 = Falling Action
5. Part 6 = Denouement
The prologue which introduces the readers with the main protagonist of the novel Aisha Saluja and the other three important characters Raghav, Piyali and Sameer.
After the prologue the exposition ( Part 1) gives more information to the readers and at once grasps the attention of the readers. It begins the story with the stream of consciousness technique or reveals the story in a flashback.
Rising Action (Part 2 &3) - Here similar to a play the main and the important incidents takes place in the life of the main protagonist Aisha which glues the readers to the book with great interest.
Climax (Part4)- A turning point takes place in the life of the protagonist, totally different from what she desired in her life.
Falling Action (Part 5) - Here, similar to a drama the issues in the life of the protagonist unravels.
Denouement (Part 6) - The protagonist accepts life as it comes to her and returns to normalcy.
And the epilogue gives a perfect conclusion to the novel.
V. Characterization
The readers will easily relate to the characters of the novel. The main characters Aisha, Raghav and Sameer are neither white nor black but whitish grey. Like people of flesh and blood they portray their love & lust along with their sins and good deeds.
The main protagonist is a contrasting character to Piyali whereas Raghav to Sameer.
I would like to conclude my review of Hidden Husband with it that the story of the novel not only revolves around love, romance, friendship, pathos and humour but also portrays social evils like killing the foetus of a girl child , dowry, terrorism and segregation done on the basis of religion instead of judging people as just HUMAN BEING.
# Merits
1. Characters are people of flesh and blood.
2. Recent events are blended well with the story.
3. Gives valuable messages to the society through the readers.
#Demerits
1. The post dates used in the story like December, 2015, end of 2017 etc.
2. The dates of the recent events ( cloud burst in Kedarnath, Nirbhaya case, terrorist attack in an army school in Pakistan ) which shook the nation and the world could be motioned. As because literature is also a source of history in spite of being a fictional product where reality and imagination are blended together.
The novel Hidden Husband by Shikha Kaul is a masterpiece in her own style. The theme of her novel marriage, religion reminds me of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" which dealt with marriage and class difference in the victorian society.
As William Shakespeare's plays were tailormade for the stage similarly I won't be surprised if someday "Hidden Husband " is made into a Bollywood movie since it has all the ingredients to make it a hit one.
My overall rating for the novel is 4. 5/5 stars.
I wish the author Shikha Kaul and the whole team of the novel Hidden Husband good luck.
I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to review her book.
January 21, 2016
Hidden Husband
Publisher:- Gargi Publishers
Author:- Shikha Kaul
ISBN:- 9789384382070
My Review:-
There is a very famous poem in Urdu. I would like to quote a part of it here.
'Yeh Ishq Nahi Aasan
Bus Itna Samajh Lijiye
Aik Aag Ka Darya Hai Aur
Doob Kar Jana Hai'
This poem suits best on this story.
Here the novel "HIDDEN HUSBAND" written by Shikha Kaul and published by Gargi publishers introduces us to the protagnist, Aisha who is well-educated and independent to take a decision. She takes one such decision when she marries Raghav but she is forced to hide her marriage from the outside world, even from her parents. No, she has not done any wrong yet she cannot bring her relation out. This turns out to be an actual test for the couple. She performs all her duties of a good wife but it is not that can make or changes all the things in her favour. There are times when she is pressurised by her parents to marry, unknown of the fact of her marriage status. Thier decision of being together comes out to be a real test for both of them. Will they succeed and their love will sail along or will it end, seperating them forever. You'll have to read the novel to know all about it.
The authoress has very beautifully brought out several social issues like female foeticide, dowry, etc and she has showed and described it in a very good manner. One of the key thing which I liked is that the authoress succeeded in showing all the various social elements clearly and without mixing all of them. One of the important thing struck my mind was that why it is always felt that marrying someone outside the community or having a love marriage is seen as going against the family and culture. Is it so? Can't we marry a person whom we love and the only reason for it being that the other person belongs to some other community. Is our culture so narrow? Lord Krishna, whom we worship in our daily life married Radha because he loved her. Did he ask for her community before marriage? Then why do we restrict our children or oursleves? We must change our thoughts and work towards it for making this world a better place to live in.
The authoress has very beautifully portrayed all the characters. She very nicely intoduces us to the protagnist, Aisha taking us into her life and then bringing out the other characters at the right time. The authoress has divided the whole story into six parts and her smartness in this respect is commendable. All the parts takes us to the different parts of Aisha's life showing step by step how her life changes along with time. I personally think that the story slows down a bit in the middle but at the end the authoress picks up her pace ending it beautifully. The best suspense of the story is hidden at the end. I am not going to take it out but I have a question? Does such situation really come out? I can't predict about the probability of such situation in real life of a person but my personal view on it is that such situation seems good upto the novel but not in the real world.
The title "Hidden Husband" is catcy and attracts a reader as it raises many questions in the mind as soon as the title is read. The subtitle "Some secrets never leave you" adds some more, to the suspense that gets created by reading the novel's title. The cover too is appealing and suits the title showing that there are many things which are hidden and is needed to be opened for knowing all about it.
Overall the story is good with very nice characters and various messages which it gives out indirectly. It also raises and throws various questions to us which shall make us think as to where are we leading to, challenging our thoughts on various things. Overall it is a very good read and it shall be liked by all those who want love stories along with some social elements in it.
Since the authoress hopes to continue her writing, I think she shall give out some of the best novels in the coming years and she shall be an authoress to be looked upon in coming days.
Publisher:- Gargi Publishers
Author:- Shikha Kaul
ISBN:- 9789384382070
My Review:-
There is a very famous poem in Urdu. I would like to quote a part of it here.
'Yeh Ishq Nahi Aasan
Bus Itna Samajh Lijiye
Aik Aag Ka Darya Hai Aur
Doob Kar Jana Hai'
This poem suits best on this story.
Here the novel "HIDDEN HUSBAND" written by Shikha Kaul and published by Gargi publishers introduces us to the protagnist, Aisha who is well-educated and independent to take a decision. She takes one such decision when she marries Raghav but she is forced to hide her marriage from the outside world, even from her parents. No, she has not done any wrong yet she cannot bring her relation out. This turns out to be an actual test for the couple. She performs all her duties of a good wife but it is not that can make or changes all the things in her favour. There are times when she is pressurised by her parents to marry, unknown of the fact of her marriage status. Thier decision of being together comes out to be a real test for both of them. Will they succeed and their love will sail along or will it end, seperating them forever. You'll have to read the novel to know all about it.
The authoress has very beautifully brought out several social issues like female foeticide, dowry, etc and she has showed and described it in a very good manner. One of the key thing which I liked is that the authoress succeeded in showing all the various social elements clearly and without mixing all of them. One of the important thing struck my mind was that why it is always felt that marrying someone outside the community or having a love marriage is seen as going against the family and culture. Is it so? Can't we marry a person whom we love and the only reason for it being that the other person belongs to some other community. Is our culture so narrow? Lord Krishna, whom we worship in our daily life married Radha because he loved her. Did he ask for her community before marriage? Then why do we restrict our children or oursleves? We must change our thoughts and work towards it for making this world a better place to live in.
The authoress has very beautifully portrayed all the characters. She very nicely intoduces us to the protagnist, Aisha taking us into her life and then bringing out the other characters at the right time. The authoress has divided the whole story into six parts and her smartness in this respect is commendable. All the parts takes us to the different parts of Aisha's life showing step by step how her life changes along with time. I personally think that the story slows down a bit in the middle but at the end the authoress picks up her pace ending it beautifully. The best suspense of the story is hidden at the end. I am not going to take it out but I have a question? Does such situation really come out? I can't predict about the probability of such situation in real life of a person but my personal view on it is that such situation seems good upto the novel but not in the real world.
The title "Hidden Husband" is catcy and attracts a reader as it raises many questions in the mind as soon as the title is read. The subtitle "Some secrets never leave you" adds some more, to the suspense that gets created by reading the novel's title. The cover too is appealing and suits the title showing that there are many things which are hidden and is needed to be opened for knowing all about it.
Overall the story is good with very nice characters and various messages which it gives out indirectly. It also raises and throws various questions to us which shall make us think as to where are we leading to, challenging our thoughts on various things. Overall it is a very good read and it shall be liked by all those who want love stories along with some social elements in it.
Since the authoress hopes to continue her writing, I think she shall give out some of the best novels in the coming years and she shall be an authoress to be looked upon in coming days.
July 23, 2015
I am done reading Gargi Publisher's one of the latest release- debutante Shikha Kaul's "Hidden Husband". The book also carries a tag line- "Some secrets never leave you". The cover page of the book is so beautifully made that it will tempt you to pick up the book. The same happened with me. I had very big expectations from the book considering its whole representation and synopsis but I found the book little above par. Shikha Kaul's writing style is simple and it will not make you reach out for your dictionary even once. Her characters are also memorable and you will find connecting with each of them very easily. Her approach of writing this book by keeping things simple and realistic can be easily deciphered but it also limited the author's imagination.
The book starts wonderfully and asks you to sit and dwell into the story. Few early pages are really page-turners and you want to read the story as fast as you can to know what will happen to the new developing love story. Suddenly, author takes you to a flashback and surprises you with facts about the protagonist which confuses you how can then a new love story is about to start in the present. When the author comes back to the present, it is again where the book flies high and your interest gets generated again. Author have written the initial part and anti-climax and climax very beautifully which shows her real talent. Unfortunately, the same flick couldn't be found in the 2nd part of the flashback that is the core part of the book.
Shikha Kaul's characters and their dilemma somewhere makes you remember Preeti Shenoy's characters. This impressed me a lot as you couldn't point any of the characters and claim that he/she is wrong or villain of the book.
Coming to the drawbacks:- I found the flashback stretched and felt that author could have easily cut it short by almost 30-40 pages. Yes, that's how much stretched I found it. Also, few things are repetitive which makes you lose your interest in the later stages. The over description of few things irritates the reader. Also, author discusses few current affairs and her take about it through the voice of her protagonist. As they had nothing to do with the plot of the story, I found it totally irrelevant. The book could have been easily wrapped up in 200 pages. Overall, I will give the book- 3.5* out of 5 and I am pretty sure that author is about to get better with each of her book as she has the quality that will make readers feel connected with her.
Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!
July 12, 2015
Aisha is ambitious, she is pure and true to her family. Her life is surrounded by friends and a plush job. In comes Raghav Mishra, who like knight in a shining armor sweeps her off the feet. But the resultant relationship is not as a cozy as it looks from the outside. So what is it that hampers their love and life? What Aisha wants and what Raghav will do about it? Will the two ever be able to come together? Some truths are hard to tell but it is the best way out. Read the story to find out.
Love is true, it is sincere, it is commitment, temper filled and a mushy experience. It's about how good two people understand and bond with each other and the surrounding circumstances. The adversities of love keep the story alive. The minor to major hiccups and the great lengths a girl goes up to find solace in the arms of her man she has committed herself to is commendable. A worthy effort for two people finding hard to have firm status in the society. Fighting for their own existence along with their sacred relationship is also a great argument in the story.
The story lacks a lot when it comes to characters other than Aisha. Raghav has been pushed to the backdrop and his guest appearances kill's the story from his angle. Events are whirlwind affair rather than giving them a settled approach. The story is scattered and blunt towards the end. Presumptuous on one too many things. It could have been easier to stick to relationships rather than pushing ill luck and fate time and again to sympathize with Aisha. Sameer was a hit and miss affair. He neither evoked interest nor lost resilience but managed to survive the ordeal.
All in all the book lives up to the expectations of romance brewers. The jilted love story is not fresh off in terms of idea but definite in terms of what society and marital discord can lead up to in young souls. The book presents the ifs and buts of hot blooded love relationships prevalent in our society. It keeps love alive but on the other fronts the story sacrifices one too many things. It kills the characters unceremoniously and never let blossom others sans Aisha. A good balance is what it takes to tilt the story in favor of the readers and it's a mismatch. A story well defined with the societal norms of love and relationship but over enthusiastic to finish a little too soon.
Love is true, it is sincere, it is commitment, temper filled and a mushy experience. It's about how good two people understand and bond with each other and the surrounding circumstances. The adversities of love keep the story alive. The minor to major hiccups and the great lengths a girl goes up to find solace in the arms of her man she has committed herself to is commendable. A worthy effort for two people finding hard to have firm status in the society. Fighting for their own existence along with their sacred relationship is also a great argument in the story.
The story lacks a lot when it comes to characters other than Aisha. Raghav has been pushed to the backdrop and his guest appearances kill's the story from his angle. Events are whirlwind affair rather than giving them a settled approach. The story is scattered and blunt towards the end. Presumptuous on one too many things. It could have been easier to stick to relationships rather than pushing ill luck and fate time and again to sympathize with Aisha. Sameer was a hit and miss affair. He neither evoked interest nor lost resilience but managed to survive the ordeal.
All in all the book lives up to the expectations of romance brewers. The jilted love story is not fresh off in terms of idea but definite in terms of what society and marital discord can lead up to in young souls. The book presents the ifs and buts of hot blooded love relationships prevalent in our society. It keeps love alive but on the other fronts the story sacrifices one too many things. It kills the characters unceremoniously and never let blossom others sans Aisha. A good balance is what it takes to tilt the story in favor of the readers and it's a mismatch. A story well defined with the societal norms of love and relationship but over enthusiastic to finish a little too soon.
July 5, 2015
Congratulations For ur debut book its was delight reading this one...
To begin with,The title itself is quite crispy and captivating...We are living in this android world and following westernisation blindly still we are not allowed to choose our partners just because of this "ORTHODOX" society....Because according to them love is a "crime"and lovers are "criminals"..
From Aisha's selfless love and "never giving up" aspect to Raghav's "Helplessness and
Chicken-Heartedness"...From Piyali's awesome Pal-Ship To Sameer's unconditional love...From Dreams of love and happiness to the harsh n dirty sites of religions and communities, From self-created spider web to the freedom of lives this story is enlightening ride of emotions..
Lessons learnt :-
:- Everyone knows n understands that the world has changed,but they are not ready to accept the change they are still running behind with the fear of what society will say..
:-Giving up on low situations is not so cool,when u think u cant fight anymore u try to attempt suicide..do u think thats cool ?? Time is the biggest healer u cant change ur past neither u can foresee the future.. All u can do is cherish this biggest gift of GOD ur present n make it worth living
:-Sometimes,its better to spend ur life with someone who loves u rather than forcing yourself upon someone whom u love..
:-Can we expect to come up with just one culture for all called "Human" where no would be Hindu or a Muslim or a Sikh or any other community ?? This caste system is like a poisonous snake which will slowly gulp each one of us into its big mouth..Rather than being hindu or muslims cant we b just "Humans" (Na Hindu Bano na musalmaan bano agar ho sake to kewal insaan bano)
Positives :-
:- Characters were superbly portrayed (specially Aisha's)
:-Language was simple and understandable
:- Being a debut author of a fiction tale,the society failures like Delhi rape,brutal child killing, Dark sides of Caste system were exceptionally expressed..
:-One extra point for that perfect twisted ending
Negatives :-
:-Raghav was kind of lost in the story, wished to read more about him ...
P.S :- Do read this gripping story of Aisha's "Hidden HushBand"
To begin with,The title itself is quite crispy and captivating...We are living in this android world and following westernisation blindly still we are not allowed to choose our partners just because of this "ORTHODOX" society....Because according to them love is a "crime"and lovers are "criminals"..
From Aisha's selfless love and "never giving up" aspect to Raghav's "Helplessness and
Chicken-Heartedness"...From Piyali's awesome Pal-Ship To Sameer's unconditional love...From Dreams of love and happiness to the harsh n dirty sites of religions and communities, From self-created spider web to the freedom of lives this story is enlightening ride of emotions..
Lessons learnt :-
:- Everyone knows n understands that the world has changed,but they are not ready to accept the change they are still running behind with the fear of what society will say..
:-Giving up on low situations is not so cool,when u think u cant fight anymore u try to attempt suicide..do u think thats cool ?? Time is the biggest healer u cant change ur past neither u can foresee the future.. All u can do is cherish this biggest gift of GOD ur present n make it worth living
:-Sometimes,its better to spend ur life with someone who loves u rather than forcing yourself upon someone whom u love..
:-Can we expect to come up with just one culture for all called "Human" where no would be Hindu or a Muslim or a Sikh or any other community ?? This caste system is like a poisonous snake which will slowly gulp each one of us into its big mouth..Rather than being hindu or muslims cant we b just "Humans" (Na Hindu Bano na musalmaan bano agar ho sake to kewal insaan bano)
Positives :-
:- Characters were superbly portrayed (specially Aisha's)
:-Language was simple and understandable
:- Being a debut author of a fiction tale,the society failures like Delhi rape,brutal child killing, Dark sides of Caste system were exceptionally expressed..
:-One extra point for that perfect twisted ending
Negatives :-
:-Raghav was kind of lost in the story, wished to read more about him ...
P.S :- Do read this gripping story of Aisha's "Hidden HushBand"
November 4, 2015
The novel falls under “Romance” and “Women fiction” genre. The novel is titled “Hidden husband” that gives the hint of the high concept of the story. Yes, it is about a girl from the girl’s POV about a marriage that the world never gets to know. What happens to the marriage? The hidden husband? What they do further? Why the marriage has to be hidden? Are all answered in the book.
First Impression – Apt title, a beautiful cover, and a job-done-well blurb. Giving away what it should. A book that a woman would pick when crossed.
Overall Impression – The book has lot to say. Undoubtedly, a good read. The book is from a girl’s POV, so what more you expect? Yes, it has all the Scribblings that a girl does in her mind like crazy. Aisha – her first love, her first marriage, her first sexual encounter with her first husband who did wait for it without plunging before the knot, the heartbreak et al.
What did I love about the book? The high concept is simple. However, the book has a good count of humanity related giveaways. The looped in concepts were good, it didn’t feel unnecessary. Dialogues were good. I loved a few dialogues personally.
He was the darkest, yet the brightest side of me
The number of the skeletons in my closet was increasing a marriage, a husband and now a divorce
Wow Factors: 1) Good concept 2) The neat exploration of what actually happens to a girl’s mind 3) Vocabulary – simple and stylish, except for a few words were not placed right. A slight tinge of stuffing. 3) Dialogues were handled well; I loved a few personally. Ex: the vows violation that the author explains throughout. 4) The second half of the book
Frown factors: 1) Descriptions and detailing, the book is about 240 pages that had more details about certain parts. If cut short, the story would have been a racy and awe-inspiring read. The first half was dragged much which slowed down my reading process; it was not page turning until you hit the third part of the story. 2) Though other parts were detailed more than required, the pain of abortion and the guilt of not expressing about the hidden husband could have been explored even better.
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First Impression – Apt title, a beautiful cover, and a job-done-well blurb. Giving away what it should. A book that a woman would pick when crossed.
Overall Impression – The book has lot to say. Undoubtedly, a good read. The book is from a girl’s POV, so what more you expect? Yes, it has all the Scribblings that a girl does in her mind like crazy. Aisha – her first love, her first marriage, her first sexual encounter with her first husband who did wait for it without plunging before the knot, the heartbreak et al.
What did I love about the book? The high concept is simple. However, the book has a good count of humanity related giveaways. The looped in concepts were good, it didn’t feel unnecessary. Dialogues were good. I loved a few dialogues personally.
He was the darkest, yet the brightest side of me
The number of the skeletons in my closet was increasing a marriage, a husband and now a divorce
Wow Factors: 1) Good concept 2) The neat exploration of what actually happens to a girl’s mind 3) Vocabulary – simple and stylish, except for a few words were not placed right. A slight tinge of stuffing. 3) Dialogues were handled well; I loved a few personally. Ex: the vows violation that the author explains throughout. 4) The second half of the book
Frown factors: 1) Descriptions and detailing, the book is about 240 pages that had more details about certain parts. If cut short, the story would have been a racy and awe-inspiring read. The first half was dragged much which slowed down my reading process; it was not page turning until you hit the third part of the story. 2) Though other parts were detailed more than required, the pain of abortion and the guilt of not expressing about the hidden husband could have been explored even better.
https://kavipriyamoorthy.wordpress.co...
August 23, 2015
Aisha, a Punjabi girl, is the HR head of the company she works for. It is said that love does not arrive in your life with any prior notice. It does not care for caste/ religion. Similar things happen with Aisha too. Raghav, a Bihari boy, enters her life. In no time, they become good friends and ends up in falling in love with each other.
Aisha and Raghav are totally in love. Life, for them, is running smoothly until Aisha gets a marriage proposal. Aisha is in dilemma whether she should tell her parents about her relationship with Raghav. After numerous conflicts between heart and mind, heart wins and Aisha confesses her feelings for Raghav to her mother. Aisha’s parents want to meet Raghav and their meet is arranged. Raghav manages to please Aisha’s parents successfully. Now, another hurdle is placed on to their path- Raghav’s orthodox and strict parents.
Will Raghav’s parents accept Aisha, a Punjabi, as their daughter-in-law?
Will Aisha and Raghav’s relationship remain strong in this ordeal?
What are the secrets that Aisha is carrying with her?
Hidden Husband is a story of love, care, understanding and risks. It’s about lover’s helplessness. It’s about dreams and wishes of a married girl. It’s about a mother who lost her baby. It’s keeping your parents happy. It’s about loving a person who loves you unconditionally.
What did I like the most?
Sameer’s unconditional love for Aisha.
Aisha’s effort in keeping her relationship with Raghav strong and intact.
Aisha and Piyali’s friendship.
What I did not like?
Raghav’s delay in announcing about his marriage to Aisha (I know, he had genuine reasons. But, somewhere deep inside, I feel that he should have acknowledged it. He should have put in more efforts in convincing his family.)
Aisha’s miscarriage.
Aisha and Raghav’s divorce (They were so much perfect for each other yet they could not be together. A universal truth is revealed here- we are slaves to our fate, not the masters!)
The author has done a commendable job.
I rate:
Cover- 4.5/5
Story- 4/5
Characters- 4/5
My overall rating for Hidden Husband is 4/5.
Aisha and Raghav are totally in love. Life, for them, is running smoothly until Aisha gets a marriage proposal. Aisha is in dilemma whether she should tell her parents about her relationship with Raghav. After numerous conflicts between heart and mind, heart wins and Aisha confesses her feelings for Raghav to her mother. Aisha’s parents want to meet Raghav and their meet is arranged. Raghav manages to please Aisha’s parents successfully. Now, another hurdle is placed on to their path- Raghav’s orthodox and strict parents.
Will Raghav’s parents accept Aisha, a Punjabi, as their daughter-in-law?
Will Aisha and Raghav’s relationship remain strong in this ordeal?
What are the secrets that Aisha is carrying with her?
Hidden Husband is a story of love, care, understanding and risks. It’s about lover’s helplessness. It’s about dreams and wishes of a married girl. It’s about a mother who lost her baby. It’s keeping your parents happy. It’s about loving a person who loves you unconditionally.
What did I like the most?
Sameer’s unconditional love for Aisha.
Aisha’s effort in keeping her relationship with Raghav strong and intact.
Aisha and Piyali’s friendship.
What I did not like?
Raghav’s delay in announcing about his marriage to Aisha (I know, he had genuine reasons. But, somewhere deep inside, I feel that he should have acknowledged it. He should have put in more efforts in convincing his family.)
Aisha’s miscarriage.
Aisha and Raghav’s divorce (They were so much perfect for each other yet they could not be together. A universal truth is revealed here- we are slaves to our fate, not the masters!)
The author has done a commendable job.
I rate:
Cover- 4.5/5
Story- 4/5
Characters- 4/5
My overall rating for Hidden Husband is 4/5.
April 11, 2016
I've received signed copy from author in exchange of an honest review.
For some time now, I've stopped reading Indian authors. I don't want to explain it here but I think it got too simple or too uninteresting up to the point, I felt like I'm simply wasting my time. Thank God that didn't happen with this one!
When I first saw the cover of this one, it reminded of The Sins of the Mother.
Regardless the similarity, it is beautiful cover and it is mysterious enough to keep people give it a chance.
My marriage is also inter-cast and we are two people coming from completely different background. So this one hit the home. I can feel couple's tension, frustrations and getting worked up on very small things.
It is just like this -
All you want to do was to fix up the things but you ended up making more mistakes. More serious mistakes I might add.
It was emotional roller-coaster ride and I enjoyed it.
Though I enjoyed it very much, and would recommend it to some of my friends, I can't recommend this to someone who is not Indian. It has too-Indian feel for it, but I'm glad I've given it a chance.
May be this could be first step of restoring my faith in Indian authors. Well, it's a hope.....
For some time now, I've stopped reading Indian authors. I don't want to explain it here but I think it got too simple or too uninteresting up to the point, I felt like I'm simply wasting my time. Thank God that didn't happen with this one!
When I first saw the cover of this one, it reminded of The Sins of the Mother.
Regardless the similarity, it is beautiful cover and it is mysterious enough to keep people give it a chance.
My marriage is also inter-cast and we are two people coming from completely different background. So this one hit the home. I can feel couple's tension, frustrations and getting worked up on very small things.
It is just like this -
All you want to do was to fix up the things but you ended up making more mistakes. More serious mistakes I might add.
It was emotional roller-coaster ride and I enjoyed it.
Though I enjoyed it very much, and would recommend it to some of my friends, I can't recommend this to someone who is not Indian. It has too-Indian feel for it, but I'm glad I've given it a chance.
May be this could be first step of restoring my faith in Indian authors. Well, it's a hope.....
November 3, 2015
When I first heard about the book, the title 'Hidden Husband' stirred a strange curiosity in me. What might it actually mean? May be it is a story about adultery or extra marital affair was my first guess. But I was wrong. I couldn't have been far off the mark. The author Shikha Kaul has managed to write a brilliant debut which is far from being predictable. It is a book which will draw you right inside from the very beginning and keeps you engaged till the very ending.
Aisha, the female protagonist of this novel, is a strong woman. She is a HR of a company and little did she expect to find her soulmate in one of the candidates she interviewed on a rather normal working day. Raghav, tall and handsome, manages to capture her heart and both are madly in love for each other. But things aren't easy for lovers in India and so it is for Aisha and Raghav. Aisha being from another community, Raghav's family is strictly against their love. The young couple take a drastic step after which there is only tests and more tests for them. Will they be able to cross each hurdle in their path and remain together till the end? Or will the pressure be too much that love will finally die? Read this amazing novel by Shikha to find out what happens in the end.
Things I Liked:
Read the full review here - Escape Reality - Book Reviews
September 3, 2015
This is a gripping story with a realistic plot written with easily imaginable scenarios and developments. She has taken a balanced approach is mixing all the elements of writing industry in her story and has succeeded decently otherwise; this could have turned out something else. Her hold in releasing the thoughts and sharing the path with the characters makes her an author to be eyed upon. As she herself is motivated to write for long, I bet she would have more good stuff to soothe the readers’ senses.
She has portrayed strong characters with influential turn of events which make you think (as responsible social beings) if our existence is worth the social environ, that we have crafted around us, in the name of being – ‘CULTURAL’. The development of the story is commendable. The title of the story is very much suitable and alluring enough to catch up the eyeballs. The book cover might look a mis-match in the start but as you delve into the pages, you will get to learn about the significance of having this one.
All in all, it is an interesting read! This work is recommended for self-made ladies and ambitious girls who would love to carve their own niche in society.
Source: https://booksnewsindia.wordpress.com/...
She has portrayed strong characters with influential turn of events which make you think (as responsible social beings) if our existence is worth the social environ, that we have crafted around us, in the name of being – ‘CULTURAL’. The development of the story is commendable. The title of the story is very much suitable and alluring enough to catch up the eyeballs. The book cover might look a mis-match in the start but as you delve into the pages, you will get to learn about the significance of having this one.
All in all, it is an interesting read! This work is recommended for self-made ladies and ambitious girls who would love to carve their own niche in society.
Source: https://booksnewsindia.wordpress.com/...
October 29, 2015
The title and the spread page make you think, envision the other way and you feel like if something other than what’s expected is covered up in the book’s pages Hidden Husband. For other it may sound as a general story yet then you don’t see what you have read. You have to glimpse inside, you have to read this book to comprehend what it intends to take the public and their requirements.
I read last section and epilogue for 3 times and it’s what kept me excited.
A few books are much the same as that and you need to compose more about them, yet then on the off chance that you feel if the book has something worth reading then you don’t open its mystery and that is the thing that I am doing with this book.
The account and imaginative abilities of the author Shikha Kaul are to a great degree excellent one with her funniness and dark side written in the story; not very many writer figures out how to compose this profundity with that much conviction and with this book Shikha has given a valiant effort and flaunted her emotions and creative ability to readers that would be worldwide with the reason.
I read last section and epilogue for 3 times and it’s what kept me excited.
A few books are much the same as that and you need to compose more about them, yet then on the off chance that you feel if the book has something worth reading then you don’t open its mystery and that is the thing that I am doing with this book.
The account and imaginative abilities of the author Shikha Kaul are to a great degree excellent one with her funniness and dark side written in the story; not very many writer figures out how to compose this profundity with that much conviction and with this book Shikha has given a valiant effort and flaunted her emotions and creative ability to readers that would be worldwide with the reason.
September 26, 2016
I must say it made me think & choke with several emotions. More powers to the author. It's definitely a learning for the generation that takes impulsive decisions which they fail to stand to and worst of all keep them secret. Good one indeed!
September 17, 2015
4.5* Stars To HIDDEN HUSBAND by Shikha Kaul
I have finished reading ‘HIDDEN HUSBAND’- the debutant novel by authoress Shikha Khanduja Kaul on 28th August.
ABOUT BOOK
‘HIDDEN HUSBAND’ is the debut fiction novel by debutant authoress Shikha Kaul. Book’s cover is designed by Amol Karambe which looks very pretty and indicates something hidden inside the briefcase which is holded in a girl’s hands. Book’s amazing cover and mysterious title ‘HIDDEN HUSBAND’ carried with subtitle ‘Some Secrets Never Leave You..’ attracts you to pick up the book. The book is published by Pulkit Gupta’s Gargi Publishers.
ABOUT AUTHORESS
Shikha Khanduja Kaul is an Indian author who was born in Amritsar, Punjab. Her family moved to Gurgaon in 1992 and she has seen the city grow from a small town to being the Millennium City of India. She completed her schooling from Gurgaon and later graduated with Honours in Physics from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University, She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (HR) from Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning.
She found her passion for writing not too long ago. Her debut fiction novel is a love-story with a touch of realities prevailing in the Indian society that form the foundation of the biases against women for centuries. She hopes to come up with at least one novel every year for as many years as she can. With the plethora of ideas that the authoress in her is eager to offer, she wishes her ‘Happy Reading’.
BLURB
Aisha is trapped in her own secret which makes her life hell. Her love for Raghav is true. But hailing from two very different cultures is the basis of their continued friction. Aisha is a Punjabi girl from Gurgaon and Raghav a Bihari from Ranchi. Raghav’s family will certainly nort accept a girl from outside their community. And yet, he continues giving her false hopes through his efforts and promises.
And then they take a step which entangles her life further.
Will she manage to come out of this quandary or must she continue to live in her self-created web? Explore her journey that makes her realize the atrocities being committed on women in the Indian society and the tough decisions she must take, keeping her most loved ones oblivious to everything happening in her life.
PROLOGUE
Authoress has introduced characters of Aisha and Sameer very beautifully in the prologue. Prologue seems like a filmy scene.
The book is divided into 6 parts. I would like to name every part i.e. Prologue- Like A Filmy Scene, Part I- Love, Part II- Break up & Knowledge, Part III- Hidden Marriage, Hidden Husband & Tragedies, Part IV- Suspense/Mysteries & Truth, Part V- Hidden Surprises, Part VI- Happy Wedding and Epilogue- Hope for Sequel.
Let’s come to the review now:-
PURE LOVE & ROMANCE
Prologue and the first part have lots of love and romance. Actually I avoid reading love stories as many authors try to include unnecessary intimate scenes to present the novel HOT. But the HIDDEN HUSBAND is about PURE LOVE. There are few pure romantic scenes described gracefully by the authoress. HIDDEN HUSBAND too has few intimate scenes but those neither seem unnecessary nor vulgar. If any pleasure loving reader picks up the book to please himself, he will be despaired. There are also few kiss scenes in HIDDEN HUSBAND, but authoress scribbled them elegantly. I liked HIDDEN HUSBAND because this novel is not about love! Yes! You are reading right! Definition of Love is being tainted now a days. People consider Love is equal to Sex, and I don’t want to disrespect authoress’ efforts to make this novel PLATONIC. Yes! HIDDEN HUSBAND is about PLATONIC LOVE. If you are searching for incentive adult love, this book is not for you. HIDDEN HUSBAND is for only those who love to read pure romance with platonic mind.
SIMPLE LANGUAGE
I graduated in B.A. (English Literature) from Yashvantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU), Nashik, and I am (English Literature) from Yashvantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU), Nashik, and I am a student of Post Graduation in an M.A. (English Literature) in Natwarlal Maniklal Dalal (NMD) College, Gondia from Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), Nagpur. But my English is not so good as you may notice in this blog post. I am a bookworm. I like to read English books, but I never dared before to spend money on English books; I always preferred translated version of English books. However I have a big collection of English ebooks in my laptop.
Hidden Husband is the first novel I have ever finished in English. But I rarely needed dictionary while reading Hidden Husband. I am very impressed on very simple language used in this book by its authoress. When I could understand full book without referring dictionary, you can imagine how simple language that would be. After complete reading of Hidden Husband, I started to purchase original English books. This book gave me confidence. There is a proper use of italic fonts to identify regional (Hindi/Punjabi) words easily.
TRUTH OF RANCHI (JHARKHAND) & BIHAR
Authoress informed about Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Biharis’ efforts and aims towards their career in IAS, IPS and IFS etcetera which is really appreciable. We get to know the lifestyle of women in Bihar and Jharkhand. But at the same time we can know the horrible conservative tendency of old age peoples towards love in Bihar. Authoress described that narrow mind tendency very well, but I think she had to comment on horrible fatwas about love in northern states in India.
QUOTES From HIDDEN HUSBAND
I would like to mention few quotes by Shikha Kaul from Hidden Husband."
"When a guy says, “Don’t worry,” it’s a direct warning signal that you must start worrying."
"Mother’s touch is a blessing to every child in the world. Not just to humans, but all animals and creatures too. There is no replacement or a substitute for a mother."
"They say you should never hide anything from your doctors and lawyers. Hiding from a doctor could lead your way to heaven (or hell). Hiding from a lawyer could land you behind bars. Doctors give you the right direction to your present and lawyers give a picture to your future. They need to know more than what you could share with your best of friends."
"Sometimes, it’s better to spend your life with someone who loves you rather than forcing yourself upon someone whom you love."
"A life-mate is supposed to fulfill the basic standards of a life cycle and a soul-mate is the one purely connected to your heart."
"Committing suicide is a crime. In fact, it’s an evil sin! If suicide was the only option, everyone in the world would do it. You need to move on in life. The world is a beautiful place and time is the biggest healer."
"You can’t change your past; neither can you foresee the future. But the present is all yours."
"If something doesn’t work out, it’s just that it’s not meant to be. Something else could be destined for us. Giving up is a cowardly act."
"If they slap you on one cheek, offer them the other two.- M.K. Gandhi"
QUOTES on HUMANITY from HIDDEN HUSBAND
"If the world could come up with one religion called ‘HUMAN’, the world would be a much better place to live in."
"Can we expect to come up with one culture for all called ‘HUMAN’, where no one would be Hindu or a Muslim or a Sikh or any other name belonging to any religion or community? Just ‘HUMAN’ for the sake of humans.
Instead of asking ‘Are you a Hindu’ or ‘Are you a Muslim’, let’s ask ‘Are you a ‘HUMAN’’"
"When God could create every human with the same organs, mind and feelings, who are we to divide them on the basis of religion?"
"To make a United India, we need to have a ‘HUMAN’ India."
"Deep inside, I was proud to be a Hindu. They could call me a hypocrite or a dissembler if they wished, but not terrorist."
"A Hindu could fear God, but not become a source of fear. We laughed when people made fun of us; not killed them."
MY QUOTES on HUMANITY
I would like to share my quotes on HUMANITY which I have noted in my unpublished Marathi autobiography Maazi Tai : Ek Athvan in 2010.
"There all religions are same. There exists only one religion in the universe, and that is ‘HUMANITY’! But HUMAN has divided this religion into ‘HINDU, MUSLIM, SIKH, ISAI, BAUDDHA, JAIN, PARSI’; and divided only GOD into ‘BHAGWAN, ALLAH, ESA (Yeshu Christ)’; and named universe made EARTH as ‘BHARAT (India), PAK (Pakistan), IRAN’; only one holy scripture as ‘RAMAYANA, MAHABHARATA, QURAN; then only shrine place as ‘MANDIR (Temple), MASJID(Mosque), GURUDWARA.- Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)"
"Every human has same blood, same body structure.- Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)"
"I ask- When the creator did not discriminate, who did entitle human to do discrimination?- Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)"
"Actually there should be no objection to consider ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ same as only one; because Muslims’ most important festival ‘RAMAZAN EID’ starts with the name of Hindu’s Lord ‘RAMA’ and Hindu’s biggest festival ‘DIWALI’ ends with the name of Muslim prophet ALI. When RAMAZAN EID is incomplete without Lord RAMA and DIWALI is incomplete without ALI, I question myself that how can we imagine about Hindus without Muslims and Muslims without Hindus.- Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)"
NARRATION via PHONE CONVERSATION
I liked the way authoress used to narrate few emotions like happy teasing, frustration, love and hate between Aisha & her best friend Piyali; and Aisha & Raghav on phone.
SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATATION
I think authoress would read, studied, referred books or researched a lot before penning down the book which worked very well. HIDDEN HUSBAND gives you proper knowledge or information about Hindu brides, work of Endocrinologists, step by step procedure of registered marriages, meaning of MARRIAGE- 'Most Amazing Response from Relatives In A Grand Event', meaning of 7 vows groom & bride take in witness of sacred fire in Hindu marriage and how Raghav and Aisha fulfill and violate those vows. I have mucked almost every page of book with underlines and square brackets as my favourite part of book.
OUTSTANDING CONVERSATION WITH GOD
I liked to read the conversations between Aisha and God which held in her dreams. Authoress used a unique way to comment on God’s existence and what God would have said about religion if he would visible. Authoress comment on religion from God’s point of view is true. Really, she has tackled a very serious and sensitive topic in simple language. This is a time everyone should think seriously instead of debating on religions.
SOCIAL ISSUES & AUTHORESS’ COMMENT
Authoress described so many social issues like slow working speed in government offices, corruption, inter-state marriages, rapes, females’ molestation, girl fetuses’ feticides, facts of dowry and Biharis’ tendency about dowry rates according to designation of a groom, overuse of abbreviations, horrible figures of crimes against children, superstition, authoress’ indirect massage to donate for the charity for the sake of good cause, bomb blasts, terror attacks, Aisha’s emotional relation with her car and so on…
TOUCH OF THE REALITIES
Authoress tried to connect Aisha’s life with realities like unfortunate Kedarnath deluge tragedy in Uttarakhand, 16/12 Delhi Gang Rape Case in 2013 , Terror Attack in Army School in Pakistan on 16/12/2014 and general Loksabha Elections 2014. At the beginning, readers feel this connection unnecessary and I thought author did stretched the story; but authoress interweaved Aisha’s life to those realities beautifully.
LETTERS
Two letters are scribbled in a book. First is a billet-doux (love letter) to Aisha from her friend Sameer and another one is to the Prime Minister of India from a bomb blast victim Aisha. In first letter, Sameer expresses his feelings for Aisha. I don’t know, Aisha (I mean authoress) sent the second letter to the Prime Minister Office (PMO) or not; but yeah! I think authoress should send this fiction novel or at least that fictitious letter to the PMO, and honorable Prime Minister must read the feelings of common bomb blast / terror attack victim through the character of Aisha. Authoress has raised very serious questions of common victim of religions through Aisha’s character.
TODAY’s QUIZ
Authoress mentioned a unique idea about a group on social networking sites/messengers apps. The idea is about ‘Today’s Quiz’ I like the concept of that group too much, and I would like to create my own group on WhatsApp/Facebook with same concept but little changes in rules in future.
OK! Anyway I have mentioned so many positive points. Now let me tell you minor drawbacks of HIDDEN HUSBAND.
DRAWBACKS
Relation with other books:- Few scenes like love, cricket and politics reminded me The 3 Mistakes Of My Life. HIDDEN HUSBAND’s main plot/story is based on inter-state marriage in different cultures which remind you 2 States by Chetan Bhagat. I know that authoress’ intentions would not have been to co-relate with Chetan Bhagat’s writing style for sure, but I noted because I felt it from the beginning. Anyway this relation may just be a co-incidence and nothing more so we can ignore this.
Use of Future Tense: Authoress has used future dates like 8th December 2015, year 2017 etc. I think a writer should avoid post published dates/period of 1st publication of a book. Future period is expected in novels written on theme of adventures only.
Weak Binding: I know, you wont tolerate me if I said binding of HIDDEN HUSBAND is weak, but yeah; binding would have been better than present one, publishers have to work on book’s binding.
Rakshabandhan: We read that Aisha married to a guy who was trying save himself from embarrassment on Rakshabandhan in standard eighth. Though Sameer was loving Aisha, she didn’t know but the described picture in school on holy Rakshabandhan is still not changed. Even today, so many schools celebrates Rakshabandhan. I am not against of this festival, but as Aisha tells in a book, ‘most of the guys were saving themselves from embarrassment.” No! I will correct the sentence on Aisha’s behalf “most of the guys have been saving themselves from embarrassment.” Second paragraph from page no. 224 hearted me too much, really! And the co-incidence was I was reading the page and finished the book on 28th August, just a day before Rakshabandhan. I ask, why girls tie rakhis to the guys who embarrass? If any guy agreed to tie rakhi from a school friend, does she fulfill the ritual by tying/sending rakhi to that school friend every year after leaving school? No, rarely any girl continues to tie rakhi to a school friend every year after leaving school. Ok! What happened next? Same Aisha married to a guy whom she was trying to tie rakhi a day in school. Then I ask, why girls tie rakhis to the guys who embarrass? What do they want to prove by tying rakhis to classmates? For just to change mindset of guys towards girls? Does that happen by just a thread of silk? NO and NEVER! A thread of silk can never change guys’ lustful mindset towards girls, and if guys’ mindset would be pure, there would not even a need/force to tie rakhis from girls. I think writers should despair this kind of customs from literature in this generation.
Epilogue:- In the epilogue, we get a surprise about Aisha’s son Shreyas’ girlfriend Priya’s father; I wont reveal what a surprise actually is! But I felt that surprise sad but that kind of relation should be limited till novel.
REVIEWER’s NOTES
To Make Sequel/Film:- Though many have suggested the same to the authoress I too would suggest her to bring sequel of HIDDEN HUSBAND soon. I would like if any producer/director shoot a film on the script/story of HIDDEN HUSBAND with the permission of authoress and publishers.
Importantant Note:- When I was sharing my thoughts on twitter while reading HIDDEN HUSBAND; my friends thought, I have been paid to promote this book; but let me tell you that I am not get paid even a penny by the authoress or publishers or anyone for this review. I wrote what I felt about a book. Believe me, I tried to share my honest review or honest analysis of HIDDEN HUSBAND.
Rating:- Generally I don’t like to rate a books as I am not a book reviewer or book critic by profession. If I would, I will give 4.5* out of 5 stars to the HIDDEN HUSBAND by Shikha Khanduja Kaul under Gargi Publishers.
Note:- This is my individual analysis of HIDDEN HUSBAND and your reading experience may be different.
BOOK SUMMARY OF HIDDEN HUSBAND
Title: HIDDEN HUSBAND
Subtitle: SOME SECRETS NEVER LEAVE YOU..
Authoress: SHIKHA KHANDUJA KAUL
Edited By: Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi
Publisher: Pulkit Gupta
First Published By: GARGI PUBLISHERS(in June 2015)
Cover Design By: Amol Karambe
Copyright: © Shikha Kaul
Genre: FICTION
ISBN-13: 9789384382070
No. of Pages: 242 (with cover)
MRP: Rs.195/- (Incl. all taxes)
Rating: 4.5* out of 5 (4½/5)
Reviewer: RAJESH D. HAJARE (RDH)
So what are you waiting for just go and grab your copy of HIDDEN HUSBAND below
Note: HIDDEN HUSBAND (a book) was sent to me by it’s authoress Shikha Khanduja Kaul for Review.
Reviewer of this book is the President of Gondia District at Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Parishad, Pune.
Thanks for reading the review! I would like to know your valuable feedback on this blog in via comment, message, call, SMS, mail, tweet, WhatsApp or any other media.
P.S.: Read this review on my blog.
I have finished reading ‘HIDDEN HUSBAND’- the debutant novel by authoress Shikha Khanduja Kaul on 28th August.
ABOUT BOOK
‘HIDDEN HUSBAND’ is the debut fiction novel by debutant authoress Shikha Kaul. Book’s cover is designed by Amol Karambe which looks very pretty and indicates something hidden inside the briefcase which is holded in a girl’s hands. Book’s amazing cover and mysterious title ‘HIDDEN HUSBAND’ carried with subtitle ‘Some Secrets Never Leave You..’ attracts you to pick up the book. The book is published by Pulkit Gupta’s Gargi Publishers.
ABOUT AUTHORESS
Shikha Khanduja Kaul is an Indian author who was born in Amritsar, Punjab. Her family moved to Gurgaon in 1992 and she has seen the city grow from a small town to being the Millennium City of India. She completed her schooling from Gurgaon and later graduated with Honours in Physics from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University, She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (HR) from Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning.
She found her passion for writing not too long ago. Her debut fiction novel is a love-story with a touch of realities prevailing in the Indian society that form the foundation of the biases against women for centuries. She hopes to come up with at least one novel every year for as many years as she can. With the plethora of ideas that the authoress in her is eager to offer, she wishes her ‘Happy Reading’.
BLURB
Aisha is trapped in her own secret which makes her life hell. Her love for Raghav is true. But hailing from two very different cultures is the basis of their continued friction. Aisha is a Punjabi girl from Gurgaon and Raghav a Bihari from Ranchi. Raghav’s family will certainly nort accept a girl from outside their community. And yet, he continues giving her false hopes through his efforts and promises.
And then they take a step which entangles her life further.
Will she manage to come out of this quandary or must she continue to live in her self-created web? Explore her journey that makes her realize the atrocities being committed on women in the Indian society and the tough decisions she must take, keeping her most loved ones oblivious to everything happening in her life.
PROLOGUE
Authoress has introduced characters of Aisha and Sameer very beautifully in the prologue. Prologue seems like a filmy scene.
The book is divided into 6 parts. I would like to name every part i.e. Prologue- Like A Filmy Scene, Part I- Love, Part II- Break up & Knowledge, Part III- Hidden Marriage, Hidden Husband & Tragedies, Part IV- Suspense/Mysteries & Truth, Part V- Hidden Surprises, Part VI- Happy Wedding and Epilogue- Hope for Sequel.
Let’s come to the review now:-
PURE LOVE & ROMANCE
Prologue and the first part have lots of love and romance. Actually I avoid reading love stories as many authors try to include unnecessary intimate scenes to present the novel HOT. But the HIDDEN HUSBAND is about PURE LOVE. There are few pure romantic scenes described gracefully by the authoress. HIDDEN HUSBAND too has few intimate scenes but those neither seem unnecessary nor vulgar. If any pleasure loving reader picks up the book to please himself, he will be despaired. There are also few kiss scenes in HIDDEN HUSBAND, but authoress scribbled them elegantly. I liked HIDDEN HUSBAND because this novel is not about love! Yes! You are reading right! Definition of Love is being tainted now a days. People consider Love is equal to Sex, and I don’t want to disrespect authoress’ efforts to make this novel PLATONIC. Yes! HIDDEN HUSBAND is about PLATONIC LOVE. If you are searching for incentive adult love, this book is not for you. HIDDEN HUSBAND is for only those who love to read pure romance with platonic mind.
SIMPLE LANGUAGE
I graduated in B.A. (English Literature) from Yashvantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU), Nashik, and I am (English Literature) from Yashvantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU), Nashik, and I am a student of Post Graduation in an M.A. (English Literature) in Natwarlal Maniklal Dalal (NMD) College, Gondia from Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), Nagpur. But my English is not so good as you may notice in this blog post. I am a bookworm. I like to read English books, but I never dared before to spend money on English books; I always preferred translated version of English books. However I have a big collection of English ebooks in my laptop.
Hidden Husband is the first novel I have ever finished in English. But I rarely needed dictionary while reading Hidden Husband. I am very impressed on very simple language used in this book by its authoress. When I could understand full book without referring dictionary, you can imagine how simple language that would be. After complete reading of Hidden Husband, I started to purchase original English books. This book gave me confidence. There is a proper use of italic fonts to identify regional (Hindi/Punjabi) words easily.
TRUTH OF RANCHI (JHARKHAND) & BIHAR
Authoress informed about Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Biharis’ efforts and aims towards their career in IAS, IPS and IFS etcetera which is really appreciable. We get to know the lifestyle of women in Bihar and Jharkhand. But at the same time we can know the horrible conservative tendency of old age peoples towards love in Bihar. Authoress described that narrow mind tendency very well, but I think she had to comment on horrible fatwas about love in northern states in India.
QUOTES From HIDDEN HUSBAND
I would like to mention few quotes by Shikha Kaul from Hidden Husband."
"When a guy says, “Don’t worry,” it’s a direct warning signal that you must start worrying."
"Mother’s touch is a blessing to every child in the world. Not just to humans, but all animals and creatures too. There is no replacement or a substitute for a mother."
"They say you should never hide anything from your doctors and lawyers. Hiding from a doctor could lead your way to heaven (or hell). Hiding from a lawyer could land you behind bars. Doctors give you the right direction to your present and lawyers give a picture to your future. They need to know more than what you could share with your best of friends."
"Sometimes, it’s better to spend your life with someone who loves you rather than forcing yourself upon someone whom you love."
"A life-mate is supposed to fulfill the basic standards of a life cycle and a soul-mate is the one purely connected to your heart."
"Committing suicide is a crime. In fact, it’s an evil sin! If suicide was the only option, everyone in the world would do it. You need to move on in life. The world is a beautiful place and time is the biggest healer."
"You can’t change your past; neither can you foresee the future. But the present is all yours."
"If something doesn’t work out, it’s just that it’s not meant to be. Something else could be destined for us. Giving up is a cowardly act."
"If they slap you on one cheek, offer them the other two.- M.K. Gandhi"
QUOTES on HUMANITY from HIDDEN HUSBAND
"If the world could come up with one religion called ‘HUMAN’, the world would be a much better place to live in."
"Can we expect to come up with one culture for all called ‘HUMAN’, where no one would be Hindu or a Muslim or a Sikh or any other name belonging to any religion or community? Just ‘HUMAN’ for the sake of humans.
Instead of asking ‘Are you a Hindu’ or ‘Are you a Muslim’, let’s ask ‘Are you a ‘HUMAN’’"
"When God could create every human with the same organs, mind and feelings, who are we to divide them on the basis of religion?"
"To make a United India, we need to have a ‘HUMAN’ India."
"Deep inside, I was proud to be a Hindu. They could call me a hypocrite or a dissembler if they wished, but not terrorist."
"A Hindu could fear God, but not become a source of fear. We laughed when people made fun of us; not killed them."
MY QUOTES on HUMANITY
I would like to share my quotes on HUMANITY which I have noted in my unpublished Marathi autobiography Maazi Tai : Ek Athvan in 2010.
"There all religions are same. There exists only one religion in the universe, and that is ‘HUMANITY’! But HUMAN has divided this religion into ‘HINDU, MUSLIM, SIKH, ISAI, BAUDDHA, JAIN, PARSI’; and divided only GOD into ‘BHAGWAN, ALLAH, ESA (Yeshu Christ)’; and named universe made EARTH as ‘BHARAT (India), PAK (Pakistan), IRAN’; only one holy scripture as ‘RAMAYANA, MAHABHARATA, QURAN; then only shrine place as ‘MANDIR (Temple), MASJID(Mosque), GURUDWARA.- Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)"
"Every human has same blood, same body structure.- Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)"
"I ask- When the creator did not discriminate, who did entitle human to do discrimination?- Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)"
"Actually there should be no objection to consider ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ same as only one; because Muslims’ most important festival ‘RAMAZAN EID’ starts with the name of Hindu’s Lord ‘RAMA’ and Hindu’s biggest festival ‘DIWALI’ ends with the name of Muslim prophet ALI. When RAMAZAN EID is incomplete without Lord RAMA and DIWALI is incomplete without ALI, I question myself that how can we imagine about Hindus without Muslims and Muslims without Hindus.- Rajesh D. Hajare (RDH)"
NARRATION via PHONE CONVERSATION
I liked the way authoress used to narrate few emotions like happy teasing, frustration, love and hate between Aisha & her best friend Piyali; and Aisha & Raghav on phone.
SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATATION
I think authoress would read, studied, referred books or researched a lot before penning down the book which worked very well. HIDDEN HUSBAND gives you proper knowledge or information about Hindu brides, work of Endocrinologists, step by step procedure of registered marriages, meaning of MARRIAGE- 'Most Amazing Response from Relatives In A Grand Event', meaning of 7 vows groom & bride take in witness of sacred fire in Hindu marriage and how Raghav and Aisha fulfill and violate those vows. I have mucked almost every page of book with underlines and square brackets as my favourite part of book.
OUTSTANDING CONVERSATION WITH GOD
I liked to read the conversations between Aisha and God which held in her dreams. Authoress used a unique way to comment on God’s existence and what God would have said about religion if he would visible. Authoress comment on religion from God’s point of view is true. Really, she has tackled a very serious and sensitive topic in simple language. This is a time everyone should think seriously instead of debating on religions.
SOCIAL ISSUES & AUTHORESS’ COMMENT
Authoress described so many social issues like slow working speed in government offices, corruption, inter-state marriages, rapes, females’ molestation, girl fetuses’ feticides, facts of dowry and Biharis’ tendency about dowry rates according to designation of a groom, overuse of abbreviations, horrible figures of crimes against children, superstition, authoress’ indirect massage to donate for the charity for the sake of good cause, bomb blasts, terror attacks, Aisha’s emotional relation with her car and so on…
TOUCH OF THE REALITIES
Authoress tried to connect Aisha’s life with realities like unfortunate Kedarnath deluge tragedy in Uttarakhand, 16/12 Delhi Gang Rape Case in 2013 , Terror Attack in Army School in Pakistan on 16/12/2014 and general Loksabha Elections 2014. At the beginning, readers feel this connection unnecessary and I thought author did stretched the story; but authoress interweaved Aisha’s life to those realities beautifully.
LETTERS
Two letters are scribbled in a book. First is a billet-doux (love letter) to Aisha from her friend Sameer and another one is to the Prime Minister of India from a bomb blast victim Aisha. In first letter, Sameer expresses his feelings for Aisha. I don’t know, Aisha (I mean authoress) sent the second letter to the Prime Minister Office (PMO) or not; but yeah! I think authoress should send this fiction novel or at least that fictitious letter to the PMO, and honorable Prime Minister must read the feelings of common bomb blast / terror attack victim through the character of Aisha. Authoress has raised very serious questions of common victim of religions through Aisha’s character.
TODAY’s QUIZ
Authoress mentioned a unique idea about a group on social networking sites/messengers apps. The idea is about ‘Today’s Quiz’ I like the concept of that group too much, and I would like to create my own group on WhatsApp/Facebook with same concept but little changes in rules in future.
OK! Anyway I have mentioned so many positive points. Now let me tell you minor drawbacks of HIDDEN HUSBAND.
DRAWBACKS
Relation with other books:- Few scenes like love, cricket and politics reminded me The 3 Mistakes Of My Life. HIDDEN HUSBAND’s main plot/story is based on inter-state marriage in different cultures which remind you 2 States by Chetan Bhagat. I know that authoress’ intentions would not have been to co-relate with Chetan Bhagat’s writing style for sure, but I noted because I felt it from the beginning. Anyway this relation may just be a co-incidence and nothing more so we can ignore this.
Use of Future Tense: Authoress has used future dates like 8th December 2015, year 2017 etc. I think a writer should avoid post published dates/period of 1st publication of a book. Future period is expected in novels written on theme of adventures only.
Weak Binding: I know, you wont tolerate me if I said binding of HIDDEN HUSBAND is weak, but yeah; binding would have been better than present one, publishers have to work on book’s binding.
Rakshabandhan: We read that Aisha married to a guy who was trying save himself from embarrassment on Rakshabandhan in standard eighth. Though Sameer was loving Aisha, she didn’t know but the described picture in school on holy Rakshabandhan is still not changed. Even today, so many schools celebrates Rakshabandhan. I am not against of this festival, but as Aisha tells in a book, ‘most of the guys were saving themselves from embarrassment.” No! I will correct the sentence on Aisha’s behalf “most of the guys have been saving themselves from embarrassment.” Second paragraph from page no. 224 hearted me too much, really! And the co-incidence was I was reading the page and finished the book on 28th August, just a day before Rakshabandhan. I ask, why girls tie rakhis to the guys who embarrass? If any guy agreed to tie rakhi from a school friend, does she fulfill the ritual by tying/sending rakhi to that school friend every year after leaving school? No, rarely any girl continues to tie rakhi to a school friend every year after leaving school. Ok! What happened next? Same Aisha married to a guy whom she was trying to tie rakhi a day in school. Then I ask, why girls tie rakhis to the guys who embarrass? What do they want to prove by tying rakhis to classmates? For just to change mindset of guys towards girls? Does that happen by just a thread of silk? NO and NEVER! A thread of silk can never change guys’ lustful mindset towards girls, and if guys’ mindset would be pure, there would not even a need/force to tie rakhis from girls. I think writers should despair this kind of customs from literature in this generation.
Epilogue:- In the epilogue, we get a surprise about Aisha’s son Shreyas’ girlfriend Priya’s father; I wont reveal what a surprise actually is! But I felt that surprise sad but that kind of relation should be limited till novel.
REVIEWER’s NOTES
To Make Sequel/Film:- Though many have suggested the same to the authoress I too would suggest her to bring sequel of HIDDEN HUSBAND soon. I would like if any producer/director shoot a film on the script/story of HIDDEN HUSBAND with the permission of authoress and publishers.
Importantant Note:- When I was sharing my thoughts on twitter while reading HIDDEN HUSBAND; my friends thought, I have been paid to promote this book; but let me tell you that I am not get paid even a penny by the authoress or publishers or anyone for this review. I wrote what I felt about a book. Believe me, I tried to share my honest review or honest analysis of HIDDEN HUSBAND.
Rating:- Generally I don’t like to rate a books as I am not a book reviewer or book critic by profession. If I would, I will give 4.5* out of 5 stars to the HIDDEN HUSBAND by Shikha Khanduja Kaul under Gargi Publishers.
Note:- This is my individual analysis of HIDDEN HUSBAND and your reading experience may be different.
BOOK SUMMARY OF HIDDEN HUSBAND
Title: HIDDEN HUSBAND
Subtitle: SOME SECRETS NEVER LEAVE YOU..
Authoress: SHIKHA KHANDUJA KAUL
Edited By: Gargi Sarkhel Bagchi
Publisher: Pulkit Gupta
First Published By: GARGI PUBLISHERS(in June 2015)
Cover Design By: Amol Karambe
Copyright: © Shikha Kaul
Genre: FICTION
ISBN-13: 9789384382070
No. of Pages: 242 (with cover)
MRP: Rs.195/- (Incl. all taxes)
Rating: 4.5* out of 5 (4½/5)
Reviewer: RAJESH D. HAJARE (RDH)
So what are you waiting for just go and grab your copy of HIDDEN HUSBAND below
Note: HIDDEN HUSBAND (a book) was sent to me by it’s authoress Shikha Khanduja Kaul for Review.
Reviewer of this book is the President of Gondia District at Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Parishad, Pune.
Thanks for reading the review! I would like to know your valuable feedback on this blog in via comment, message, call, SMS, mail, tweet, WhatsApp or any other media.
P.S.: Read this review on my blog.
October 15, 2015
MY REVIEW:
Hidden husband is a wonderful story of love, relationships and the tests which it has to go through in India.
TITLE, SUBTITLE AND COVER:
Title is quite enthralling; to be honest I purchased the book in the first place for its arresting title (which I always do). Somehow when I heard the name of the book, the idea of thriller postulated in my mind, though the story didn't come out the way I had imagined but that I think has to be the strong quality of a thriving book that it shouldn't prosecute the sense of 'already read somewhere' to its reader.
Subtitle compliments the title and indeed assures the reader that the story has something grave store in it, giving rise to the curiosity level.
Book cover by Amol karambe is also mesmerising; there is a touch of mysteriousness and secrecy in it, be it the enshrouded face of the woman, the locked suitcase or the composed posture and the suitcase placed on lap. I happened to see a bunch of covers designed by Amol karambe by now and he does his job praiseworthily.
PROLOGUE:
A suitable begining to the story, quite pleasantly the three main characters; Aisha, Piyali and Sameer are introduced. Giving a slight blow to the reader's curosity, Raghav's name is mentioned in a mysterious way. That's when I decided to proceed through the reading.
THE PLOT OR STORY:
One of the strongest part of this book is its story which will surely provide the taste of success.
The entire story is divided into six parts, each having a different phase of the protagonist's life.
Its a story about a girl Aisha saluja and her journey named as SMS by the author, what exactly it means? You will have to find out yourself.
What I loved about the book was the feel of a real life journey, a diary of a girl. You know that its a piece of fiction still the details, events and incidents are knitted effectively by the author that it seemed like a real life story of a human.
The helplessness of Aisha trapped between her heart and mind with a guilt of hurting her loved ones. Raghav's entangled state burdened with duties and responsiblities and circumstances not allowing him to fulfill them and he only waited for a miracle to happen. Piyali's mindful opinions regarding the whole situation yet her concern for her friend whom she knew was emotionally rooted deep in the mess.
The story was strangely unpredictable like the real life with plans getting failed and expectations not being fulfilled.
Although the story lost its pace in the middle pages and it went slow but then it gathered its course, concluding gracefully.
CHARACTERS:
Characters of the story are quite real. The main characters Aisha (protagonist), Raghav, Sameer, Piyali, Aruna and Sachin seemed strong, they weren't angels neither were they demons. They all posessed the grey shades, reacting and reciprocating with the ever changing circumstances, at times you would love them and at others you would detest their actions. You could easily find them in your surroundings, the people next door.
The strongest character was that of Aisha; a workoholic when met with the love of her life became the most romantic lover, a married woman struggling to sought the acceptance, a guilt ridden daughter trying all her bits to make her parents happy and then before the ending she came out as more mature woman who due to the prospective uncertainty of the future was forced to leave her fancies and join the wagon of responsible life, accepting what life has to offer. With that change she tread the path of broader perspective, dedicating her days to social causes, making everyone happy around her. This character held the true colours of an Indian woman; a strong willed woman sacrificed her own happiness, living for others and finding peace in smiles.
SOME DISTINCT ASPECTS:
Touch with Reality:
Quite impressively the authoress has interwoven strong events of historic past in the story like the Uttrakhand tragedy, Delhi gang rape, Terror attack at army school in Pakistan, General lok Sabha Election in Delhi, Bomb Blast etc and with each event she had shown its effect on protagonist's life and presented her views regarding it, potently raising the awareness and questions at the social evils.
Part Five:
I know it isn't needed to mention a particular portion of a book in its review but my personal favourite was par five. Why?? For the first time I have felt the bitterness of divorce, break up or separation etc. A major break up in the story brought me to tears. Love doesn't just evaporate in thin air yet people have to part ways falling prey to the harsh realities. I could deeply feel the characters' hopes for everything to fall in place, the wait for unknown period, the desperation to be accepted, the efforts to pass every hurdle, the Indian dream of living happily on their own wishes yet to include the families in their happiness.
Purity and Decency:
Indian culture is quite disntinct in itself, the amount of respect we have for almost everything is the beauty of our country. I detest any form of art which try to shatter this culture to pieces. When a bull fight to outrun such limits is seen evidently, Shikha kaul has used a very simple and decent language to portray a love story. You won't sense the lack of romantic feel, neither the essence of a love story is absent. Yet it is decent and fluent in its course, no vulgar language and scenes are enlaced. I would recommend it, to atleast read the book and ascertin that a story can be romantic without the need of erotic writing. Kudos to the authoress's on her successful attempt.
EPILOGUE:
Epilogue; I felt was the only weak section of the book. It was less effective than the prologue, a bit disappointing after such a great read. The climax got suppressed somewhere, predictable and unreal for a story that seemed so vividly real.
LOOK FORWARD TO:
• The Author's command over the English language.
• The flowing and effortless writing style.
• The impressive blend of historic events in the storyline.
• Step by step divulge and the natural pace of the story.
• Strong Characterisation.
• Spread of awareness for social evils, gracefully interwoven with a love story.
• Captivating title and book cover.
• Good editing, no glitches are there to cause disturbance in reading.
SCOPE FOR ENHANCEMENT:
• The length could have been cut off a bit.
• Climax was predictable and blurred, presented unclear and in a hurry.
• The haste at the end, to finish the book I think.
• The dates of the historic events entwined could have been mentioned clearly. (Its just an optional suggestion, it didn't affect the quality of the book)
LAST WORDS:
I am not a traditional reviewer. I purchased the book, read it and wrote what I felt leafing through its pages. I don't either consider myself to rate a book so I haven't and these are entirely my views, yours may differ.
Nothing is perfect, but efforts are always genuine and 'Hidden Husband' is a fine example. Overall the book is a ride worth taking, a life lived in 236 pages.
Congratulations to the author Shikha Kaul and I thank her for letting us enter her vivid world of imaginations through HIDDEN HUSBAND and I wish her success for her coming endeavours. (Ameen, Insha Allah)
Its a novel that would remain in my memories for days to come. I learned a lot from the book and you must also give it a try, grab the book from amazon and flipkart both.
Hidden husband is a wonderful story of love, relationships and the tests which it has to go through in India.
TITLE, SUBTITLE AND COVER:
Title is quite enthralling; to be honest I purchased the book in the first place for its arresting title (which I always do). Somehow when I heard the name of the book, the idea of thriller postulated in my mind, though the story didn't come out the way I had imagined but that I think has to be the strong quality of a thriving book that it shouldn't prosecute the sense of 'already read somewhere' to its reader.
Subtitle compliments the title and indeed assures the reader that the story has something grave store in it, giving rise to the curiosity level.
Book cover by Amol karambe is also mesmerising; there is a touch of mysteriousness and secrecy in it, be it the enshrouded face of the woman, the locked suitcase or the composed posture and the suitcase placed on lap. I happened to see a bunch of covers designed by Amol karambe by now and he does his job praiseworthily.
PROLOGUE:
A suitable begining to the story, quite pleasantly the three main characters; Aisha, Piyali and Sameer are introduced. Giving a slight blow to the reader's curosity, Raghav's name is mentioned in a mysterious way. That's when I decided to proceed through the reading.
THE PLOT OR STORY:
One of the strongest part of this book is its story which will surely provide the taste of success.
The entire story is divided into six parts, each having a different phase of the protagonist's life.
Its a story about a girl Aisha saluja and her journey named as SMS by the author, what exactly it means? You will have to find out yourself.
What I loved about the book was the feel of a real life journey, a diary of a girl. You know that its a piece of fiction still the details, events and incidents are knitted effectively by the author that it seemed like a real life story of a human.
The helplessness of Aisha trapped between her heart and mind with a guilt of hurting her loved ones. Raghav's entangled state burdened with duties and responsiblities and circumstances not allowing him to fulfill them and he only waited for a miracle to happen. Piyali's mindful opinions regarding the whole situation yet her concern for her friend whom she knew was emotionally rooted deep in the mess.
The story was strangely unpredictable like the real life with plans getting failed and expectations not being fulfilled.
Although the story lost its pace in the middle pages and it went slow but then it gathered its course, concluding gracefully.
CHARACTERS:
Characters of the story are quite real. The main characters Aisha (protagonist), Raghav, Sameer, Piyali, Aruna and Sachin seemed strong, they weren't angels neither were they demons. They all posessed the grey shades, reacting and reciprocating with the ever changing circumstances, at times you would love them and at others you would detest their actions. You could easily find them in your surroundings, the people next door.
The strongest character was that of Aisha; a workoholic when met with the love of her life became the most romantic lover, a married woman struggling to sought the acceptance, a guilt ridden daughter trying all her bits to make her parents happy and then before the ending she came out as more mature woman who due to the prospective uncertainty of the future was forced to leave her fancies and join the wagon of responsible life, accepting what life has to offer. With that change she tread the path of broader perspective, dedicating her days to social causes, making everyone happy around her. This character held the true colours of an Indian woman; a strong willed woman sacrificed her own happiness, living for others and finding peace in smiles.
SOME DISTINCT ASPECTS:
Touch with Reality:
Quite impressively the authoress has interwoven strong events of historic past in the story like the Uttrakhand tragedy, Delhi gang rape, Terror attack at army school in Pakistan, General lok Sabha Election in Delhi, Bomb Blast etc and with each event she had shown its effect on protagonist's life and presented her views regarding it, potently raising the awareness and questions at the social evils.
Part Five:
I know it isn't needed to mention a particular portion of a book in its review but my personal favourite was par five. Why?? For the first time I have felt the bitterness of divorce, break up or separation etc. A major break up in the story brought me to tears. Love doesn't just evaporate in thin air yet people have to part ways falling prey to the harsh realities. I could deeply feel the characters' hopes for everything to fall in place, the wait for unknown period, the desperation to be accepted, the efforts to pass every hurdle, the Indian dream of living happily on their own wishes yet to include the families in their happiness.
Purity and Decency:
Indian culture is quite disntinct in itself, the amount of respect we have for almost everything is the beauty of our country. I detest any form of art which try to shatter this culture to pieces. When a bull fight to outrun such limits is seen evidently, Shikha kaul has used a very simple and decent language to portray a love story. You won't sense the lack of romantic feel, neither the essence of a love story is absent. Yet it is decent and fluent in its course, no vulgar language and scenes are enlaced. I would recommend it, to atleast read the book and ascertin that a story can be romantic without the need of erotic writing. Kudos to the authoress's on her successful attempt.
EPILOGUE:
Epilogue; I felt was the only weak section of the book. It was less effective than the prologue, a bit disappointing after such a great read. The climax got suppressed somewhere, predictable and unreal for a story that seemed so vividly real.
LOOK FORWARD TO:
• The Author's command over the English language.
• The flowing and effortless writing style.
• The impressive blend of historic events in the storyline.
• Step by step divulge and the natural pace of the story.
• Strong Characterisation.
• Spread of awareness for social evils, gracefully interwoven with a love story.
• Captivating title and book cover.
• Good editing, no glitches are there to cause disturbance in reading.
SCOPE FOR ENHANCEMENT:
• The length could have been cut off a bit.
• Climax was predictable and blurred, presented unclear and in a hurry.
• The haste at the end, to finish the book I think.
• The dates of the historic events entwined could have been mentioned clearly. (Its just an optional suggestion, it didn't affect the quality of the book)
LAST WORDS:
I am not a traditional reviewer. I purchased the book, read it and wrote what I felt leafing through its pages. I don't either consider myself to rate a book so I haven't and these are entirely my views, yours may differ.
Nothing is perfect, but efforts are always genuine and 'Hidden Husband' is a fine example. Overall the book is a ride worth taking, a life lived in 236 pages.
Congratulations to the author Shikha Kaul and I thank her for letting us enter her vivid world of imaginations through HIDDEN HUSBAND and I wish her success for her coming endeavours. (Ameen, Insha Allah)
Its a novel that would remain in my memories for days to come. I learned a lot from the book and you must also give it a try, grab the book from amazon and flipkart both.
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