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Figmented Reality
Addiction blurs our hold on reality; people say. But what if addiction becomes our reality? Siddharth had a fair few addictions in his wake. The challenge now was to differentiate between the ideal world and the real world. Will Siddharth be able to overcome his addictions and find true love. Or is it just another addiction? This book is not a biography of the author but is written in a way that author is the protaganist.
162 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2016
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February 4, 2017
I give 6/ 10 stars to “Figmented Reality” by Zuko published by Frog Books.
This is a psychological story having addictions, molestation, trauma cause psychosocial scars, romance and erotica.
There is one main protagonist Siddharth who has whole lot of issues. He is sexually molested when he was very young by an elderly lady. This has left a very wrong impression on his young psyche and he becomes addicted to weed, alcohol and masturbation. After completing his engineering he gets a job in Cochin and thinks about sex all the time. He is a serial masturbator you can say, as he is a virgin. When he was 16 he has an attraction on her mother’s 32 year old friend Veena. They go their separate ways and then he enrolls in a Deaddiction center, he meets her again. She has become an alcoholic and her marriage is on the verge of divorce. Here he meets another addict Ananya and his old college friend Adithya who becomes his roommate. In flashback he tells us the story of her college crush Nandita. It was a doomed love story. What happens next is the story. Will he end up with older Veena or younger Ananya??? Will he able to get over his addiction??
The book is thin and written in easy to understand but good English. Is kept me hooked and I finished it in one sitting in less than 2 hours. It builds a sense of anticipation that what will happen next. That keeps you going and then you are in the second part where he goes in the flashback about Nandita. There it starts to lose the grip and by the end it becomes so convoluted that you stop caring. It could have been a good book which showed a lot of promise in the first part but squandered all this in latter half.
The speeches in the first part at the beginning of each chapter are also worth mentioning. Some are good, some average and some plain wrong.
It seems that they were copied from some confused self help book or culled from many. They had little or connection with narrative or story and severely hampered the flow of story. I started skipping them after initial chapters. One sample:
“In the era of social media, attention is become is major influence in life. Once we are caught in that web, we are trapped. We are addicted to it. In words of Eagles, “You can check out any time, but you can never leave.” We might not even be aware of the addiction. If we don’t get it, we start becoming weak and restless.”
This may or may not be true but it definitely had no connection whatsoever with the narrative. And if these one and a half page monologues are present in the beginning of half of the chapters severely damaging the flow. Zuko was over eager to pepper the book with his own or inspired (read copied) philosophy.
The biggest problem is that there is no coherence, uniformity or boundary in the characterization of Siddharth. He has sexual attraction on a woman twice his age. He is molested sexually while young. He has plethora of addictions. He hallucinates. He is a schizophrenic and needs help as accepted by him. He may be a psychopath. He had a troubled relationship with his parents and that is way he preaches Veena to be a good mother. He falls for woman who does not respond to his advances and rejects another attractive and good girl, who proposes to him on her own volition. He comes out as the most confused person on the earth and there is nobody to diagnose him correctly. Not even Zuko. In fact when he write his love letter to Nandita he writes his name as Zuko. How weird is that???
To sum up it could have been a good book. But it turned out to be a very confused and preachy book. Anyway 6 stars out of 10 for the good parts.
P.S. Details about author are conspicuous by their absence in the book. The space for dedication is also blank and it simply says “DEDICATION TEXT”. This obscurity maybe a way of conveying something. I wonder what it maybe?
This is a psychological story having addictions, molestation, trauma cause psychosocial scars, romance and erotica.
There is one main protagonist Siddharth who has whole lot of issues. He is sexually molested when he was very young by an elderly lady. This has left a very wrong impression on his young psyche and he becomes addicted to weed, alcohol and masturbation. After completing his engineering he gets a job in Cochin and thinks about sex all the time. He is a serial masturbator you can say, as he is a virgin. When he was 16 he has an attraction on her mother’s 32 year old friend Veena. They go their separate ways and then he enrolls in a Deaddiction center, he meets her again. She has become an alcoholic and her marriage is on the verge of divorce. Here he meets another addict Ananya and his old college friend Adithya who becomes his roommate. In flashback he tells us the story of her college crush Nandita. It was a doomed love story. What happens next is the story. Will he end up with older Veena or younger Ananya??? Will he able to get over his addiction??
The book is thin and written in easy to understand but good English. Is kept me hooked and I finished it in one sitting in less than 2 hours. It builds a sense of anticipation that what will happen next. That keeps you going and then you are in the second part where he goes in the flashback about Nandita. There it starts to lose the grip and by the end it becomes so convoluted that you stop caring. It could have been a good book which showed a lot of promise in the first part but squandered all this in latter half.
The speeches in the first part at the beginning of each chapter are also worth mentioning. Some are good, some average and some plain wrong.
It seems that they were copied from some confused self help book or culled from many. They had little or connection with narrative or story and severely hampered the flow of story. I started skipping them after initial chapters. One sample:
“In the era of social media, attention is become is major influence in life. Once we are caught in that web, we are trapped. We are addicted to it. In words of Eagles, “You can check out any time, but you can never leave.” We might not even be aware of the addiction. If we don’t get it, we start becoming weak and restless.”
This may or may not be true but it definitely had no connection whatsoever with the narrative. And if these one and a half page monologues are present in the beginning of half of the chapters severely damaging the flow. Zuko was over eager to pepper the book with his own or inspired (read copied) philosophy.
The biggest problem is that there is no coherence, uniformity or boundary in the characterization of Siddharth. He has sexual attraction on a woman twice his age. He is molested sexually while young. He has plethora of addictions. He hallucinates. He is a schizophrenic and needs help as accepted by him. He may be a psychopath. He had a troubled relationship with his parents and that is way he preaches Veena to be a good mother. He falls for woman who does not respond to his advances and rejects another attractive and good girl, who proposes to him on her own volition. He comes out as the most confused person on the earth and there is nobody to diagnose him correctly. Not even Zuko. In fact when he write his love letter to Nandita he writes his name as Zuko. How weird is that???
To sum up it could have been a good book. But it turned out to be a very confused and preachy book. Anyway 6 stars out of 10 for the good parts.
P.S. Details about author are conspicuous by their absence in the book. The space for dedication is also blank and it simply says “DEDICATION TEXT”. This obscurity maybe a way of conveying something. I wonder what it maybe?
August 9, 2016
http://pebbleinthestillwaters.com/fig...
Figmented Reality by Zuko Nowhere Near To Reality – Book Review
Figmented Reality by Zuko is a total confusion. It is difficult to make out when the lead character of the story is having a hallucination. And when he is in the world of reality. Though Sid or Siddharth keeps dwindling between these two worlds but the story does not flow in a fluent manner. I have been a big fan of books Leadstart publishes but this one is an exception. Figmented Reality is not going to be part of my personal library, nor would I recommend it to read. Definitely, I will never read it again under any circumstances. If I have to rate this book, it can’t be more than 1 on a scale of 5. In fact, Figmented Reality by Zuko is an autobiography. But it is quite confusing. Especially the end is too rapid and abrupt. There are many ways where refinement of the story was possible.
I categorize any novel in one of the three categories. One, that give a strong message. Second, that are great stories. And third, inspirational and motivating. A memoir and autobiography could be part of any three. Every book has to have a purpose. This book has no purpose except a confusing and broken story. And an abrupt ending. The connecting threads are missing in the story. It is a poorly driven story. The only flawless part that I found in the book is the story of Nandita and Siddharth. This 160 odd pages book with 24 chapters is quite confusing until Chapter 18. Only interesting part is chapter 19 to 22.
Figmented Reality has many loose ends
Elsewhere I found every chapter in two portions. The first half of the chapter is generally a preaching text, while the rest part is storytelling. The two don’t gel well. The storytelling is in broken pieces. And preaching is quite boring and unconnected. In fact, the complete book could have been created in three books. One book only on preachings. And it could have been termed as self-help kind of book. In this book, there would have been no need of a story. The second book could have been a story of Veena and Siddharth. Along with the issues, Sid is facing and his family’s engagement in improving him. The third book could be an exclusive and complete story of Siddharth and Nandita. And the story could develop well as it moves. I see a big conflict in Siddharth in the story.
With the addictions and problems, he is facing he can’t be a good lover of Nandita. But he has been a good and respectful lover. Secondly, with such a level of addiction, he can’t be a good speaker. He is a good speaker at Addiction Control Center even having serious addictions.
The story of Figmented Reality goes like this. Siddharth is having serious addictions and similar problems in life. He gets infatuation towards Veena who is his mother’s friend. She is 32 and Sid just 16. Then Sid goes for his studies in Engineering. Here he meets Nandita. In between and after that he has a lot of issues in life. In fact, it is the only addiction, issues, and problems.
I am still unsure what Zuko is doing in the story if the lead character is Siddharth. When the story goes in flashback, Siddharth needs to be Siddharth only. Even when he is in his college days. But finally when he writes a letter to Nandita, his college mate, the signature is that of Zuko and not Siddharth. Is Zuko a reality and Siddharth an imaginative character of the same person? Overall, Figmented Reality by Zuko is fragments of many pieces. And like a puzzle you will have to keep trying in solving it endlessly. Maybe because there are many important pieces of the puzzle that are missing or lost while creating this story.
Figmented Reality by Zuko Nowhere Near To Reality – Book Review
Figmented Reality by Zuko is a total confusion. It is difficult to make out when the lead character of the story is having a hallucination. And when he is in the world of reality. Though Sid or Siddharth keeps dwindling between these two worlds but the story does not flow in a fluent manner. I have been a big fan of books Leadstart publishes but this one is an exception. Figmented Reality is not going to be part of my personal library, nor would I recommend it to read. Definitely, I will never read it again under any circumstances. If I have to rate this book, it can’t be more than 1 on a scale of 5. In fact, Figmented Reality by Zuko is an autobiography. But it is quite confusing. Especially the end is too rapid and abrupt. There are many ways where refinement of the story was possible.
I categorize any novel in one of the three categories. One, that give a strong message. Second, that are great stories. And third, inspirational and motivating. A memoir and autobiography could be part of any three. Every book has to have a purpose. This book has no purpose except a confusing and broken story. And an abrupt ending. The connecting threads are missing in the story. It is a poorly driven story. The only flawless part that I found in the book is the story of Nandita and Siddharth. This 160 odd pages book with 24 chapters is quite confusing until Chapter 18. Only interesting part is chapter 19 to 22.
Figmented Reality has many loose ends
Elsewhere I found every chapter in two portions. The first half of the chapter is generally a preaching text, while the rest part is storytelling. The two don’t gel well. The storytelling is in broken pieces. And preaching is quite boring and unconnected. In fact, the complete book could have been created in three books. One book only on preachings. And it could have been termed as self-help kind of book. In this book, there would have been no need of a story. The second book could have been a story of Veena and Siddharth. Along with the issues, Sid is facing and his family’s engagement in improving him. The third book could be an exclusive and complete story of Siddharth and Nandita. And the story could develop well as it moves. I see a big conflict in Siddharth in the story.
With the addictions and problems, he is facing he can’t be a good lover of Nandita. But he has been a good and respectful lover. Secondly, with such a level of addiction, he can’t be a good speaker. He is a good speaker at Addiction Control Center even having serious addictions.
The story of Figmented Reality goes like this. Siddharth is having serious addictions and similar problems in life. He gets infatuation towards Veena who is his mother’s friend. She is 32 and Sid just 16. Then Sid goes for his studies in Engineering. Here he meets Nandita. In between and after that he has a lot of issues in life. In fact, it is the only addiction, issues, and problems.
I am still unsure what Zuko is doing in the story if the lead character is Siddharth. When the story goes in flashback, Siddharth needs to be Siddharth only. Even when he is in his college days. But finally when he writes a letter to Nandita, his college mate, the signature is that of Zuko and not Siddharth. Is Zuko a reality and Siddharth an imaginative character of the same person? Overall, Figmented Reality by Zuko is fragments of many pieces. And like a puzzle you will have to keep trying in solving it endlessly. Maybe because there are many important pieces of the puzzle that are missing or lost while creating this story.
March 4, 2017
Most of us are addicted to something in our lives, be it alcohol, drugs, social media, smartphones, television, people etc, same was the case with Siddharth, he was addicted to something that is taboo in our country.
He had his reasons for that and those were rather unfortunate, his addiction led him to a rehab and that's where he was united with another addiction, her.
She was out of his league due to various inappropriate reasons and still his heart thumped faster around her.
He tried coming closer to her and in the process ruined things with her and along with it lost his sanity as well.
Will Siddharth ever succeed in his love life or will the story be twisted into something more dangerous and malicious?
Read Figmented Reality to find out.
The author has chosen a bold topic to write about and the book would be a great help to anyone who is facing the same trouble in life.
The book is written in very simple and easy to grasp language and that makes it readable for a vast number of readers.
The story is fast paced and well executed, without wasting any pages in providing unnecessary information. The author has kept it on the track.
In addition to the good story, the author provides some life lessons at the start of every chapter and though it is not boring at all, those who find it boring can easily skip to the part as there is no philosophy anywhere else except the first page of a chapter.
Ratings-
Cover- 2 stars
Title- 4 stars
Blurb- 2 stars
Plot- 3.5 stars
Writing and Presentation- 3 stars
Overall rating- 3 out of 5 stars
The book though good in all ways but the things that attract a reader to buy a book are a good cover and a good blurb and sadly speaking, Figmented Reality needs a lot of work on it's cover to make it eye catching and the blurb doesn't do justice to the plot.
Reviewed By- Banaja Prakashini
He had his reasons for that and those were rather unfortunate, his addiction led him to a rehab and that's where he was united with another addiction, her.
She was out of his league due to various inappropriate reasons and still his heart thumped faster around her.
He tried coming closer to her and in the process ruined things with her and along with it lost his sanity as well.
Will Siddharth ever succeed in his love life or will the story be twisted into something more dangerous and malicious?
Read Figmented Reality to find out.
The author has chosen a bold topic to write about and the book would be a great help to anyone who is facing the same trouble in life.
The book is written in very simple and easy to grasp language and that makes it readable for a vast number of readers.
The story is fast paced and well executed, without wasting any pages in providing unnecessary information. The author has kept it on the track.
In addition to the good story, the author provides some life lessons at the start of every chapter and though it is not boring at all, those who find it boring can easily skip to the part as there is no philosophy anywhere else except the first page of a chapter.
Ratings-
Cover- 2 stars
Title- 4 stars
Blurb- 2 stars
Plot- 3.5 stars
Writing and Presentation- 3 stars
Overall rating- 3 out of 5 stars
The book though good in all ways but the things that attract a reader to buy a book are a good cover and a good blurb and sadly speaking, Figmented Reality needs a lot of work on it's cover to make it eye catching and the blurb doesn't do justice to the plot.
Reviewed By- Banaja Prakashini
April 3, 2020
I got this book in exchange for an honest review by the publisher:
This book is about addiction and how it can wreck your life and how you can become dependent and lose sense of yourself and your own reality when stuck in your addiction. The main character is Sidharth and he tells his story through chapters going like a normal story and then flashback and then to the present and then to the bizarre.
The author tries best, and most of the chapters start with a speech which the main character gives at the Addiction Group Meetings but they make the book kind of preachy and I honestly don't like self help books and the author tries but the character is a creep and he turns that way at the end of each little story arc.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
The book is nice and since it is short you would even be able to finish it in one go, now it may get better with repeated reading when you can find may be few hidden meaning or understand the characters better but for now once is enough for me. I wish the author all the best.
This book is about addiction and how it can wreck your life and how you can become dependent and lose sense of yourself and your own reality when stuck in your addiction. The main character is Sidharth and he tells his story through chapters going like a normal story and then flashback and then to the present and then to the bizarre.
The author tries best, and most of the chapters start with a speech which the main character gives at the Addiction Group Meetings but they make the book kind of preachy and I honestly don't like self help books and the author tries but the character is a creep and he turns that way at the end of each little story arc.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
The book is nice and since it is short you would even be able to finish it in one go, now it may get better with repeated reading when you can find may be few hidden meaning or understand the characters better but for now once is enough for me. I wish the author all the best.
August 5, 2016
Figmented Reality by Zuko is the type of novel that deals with stream of consciousness and psychology. This novel needs a lot of patience as you need to read between the lines so that you can understand author's perspective. The author gave me the copy in return of an honest review. Lets go in depth then :
Cover- The cover of the book is white and black where we find a figure and the figure is its shadow and is blurred.
https://captivatingmode.wordpress.com...
Cover- The cover of the book is white and black where we find a figure and the figure is its shadow and is blurred.
https://captivatingmode.wordpress.com...
August 5, 2016
I thoroughy enjoyed reading this book. I gets a little formulaic after a couple of chapters but like a rough diamond in the stock, if you can wait for the finale.. The author has done great justice to the name of the book.
The characters though would sound being 1 dimensional at first slowly evolves like a tiny bird stuttering to walk (only using this because of the focus on their characteristic flaws initialy) and growing into a majestic fully winged bird at the end. I dont want to spoil the story for anyone but just add one small thing, wait for the end, thats where the magic is!!
The characters though would sound being 1 dimensional at first slowly evolves like a tiny bird stuttering to walk (only using this because of the focus on their characteristic flaws initialy) and growing into a majestic fully winged bird at the end. I dont want to spoil the story for anyone but just add one small thing, wait for the end, thats where the magic is!!
February 23, 2017
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4.0 out of 5 stars A definite read for your next weekend.
About the Author: Siddharth Sabari is a blogger and writer from Chennai. Born in Mumbai and he spent half of his schooling days in Mumbai and half in Chennai. As a child, he was dignosed with dyslexia and found it difficult to cope with language in his early years. Inspite of his difficulites, and with support of his mother, he passed out from Vellore Institute of Technology in 2013 as a Mechanical Engineer with specalization with Energy, and worked for a public limited company for two years before joining business with his father in Chennai. He was awarded the First Indian Dyslexic Writer by K L University Vijayawada.
Review: Figmented Reality is a psychological book which forces the reader to relate fundamental questions in our lives.
The story revolves around the protagonist Siddharth, a boy who at a very young age is sexually abused by an elderly woman. He is unable to get over the pleasure he derives from that one sexual encounter so much so that it overwhelm him completely. As at the age of 16 he got attracted with the middle aged woman Veena who was 32, divorced and a mother of two kids. At the end, she also left him alone with his addictions.
As he grown up he always look out for the women to satisfy him or give him pleasure but he fails. Whenever he tries to get close any women for sex, they shoo him away. He used to feel avoided by everyone.
With the addition of Veena, he could not be a good lover/friend with Nandita, but at the end she found a good partner. But Siddharth left alone with his problems and addictions. The protagonist Siddharth get pissed off between his real and imaginary life, due to his addictions. There is a saying that “There are all kinds of addicts, I guess. We all have pain. And we all look for ways to make the pain go away.”
The story is about addiction. If I would say it’s related to human phycology would not be wrong. This book is for mature people. As the starting is with quite bold. The chapters are narrated bit differently.
The Story could be narrated better. There are some grammatical errors. The story is getting bored at some places which could be improved.
On the other hand, as everyone knows every story has the purpose; even this story also gives a message too.
There are also small write-ups in the story, I liked them.
The cover of the Figmented Reality is in black and white, a picture and a blurred shadow of the same. It’s quite in
The Language of the book is simple and lucid, easy to understand.
Overall, it is a soft porn book. I will recommend this only for mature and adult.
4.0 out of 5 stars A definite read for your next weekend.
About the Author: Siddharth Sabari is a blogger and writer from Chennai. Born in Mumbai and he spent half of his schooling days in Mumbai and half in Chennai. As a child, he was dignosed with dyslexia and found it difficult to cope with language in his early years. Inspite of his difficulites, and with support of his mother, he passed out from Vellore Institute of Technology in 2013 as a Mechanical Engineer with specalization with Energy, and worked for a public limited company for two years before joining business with his father in Chennai. He was awarded the First Indian Dyslexic Writer by K L University Vijayawada.
Review: Figmented Reality is a psychological book which forces the reader to relate fundamental questions in our lives.
The story revolves around the protagonist Siddharth, a boy who at a very young age is sexually abused by an elderly woman. He is unable to get over the pleasure he derives from that one sexual encounter so much so that it overwhelm him completely. As at the age of 16 he got attracted with the middle aged woman Veena who was 32, divorced and a mother of two kids. At the end, she also left him alone with his addictions.
As he grown up he always look out for the women to satisfy him or give him pleasure but he fails. Whenever he tries to get close any women for sex, they shoo him away. He used to feel avoided by everyone.
With the addition of Veena, he could not be a good lover/friend with Nandita, but at the end she found a good partner. But Siddharth left alone with his problems and addictions. The protagonist Siddharth get pissed off between his real and imaginary life, due to his addictions. There is a saying that “There are all kinds of addicts, I guess. We all have pain. And we all look for ways to make the pain go away.”
The story is about addiction. If I would say it’s related to human phycology would not be wrong. This book is for mature people. As the starting is with quite bold. The chapters are narrated bit differently.
The Story could be narrated better. There are some grammatical errors. The story is getting bored at some places which could be improved.
On the other hand, as everyone knows every story has the purpose; even this story also gives a message too.
There are also small write-ups in the story, I liked them.
The cover of the Figmented Reality is in black and white, a picture and a blurred shadow of the same. It’s quite in
The Language of the book is simple and lucid, easy to understand.
Overall, it is a soft porn book. I will recommend this only for mature and adult.
February 7, 2017
Blurb of Figmented Reality : Addiction blurs our hold on reality; people say. But what if addiction becomes our reality? Siddharth has a fair few addictions in his wake. The challenge now was to differentiate between the ideal world and the real world. Will Siddharth be able to overcome his addictions and find true love. Or is it just another addiction?
Cover : Two colors used for the cover of the book, white and black. A figure facing its shadow or any other figure which is blurred. The blurred figure shown is like as if trying to understand the difference between reality and illusion. And again, the background of front cover is white (for reality), whereas of back cover is black (for illusion), which again justify it's title. It's quite a new concept and clearly justifies the title Figmented Reality.
So, for cover = 4/5.
Book Review : Figmented Reality is more of a psychological novel, which is basically a book for mature mind.
When you start reading the novel, on the very first page it is clear that it's full of mature or adult content. For me it's a negative thing to use such things in the very first paragraph of any book. In between of the novel too, the explanation of such bold/adult scenes is more of like any low grade sex magazine.
But while reading the end I realize that somewhere, the novel clearly needs such explanation, but it could have been done in a decent manner.
The protagonist is a sex addict but he never finds any girl with whom he can satisfies his needs. The girls leave him as soon as they realize that he only wants to use them to fulfill his carnal desire.
He has been sexually abused by an elderly woman, when he is just an innocent kid. And because of this abuse he becomes an porn addict.
As the book cover and blurb tries to explain that addiction blurs out our hold on reality, the protagonist finds it quite difficult to draw a line between illusion and reality.
In his illusion he kisses his love, he even spent quality time with her, and at end he kills her.... but that too again in his illusion. I liked the end in particular, and for you too, hold on till the end to get a clear picture of everything.
Overall a nice read, but only for a mature mind.
Overall Rating : 3/5
Cover : Two colors used for the cover of the book, white and black. A figure facing its shadow or any other figure which is blurred. The blurred figure shown is like as if trying to understand the difference between reality and illusion. And again, the background of front cover is white (for reality), whereas of back cover is black (for illusion), which again justify it's title. It's quite a new concept and clearly justifies the title Figmented Reality.
So, for cover = 4/5.
Book Review : Figmented Reality is more of a psychological novel, which is basically a book for mature mind.
When you start reading the novel, on the very first page it is clear that it's full of mature or adult content. For me it's a negative thing to use such things in the very first paragraph of any book. In between of the novel too, the explanation of such bold/adult scenes is more of like any low grade sex magazine.
But while reading the end I realize that somewhere, the novel clearly needs such explanation, but it could have been done in a decent manner.
The protagonist is a sex addict but he never finds any girl with whom he can satisfies his needs. The girls leave him as soon as they realize that he only wants to use them to fulfill his carnal desire.
He has been sexually abused by an elderly woman, when he is just an innocent kid. And because of this abuse he becomes an porn addict.
As the book cover and blurb tries to explain that addiction blurs out our hold on reality, the protagonist finds it quite difficult to draw a line between illusion and reality.
In his illusion he kisses his love, he even spent quality time with her, and at end he kills her.... but that too again in his illusion. I liked the end in particular, and for you too, hold on till the end to get a clear picture of everything.
Overall a nice read, but only for a mature mind.
Overall Rating : 3/5
January 26, 2017
A word about the author first.Zuko a.k.a. Siddarth Sabari is a blogger and writer based in Chennai..Born in Mumbai he spent his growing years schooling in Mumbai and later in Chennai.
He was diagnosed with Dyslexia at an early age and found it difficult to follow language.But despite his limitations and the support of his mother he passed out from Vellore Institute of Technology in the year 2013 as Mechanical Engineer specializing in Energy.He was awarded the First Indian Dyslexic Writer by the K.L.University,Vijaywada.
He worked for a couple of years in a Public Limited Company before joining his father's business in Chennai.
Figmented Reality is a psychological book which forces the reader to analyse answers to certain fundamental questions in our lives.
The protagonist is a boy who at a very young age is sexually abused by an elderly woman.He is unable to get over the pleasure he derives from that one sexual encounter so much so that it engulfs him completely.
The encounter leads him to ways of self attaining methods of sexual pleasure.
As he grows up he is always on the look out for elderly women to satisfy himself but fails and in the process he offends women his age as the only thing he seeks from them is sex.
He is generally perceived as a pervert and avoided.
He goes deep into the dark world of drugs and constant state of wanting sex which he is unable to get.
Read more on http://ikreatepassions.com/2017/01/26...
He was diagnosed with Dyslexia at an early age and found it difficult to follow language.But despite his limitations and the support of his mother he passed out from Vellore Institute of Technology in the year 2013 as Mechanical Engineer specializing in Energy.He was awarded the First Indian Dyslexic Writer by the K.L.University,Vijaywada.
He worked for a couple of years in a Public Limited Company before joining his father's business in Chennai.
Figmented Reality is a psychological book which forces the reader to analyse answers to certain fundamental questions in our lives.
The protagonist is a boy who at a very young age is sexually abused by an elderly woman.He is unable to get over the pleasure he derives from that one sexual encounter so much so that it engulfs him completely.
The encounter leads him to ways of self attaining methods of sexual pleasure.
As he grows up he is always on the look out for elderly women to satisfy himself but fails and in the process he offends women his age as the only thing he seeks from them is sex.
He is generally perceived as a pervert and avoided.
He goes deep into the dark world of drugs and constant state of wanting sex which he is unable to get.
Read more on http://ikreatepassions.com/2017/01/26...
September 16, 2016
The novel had a great concept. The characters and situations were made a little dark and mysterious as per the requirement but a lot of detailing and extra usage of surprise elements was required to make the book a happening read.
You can read the complete review here -
https://thesubtlebraiding.blogspot.in...
You can read the complete review here -
https://thesubtlebraiding.blogspot.in...
February 6, 2017
this book is more about what's real and what's a mere a trick of the protagonist's mind
here's the full review
http://creativevibes.org/2017/01/18/f...
here's the full review
http://creativevibes.org/2017/01/18/f...
March 22, 2017
Book name: Figmented Reality
Author: Zuko
Published by: Frog Books (an imprint of Lead start Corp.)
Pages: 152
Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller
MRP: ₹150
—
Blurb:
Addiction blurs our hold on reality; people say.
But what if addiction becomes our reality?
Siddhartha had a fair few addictions in his wake. The challenge now was to differentiate between the ideal world and the real world. Will Siddhartha be able to overcome his addictions and find true love? Or is it just another addiction?
—
Review:
In a nutshell, Figmented Reality, written by Zuko and published by Frog Books is a psychological thriller that mainly deals with how deadly addictions can get, and if not taken seriously, how they can loosen your grip over the real world.
Siddhartha is a druggie and sex addict, and the reader is introduced his latter addiction in the first chapter itself when he is shown as physically attracted to a single mother of two kids who happens to be his mother’s friend.
…oh, wait, sorry no spoilers.
Strengths:
1. The language and the flow of the story is so simple that I completed the book in one go, in 100 minutes! (I checked.)
2. Child abuse has been dealt with in a long chapter, which has been presented in a smooth way.
3. I hate to say it; the sex-addiction problem is a real issue, with groups of all ages. I mean, humans, irrespective of gender, have sexual needs has been presented with complete bluntness here.
…and this excerpt, IMO, speaks best of the book:
“My opinions on sex have been a bit rebellious from the society, especially women. Women think men are perverts and that women are the sages. I feel strongly against it. Humans as animals are all perverts in their own ways. Own primal is sex and that reproduction is the first job of any species. When two human love each other, there is a component of sex involved in that relationship. Sometimes we take decisions based on our sexual needs and makes promises for the same. Once our sexual needs are met, we tend to look for new pastures to satisfy our sexual needs. This is when affairs rise. Equality is not about men best the best beings on Earth, but women being as bad as men.”
Dear feminists out there, I mean no offense, for I am feminist myself, but I think to a certain degree and extent, you too agree with this excerpt.
Weaknesses:
1. The language, although extremely simple, has a lot of sentence-framing errors.
2. The editing could’ve been better by ten times.
3. There are flashbacks at certain point. The transition of present-to-past-to-present could’ve been better written.
—
Rating:
The cover doesn’t connect to the story, but rather with the idea that has been presented through the story – 2.7/5
The blurb gives the reader the idea of what the theme is, without giving away the story – 3.5/5
The premise is well-chosen; not something one comes across everyday in a work of fiction – 3.5/5
The presentation, too, is a minor plus point – 3/5
Overall, I give Figmented Reality a 3/5rating.
—
Final verdict:
Not for those with conservative and orthodox mindsets. But readers with liberal minds, go for it.
Author: Zuko
Published by: Frog Books (an imprint of Lead start Corp.)
Pages: 152
Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller
MRP: ₹150
—
Blurb:
Addiction blurs our hold on reality; people say.
But what if addiction becomes our reality?
Siddhartha had a fair few addictions in his wake. The challenge now was to differentiate between the ideal world and the real world. Will Siddhartha be able to overcome his addictions and find true love? Or is it just another addiction?
—
Review:
In a nutshell, Figmented Reality, written by Zuko and published by Frog Books is a psychological thriller that mainly deals with how deadly addictions can get, and if not taken seriously, how they can loosen your grip over the real world.
Siddhartha is a druggie and sex addict, and the reader is introduced his latter addiction in the first chapter itself when he is shown as physically attracted to a single mother of two kids who happens to be his mother’s friend.
…oh, wait, sorry no spoilers.
Strengths:
1. The language and the flow of the story is so simple that I completed the book in one go, in 100 minutes! (I checked.)
2. Child abuse has been dealt with in a long chapter, which has been presented in a smooth way.
3. I hate to say it; the sex-addiction problem is a real issue, with groups of all ages. I mean, humans, irrespective of gender, have sexual needs has been presented with complete bluntness here.
…and this excerpt, IMO, speaks best of the book:
“My opinions on sex have been a bit rebellious from the society, especially women. Women think men are perverts and that women are the sages. I feel strongly against it. Humans as animals are all perverts in their own ways. Own primal is sex and that reproduction is the first job of any species. When two human love each other, there is a component of sex involved in that relationship. Sometimes we take decisions based on our sexual needs and makes promises for the same. Once our sexual needs are met, we tend to look for new pastures to satisfy our sexual needs. This is when affairs rise. Equality is not about men best the best beings on Earth, but women being as bad as men.”
Dear feminists out there, I mean no offense, for I am feminist myself, but I think to a certain degree and extent, you too agree with this excerpt.
Weaknesses:
1. The language, although extremely simple, has a lot of sentence-framing errors.
2. The editing could’ve been better by ten times.
3. There are flashbacks at certain point. The transition of present-to-past-to-present could’ve been better written.
—
Rating:
The cover doesn’t connect to the story, but rather with the idea that has been presented through the story – 2.7/5
The blurb gives the reader the idea of what the theme is, without giving away the story – 3.5/5
The premise is well-chosen; not something one comes across everyday in a work of fiction – 3.5/5
The presentation, too, is a minor plus point – 3/5
Overall, I give Figmented Reality a 3/5rating.
—
Final verdict:
Not for those with conservative and orthodox mindsets. But readers with liberal minds, go for it.
March 10, 2017
There are college romances, thrillers, crime episodes and so much more. However, rarely do writers attempt to weave a story around addiction, be it of any kind. The reality remains that there are various kinds of addiction that have gripped the society and more than the addict reaching out for help, people near and around him/her need to keep a close watch on how far the addiction might take the patient.
This story revolves around Siddharth, the things he is addicted to and how this addiction takes over him completely. A guy, who would come across as a regular young college or working person and seemingly harmless actually has a side to his personality that only he's aware of. And while trying to get rid of the addictions, he only delves deeper in its folds further ruining himself and his life. As a reader progresses with the story, they get hints from the writer, subtle and easily overlooked, of what our protagonist is actually going through or suffering from. And slowly as the end approaches, the reality breaks through and pieces together.
The plot is relatively fresher than the other novels flooding the markets currently. This one is more like a psychological thriller once you complete it. In fact, so much that you read in one chapter starts making sense as the next chapter approaches. The characters seem real and kind of those people you meet in your day to day life, nothing different or extraordinary, yet with something brewing inside each of them.
However, the essence of the novel is addiction and the failure to diagnose the extent it may affect someone's life and personality. The writer has done justice to this and the story line brings this out rather beautifully. No threads are left loose and each character blends in with the plot.
Overall, it makes for a good read, fast and refreshing, leaving an imprint in your mind long after you've finished reading it!
This story revolves around Siddharth, the things he is addicted to and how this addiction takes over him completely. A guy, who would come across as a regular young college or working person and seemingly harmless actually has a side to his personality that only he's aware of. And while trying to get rid of the addictions, he only delves deeper in its folds further ruining himself and his life. As a reader progresses with the story, they get hints from the writer, subtle and easily overlooked, of what our protagonist is actually going through or suffering from. And slowly as the end approaches, the reality breaks through and pieces together.
The plot is relatively fresher than the other novels flooding the markets currently. This one is more like a psychological thriller once you complete it. In fact, so much that you read in one chapter starts making sense as the next chapter approaches. The characters seem real and kind of those people you meet in your day to day life, nothing different or extraordinary, yet with something brewing inside each of them.
However, the essence of the novel is addiction and the failure to diagnose the extent it may affect someone's life and personality. The writer has done justice to this and the story line brings this out rather beautifully. No threads are left loose and each character blends in with the plot.
Overall, it makes for a good read, fast and refreshing, leaving an imprint in your mind long after you've finished reading it!
January 8, 2018
Blurb-
Addiction blurs our hold on reality; people say. But what if addiction becomes our reality? Siddharth had a fair few addictions in his wake. The challenge now was to differentiate between the ideal world and the real world. Will Siddharth be able to overcome his addictions and find true love. Or is it just another addiction? This book is not a biography of the author but is written in a way that author is the protaganist.
Review-
Diagnosed with Dyslexia at a very young age and now has turned into a mind-blowing writer. The author has chose a very different topic this time. I've never read books based on psychological thriller genre. It takes courage for a person to read such book but more than that it involves a lot of will power and courage to pen down every sentence. Book is basically based on the addiction which makes a person blind of what the actual reality is. An addiction towards elder women. I won’t support the title of the book as it doesn’t go with the story line. Plot is well chosen but could have been narrated in a more simpler manner. I completed reading it in one night and it does contain a deep meaning and not everyone can read it so easily. At first I didn’t know what the book is all about after going through the blurb but tried it for the cover page and it’s title. Usage of lucid language makes it a better read but the end of the story could have been something more interesting just like the plot.
Grab this book and see what life has in it for you.
Overall ratings-3.8/5
Narration-3.6/5
Characterization-4/5
Plot-4.5/5
Title-3/5
Cover-4.5/5
Addiction blurs our hold on reality; people say. But what if addiction becomes our reality? Siddharth had a fair few addictions in his wake. The challenge now was to differentiate between the ideal world and the real world. Will Siddharth be able to overcome his addictions and find true love. Or is it just another addiction? This book is not a biography of the author but is written in a way that author is the protaganist.
Review-
Diagnosed with Dyslexia at a very young age and now has turned into a mind-blowing writer. The author has chose a very different topic this time. I've never read books based on psychological thriller genre. It takes courage for a person to read such book but more than that it involves a lot of will power and courage to pen down every sentence. Book is basically based on the addiction which makes a person blind of what the actual reality is. An addiction towards elder women. I won’t support the title of the book as it doesn’t go with the story line. Plot is well chosen but could have been narrated in a more simpler manner. I completed reading it in one night and it does contain a deep meaning and not everyone can read it so easily. At first I didn’t know what the book is all about after going through the blurb but tried it for the cover page and it’s title. Usage of lucid language makes it a better read but the end of the story could have been something more interesting just like the plot.
Grab this book and see what life has in it for you.
Overall ratings-3.8/5
Narration-3.6/5
Characterization-4/5
Plot-4.5/5
Title-3/5
Cover-4.5/5
February 23, 2017
When I first started the book, I thought I was in for a thriller-esqe novel where I would learn about the blurred lines of a human mind. However, this is not what happened. It kicked off with the protagonist falling for his mother's friend and I gave it a lot of time to get better. When the plot did get interesting, it was so baffling, confusing and to and fro that I almost did not finish it. I am sn avid thriller fan and so I think I'm qualified enough to say that this did not meet up to any expectations. The blurb doesn’t tell you that it's a full blown erotica and it feels like that the author banked on this particular factor to make the readers like the book. It wasn't soft erotica that could have been easily digestible but over graphic scenes and situations which I honestly skimmed over.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
March 18, 2017
Figmented Reality
By Zuko
Review By Ila Garg
Figmented Reality, a novel by Zuko, is published by Frog Books which is an imprint of Leadstart Publishing. The cover shows shadows—one of them being more prominent while the other is blurred some more—depicting reality and virtual reality perhaps.
Siddharth Sabari (Zuko) is a blogger and writer from Chennai. Born in Mumbai and he spent half of his schooling days in Mumbai and half in Chennai. As a child, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and found it difficult to cope with language in his early years. In spite of his difficulties, and with support of his mother, he passed out from Vellore Institute of Technology in 2013 as a Mechanical Engineer with specialization with Energy, and worked for a public limited company for two years before joining business with his father in Chennai. He was awarded the First Indian Dyslexic Writer by K L University Vijayawada. He can be contacted at zukosid@gmail.com or at https://www.facebook.com/siddusa
Read the complete review here - http://www.ilagarg.com/2017/01/figmen...
By Zuko
Review By Ila Garg
Figmented Reality, a novel by Zuko, is published by Frog Books which is an imprint of Leadstart Publishing. The cover shows shadows—one of them being more prominent while the other is blurred some more—depicting reality and virtual reality perhaps.
Siddharth Sabari (Zuko) is a blogger and writer from Chennai. Born in Mumbai and he spent half of his schooling days in Mumbai and half in Chennai. As a child, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and found it difficult to cope with language in his early years. In spite of his difficulties, and with support of his mother, he passed out from Vellore Institute of Technology in 2013 as a Mechanical Engineer with specialization with Energy, and worked for a public limited company for two years before joining business with his father in Chennai. He was awarded the First Indian Dyslexic Writer by K L University Vijayawada. He can be contacted at zukosid@gmail.com or at https://www.facebook.com/siddusa
Read the complete review here - http://www.ilagarg.com/2017/01/figmen...
January 27, 2017
Story in a nutshell:
Siddharth is a young boy who is addicted to sex and masturbation. He has never had a serious girlfriend for he talks sex to them and they shoo him away. He realises that he needs help and enrolls himself at some addiction control programme. He meets Veena there and the feelings that he had suppressed for so long crop up again. Veena had once visited his home with her kids and Siddharth had a huge crush on her. He realises that Veena is divorced and starts to believe that he could be with her. Does he confess his feelings to her? How does Siddharth become an addict? Does he get rid of his addictions? Or does Veena turn into an addiction?
Review:
The cover of Figmented Reality goes very well with the title and the blurb. Black and white, to me, symbolize lies and truth, no and yes, fake and real. The story revolves around this premise and I believe the cover demonstrated it the best.
Coming to the story, it revolves around Siddharth and his life. There are many people like Siddharth in this world addicted to something. Addiction can be fatal. The end of this story proves it. The story begins with Siddharth's meet with Veena when he's 16. The story is then fast forwarded and we, now, find Siddharth at 23. The chapters are narrated in a different pattern. A short writeup about addiction is given at the beginning of each chapter and then the story continues. I couldn't find the link between the two at few places. But I really liked those writeups. They are indeed great. Its just that their placement was inappropriate. The story has been written in first person narrative and the author has done justice with the narration. It is easy and understandable. The language is lucid and clear. However, there are a few places in the story where you get lost and wonder what is happening. The incidents have been structured well and their overall flow is good. The story has many incidents that will leave you surprised. For example: the sexual abuse incident and the end.
Psychology, obsession, sex, addiction are the words that will cross your mind when you finish reading this book. If you're seeking for something in love that turns into obsession, a habit that turns into addiction then you must go for this book.
Merits:
The write-ups about addiction at the beginning of few chapters was food for thought.
The cover.
The end of the story was a surprising one.
Demerits:
The story begins with Siddharth drooling over Veena's assets. I found it a little weird. The start of the story could have been one of the write-ups. Beginning the story with that incident was a turn off.
The story gets confusing at many places.
The end of the story could have been presented in a better way.
I rate:
Cover: 4/5
Characters: 2/5
Story: 2.5/5
I rate 'Figmented Reality' with 2.5/5 stars.
Siddharth is a young boy who is addicted to sex and masturbation. He has never had a serious girlfriend for he talks sex to them and they shoo him away. He realises that he needs help and enrolls himself at some addiction control programme. He meets Veena there and the feelings that he had suppressed for so long crop up again. Veena had once visited his home with her kids and Siddharth had a huge crush on her. He realises that Veena is divorced and starts to believe that he could be with her. Does he confess his feelings to her? How does Siddharth become an addict? Does he get rid of his addictions? Or does Veena turn into an addiction?
Review:
The cover of Figmented Reality goes very well with the title and the blurb. Black and white, to me, symbolize lies and truth, no and yes, fake and real. The story revolves around this premise and I believe the cover demonstrated it the best.
Coming to the story, it revolves around Siddharth and his life. There are many people like Siddharth in this world addicted to something. Addiction can be fatal. The end of this story proves it. The story begins with Siddharth's meet with Veena when he's 16. The story is then fast forwarded and we, now, find Siddharth at 23. The chapters are narrated in a different pattern. A short writeup about addiction is given at the beginning of each chapter and then the story continues. I couldn't find the link between the two at few places. But I really liked those writeups. They are indeed great. Its just that their placement was inappropriate. The story has been written in first person narrative and the author has done justice with the narration. It is easy and understandable. The language is lucid and clear. However, there are a few places in the story where you get lost and wonder what is happening. The incidents have been structured well and their overall flow is good. The story has many incidents that will leave you surprised. For example: the sexual abuse incident and the end.
Psychology, obsession, sex, addiction are the words that will cross your mind when you finish reading this book. If you're seeking for something in love that turns into obsession, a habit that turns into addiction then you must go for this book.
Merits:
The write-ups about addiction at the beginning of few chapters was food for thought.
The cover.
The end of the story was a surprising one.
Demerits:
The story begins with Siddharth drooling over Veena's assets. I found it a little weird. The start of the story could have been one of the write-ups. Beginning the story with that incident was a turn off.
The story gets confusing at many places.
The end of the story could have been presented in a better way.
I rate:
Cover: 4/5
Characters: 2/5
Story: 2.5/5
I rate 'Figmented Reality' with 2.5/5 stars.
February 3, 2017
The story is a chaos. That is what I felt throughout the book.
The story is divided into a psychological lesson and a story.
The psychological part has no connection to the story and at times seem boring. Maybe the thoughts are correct and relatable, however, it is just not needed at that point.
It might have been better if preaching came after the story. Something like "Moral of this chapter".
The next part the story.
That is once again divided into three parts.
The actual story that is happening.
The hallucination
The text chat.
The actual story and the hallucination are very confusing. Just like in the mind of the protagonist.
The text chat is just antagonizing the reader.
What I liked about the book was the courage of the author to write about some of "untouchable" topics.
It was good till a point. However, after a certain limit, it felt like pure perversion.
I don't have the right to comment here as I do not know what is the state of mind of a person who is abused sexually. However, I think a book with a central theme of abuse should focus on that.
Coming to the theme.
There is no theme for the book. Confusion seeps in at every point. I felt lost at many places while reading this book. Maybe if everything was chronological rather than shift between reality, hallucination, flashback and current events, it would have been easier to digest.
Overall I didn't like the book much as it felt very confusing.
Though if there are going to be other editions, a lot of room is available for improvement.
With a little bit of modification with the story telling and lesser preaching, the story may become really good. It has all the elements that are essential to a good story. However, rearranging it is required.
The story is divided into a psychological lesson and a story.
The psychological part has no connection to the story and at times seem boring. Maybe the thoughts are correct and relatable, however, it is just not needed at that point.
It might have been better if preaching came after the story. Something like "Moral of this chapter".
The next part the story.
That is once again divided into three parts.
The actual story that is happening.
The hallucination
The text chat.
The actual story and the hallucination are very confusing. Just like in the mind of the protagonist.
The text chat is just antagonizing the reader.
What I liked about the book was the courage of the author to write about some of "untouchable" topics.
It was good till a point. However, after a certain limit, it felt like pure perversion.
I don't have the right to comment here as I do not know what is the state of mind of a person who is abused sexually. However, I think a book with a central theme of abuse should focus on that.
Coming to the theme.
There is no theme for the book. Confusion seeps in at every point. I felt lost at many places while reading this book. Maybe if everything was chronological rather than shift between reality, hallucination, flashback and current events, it would have been easier to digest.
Overall I didn't like the book much as it felt very confusing.
Though if there are going to be other editions, a lot of room is available for improvement.
With a little bit of modification with the story telling and lesser preaching, the story may become really good. It has all the elements that are essential to a good story. However, rearranging it is required.
April 11, 2017
Figmented reality shows the deep dark side of human psychology. It revolves around a man who was sexually assaulted when young, and now he is trying to fight his demons.
As the blurb suggests, the book deals with various addictions and addiction to sex is the primary one. The way it is portrayed is rather bold and impressive and kudos to author to write on such topic.
The characterization is not very impressive. I feel author could have done a much better job with it. With such strong content, one needs to build characters rather strongly. However, I did like Veena's character but again, it needs better build.
The depiction of the childhood trauma and how it affects rest of the life is very well portrayed.
Overall it is an impressive read but there are two major turn offs - firstly editing issues. There are serious grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Even the blurb has spelling issue. Secondly, the ending is rather abrupt which is very disappointing.
My rating for the book is 3/5.
More reviews at: kritisharmacreations.blogspot.in
As the blurb suggests, the book deals with various addictions and addiction to sex is the primary one. The way it is portrayed is rather bold and impressive and kudos to author to write on such topic.
The characterization is not very impressive. I feel author could have done a much better job with it. With such strong content, one needs to build characters rather strongly. However, I did like Veena's character but again, it needs better build.
The depiction of the childhood trauma and how it affects rest of the life is very well portrayed.
Overall it is an impressive read but there are two major turn offs - firstly editing issues. There are serious grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Even the blurb has spelling issue. Secondly, the ending is rather abrupt which is very disappointing.
My rating for the book is 3/5.
More reviews at: kritisharmacreations.blogspot.in
January 30, 2017
I enjoyed this book in reading. I took this book regularly for 5 days to my college and read it seating in last benches. This book confused me when Author tells about Nandita from his flashback.
This book doesn't tell how to get back from addiction or bad habits, and i think no need to ask solution for everything, you can find yourself too. Read my full review of Figmented Reality
This book doesn't tell how to get back from addiction or bad habits, and i think no need to ask solution for everything, you can find yourself too. Read my full review of Figmented Reality
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