What do you think?
Rate this book
Sepia Leaves
In the 1970s, India is reeling under the Emergency and in Rourkela, a Nehruvian town in Orissa, a small boy, Appu, is struggling to deal with his dysfunctional family.The arrival of a surrogate mother for Appu causes his mother's madness to take a furious turn.
Years later, Appu pieces together his fragmented past,pouring over letters, diaries and family albums to slowly come in terms with his mother's schizophrenia and it's effect on those living under its shadow.
One man's memory becomes the landscape of an entire nation's socio-political history. A touching portrait of the reconciliation between love and guilt, this novel parallels the state of a nation with the fall of a nuclear family, offering a poignant exploration of self-discovery and hope.
Years later, Appu pieces together his fragmented past,pouring over letters, diaries and family albums to slowly come in terms with his mother's schizophrenia and it's effect on those living under its shadow.
One man's memory becomes the landscape of an entire nation's socio-political history. A touching portrait of the reconciliation between love and guilt, this novel parallels the state of a nation with the fall of a nuclear family, offering a poignant exploration of self-discovery and hope.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
8 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Amandeep Sandhu
7 books59 followersI was born in Rourkela. I have lived in Orissa, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. I earned a Masters in English Literature from the University of Hyderabad and am currently settled in New Delhi.
I have worked as a farm-hand, woolen-garment seller, shop assistant, tuition master, teacher, journalist with The Economic Times, technical writer with Novell Inc, Oracle Corporation, and now Cadence Design Systems.
I have worked as a farm-hand, woolen-garment seller, shop assistant, tuition master, teacher, journalist with The Economic Times, technical writer with Novell Inc, Oracle Corporation, and now Cadence Design Systems.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 29, 2020
This book was an act of kindness. In many ways. The author, in the writing of it. The friend, who I browsed books with on Sunday, insisting I buy it. And finally, the bookstore owner who gave it to me practically free, when he saw me keep the book aside because the bill was too much. Somehow, this book didn’t want to let go.
I am glad it didn’t. Amandeep Sandhu has purportedly written a novel. But this is not a novel as much as an autobiography. It left me wanting to hug Sandhu for baring his heart like this. I know the courage it takes to be vulnerable, and this novel that deals with a young boy’s struggles in understanding his schizophrenic mother and the broken, ruptured pieces of his family, is brimming with vulnerability.
It’s dark. But it’s beautiful. It’s not easy reading. No. The themes are universal. Death. Life. Marriage. Rape. Abuse. Relationships. Family. Childhood. Bullies. Friendships. Everything coalesces into a messy chaotic world. But it’s us. It’s our life. We would be denying our existence if we claim not to be acquainted with any of the above. Yet, the book offers kindness.
My favorite passage from the book:
Amandeep: "What is Schi-zo-phre-nia?"
Mamman, his mom, who struggles with mental illness all her life: “The most precious brain in the whole world. My brain is most precious, you are my son - Antimony."
A rare, offbeat book that deserves more. Read this, if you are ok with the darkness. Thank me later. :-)
I am glad it didn’t. Amandeep Sandhu has purportedly written a novel. But this is not a novel as much as an autobiography. It left me wanting to hug Sandhu for baring his heart like this. I know the courage it takes to be vulnerable, and this novel that deals with a young boy’s struggles in understanding his schizophrenic mother and the broken, ruptured pieces of his family, is brimming with vulnerability.
It’s dark. But it’s beautiful. It’s not easy reading. No. The themes are universal. Death. Life. Marriage. Rape. Abuse. Relationships. Family. Childhood. Bullies. Friendships. Everything coalesces into a messy chaotic world. But it’s us. It’s our life. We would be denying our existence if we claim not to be acquainted with any of the above. Yet, the book offers kindness.
My favorite passage from the book:
Amandeep: "What is Schi-zo-phre-nia?"
Mamman, his mom, who struggles with mental illness all her life: “The most precious brain in the whole world. My brain is most precious, you are my son - Antimony."
A rare, offbeat book that deserves more. Read this, if you are ok with the darkness. Thank me later. :-)
September 30, 2012
More memoir than fiction, this is the story of growing up with schizophrenia told from a child's perspective. What impresses is the extraordinary courage, honesty and grit the author shows in walking into a troubled childhood and coming out of it with his goodness and faith intact.
September 5, 2020
• r e v i e w •
.
How does one describe a book that carries loss that threatens to explode like a volcano? Like rain that drenches one in seconds leaving him/her shivering in sticky wet clothes. Sepia Leaves by Amandeep Sandhu is a work of autobiography but is narrated in a manner in which his loss feels like our own. Written in 2008, the author speaks of mental illness and what it does to a family. It reminded me of Em and the Big Hoom and managed to break my heart into a zillion pieces. It radiates pain from the very first page, drawing me into his story and making me feel like a silent spectator watching their loss unfold. Back when mental illness wasn't discussed much, Amandeep bares it all. His honesty and vulnerability is what makes this book special. Big thanks to @divyashankar553 for recommending this to me. I can always count on her for introducing me to such underrated gems.
.
Set in the '70s in Rourkela, Appu lives a lonely life right from the start. With his aloof Baba and a mentally ill Mamman, his only friend is his dog, Hercules. As a child, he struggles to understand why his Mamman isn't like other mothers. He notices how their house is always unkempt, how there was no set time for meals and most of all, he can't help but wonder how his parents never touched each other, even unintentionally. The story begins with the death of Baba and with this, the timelines are divided into two parts. One in which Appu is a child and the other as an adult. Appu recalls how his Mamman had seemingly good days when they went out together as a family but he wonders when did it all stop. Mamman's hatred towards his Baba only increased with time, making it impossible for the two of them to share a same space. Appu gets caught up between Mamman's unpredictable behaviour and Baba's helplessness. Amidst the familial problems, his childhood is forever lost. He narrates about the foul language he had to hear even when he was a child, his parent's daily squabbles which often escalated to physical lengths and the abuse he had to face when he was admitted to a boarding school.
.
He admits sadly that throughout his growing up years, no one bothered asking about his well being, if he was eating enough or even if he was just okay. His relatives weren't of much help either which left him shattered and gossips about his family made him feel worse than he already felt. Albeit Mamman harboured hatred towards his father, she loved Appu immensely which ultimately made him Mamman's designated pacifier. Carrying such a huge burden at a tender age left him mentally exhausted. For a child to bear such trauma seems unthinkable. His own nightmares about abuse and loneliness comes back to haunt him time and again. For a child to take up the responsibility of being a parent is probably one of the most harrowing thing to do and Appu had no choice but to care for them. Sepia Leaves can be defined as the survival story of a kid who managed to live, in spite of being neglected and subjected to both physical and mental exertion. But most of all, this is the story of how mental illness plagued and still continues to do so to many families, managing in breaking them apart.
.
What pained me the most was to see the havoc it creates on those who live with a mentally unstable person, the lengths they have to go to, to protect and preserve their families. Appu's story was extremely difficult to read often making me teary-eyed and melancholic. The only aspect it lacked was the way it was edited. It felt clumsy, distracting me from being fully involved in the story. While the story itself was powerful, the manner in which it was narrated including the constant jump between the timelines, made it slightly inconvenient to read this book. But Amandeep's incredible ability to talk about things in their truest form, won my heart. This is in no way an easy read but it's a given considering how it highlights mental illness. I definitely recommend this.
.
Rating : 4.1/5.
.
How does one describe a book that carries loss that threatens to explode like a volcano? Like rain that drenches one in seconds leaving him/her shivering in sticky wet clothes. Sepia Leaves by Amandeep Sandhu is a work of autobiography but is narrated in a manner in which his loss feels like our own. Written in 2008, the author speaks of mental illness and what it does to a family. It reminded me of Em and the Big Hoom and managed to break my heart into a zillion pieces. It radiates pain from the very first page, drawing me into his story and making me feel like a silent spectator watching their loss unfold. Back when mental illness wasn't discussed much, Amandeep bares it all. His honesty and vulnerability is what makes this book special. Big thanks to @divyashankar553 for recommending this to me. I can always count on her for introducing me to such underrated gems.
.
Set in the '70s in Rourkela, Appu lives a lonely life right from the start. With his aloof Baba and a mentally ill Mamman, his only friend is his dog, Hercules. As a child, he struggles to understand why his Mamman isn't like other mothers. He notices how their house is always unkempt, how there was no set time for meals and most of all, he can't help but wonder how his parents never touched each other, even unintentionally. The story begins with the death of Baba and with this, the timelines are divided into two parts. One in which Appu is a child and the other as an adult. Appu recalls how his Mamman had seemingly good days when they went out together as a family but he wonders when did it all stop. Mamman's hatred towards his Baba only increased with time, making it impossible for the two of them to share a same space. Appu gets caught up between Mamman's unpredictable behaviour and Baba's helplessness. Amidst the familial problems, his childhood is forever lost. He narrates about the foul language he had to hear even when he was a child, his parent's daily squabbles which often escalated to physical lengths and the abuse he had to face when he was admitted to a boarding school.
.
He admits sadly that throughout his growing up years, no one bothered asking about his well being, if he was eating enough or even if he was just okay. His relatives weren't of much help either which left him shattered and gossips about his family made him feel worse than he already felt. Albeit Mamman harboured hatred towards his father, she loved Appu immensely which ultimately made him Mamman's designated pacifier. Carrying such a huge burden at a tender age left him mentally exhausted. For a child to bear such trauma seems unthinkable. His own nightmares about abuse and loneliness comes back to haunt him time and again. For a child to take up the responsibility of being a parent is probably one of the most harrowing thing to do and Appu had no choice but to care for them. Sepia Leaves can be defined as the survival story of a kid who managed to live, in spite of being neglected and subjected to both physical and mental exertion. But most of all, this is the story of how mental illness plagued and still continues to do so to many families, managing in breaking them apart.
.
What pained me the most was to see the havoc it creates on those who live with a mentally unstable person, the lengths they have to go to, to protect and preserve their families. Appu's story was extremely difficult to read often making me teary-eyed and melancholic. The only aspect it lacked was the way it was edited. It felt clumsy, distracting me from being fully involved in the story. While the story itself was powerful, the manner in which it was narrated including the constant jump between the timelines, made it slightly inconvenient to read this book. But Amandeep's incredible ability to talk about things in their truest form, won my heart. This is in no way an easy read but it's a given considering how it highlights mental illness. I definitely recommend this.
.
Rating : 4.1/5.
August 2, 2012
With the death of his father, a young Indian man goes through his photo album, revealing sepia prints of his life, beginning as a boy and working through each circumstance as he grows.
As an English woman, I found the young man's journey, through a different culture to my own, fascinating. The charming use of language compounds the foreign feel of the novel. Each printed leaf reveals how his younger self learns about life and tries to make sense of words like mad.
Every person on the planet lives by different rules in the game we call life, depending on our place of birth. Acceptance extends to every facet of Appu's village life. A tortured young tribal woman accepts her position in a dysfunctional family, provides the boy much needed mothering, and simply waits out the storms surrounding her. Neighbors accept every child as part of their family. Central to the story, Appu accepts his mother's mental condition and the filth surrounding her while giving constant love.
As he grows, Appu begins to see that, rather than acting a coward's role, his father's acceptance of his circumstances shows strength. Despite himself, the young boy follows his example of avoiding horrible situations. The tension in this novel pulsates through each sepia print.
As an English woman, I found the young man's journey, through a different culture to my own, fascinating. The charming use of language compounds the foreign feel of the novel. Each printed leaf reveals how his younger self learns about life and tries to make sense of words like mad.
Every person on the planet lives by different rules in the game we call life, depending on our place of birth. Acceptance extends to every facet of Appu's village life. A tortured young tribal woman accepts her position in a dysfunctional family, provides the boy much needed mothering, and simply waits out the storms surrounding her. Neighbors accept every child as part of their family. Central to the story, Appu accepts his mother's mental condition and the filth surrounding her while giving constant love.
As he grows, Appu begins to see that, rather than acting a coward's role, his father's acceptance of his circumstances shows strength. Despite himself, the young boy follows his example of avoiding horrible situations. The tension in this novel pulsates through each sepia print.
February 24, 2025
ಮಾನಸಿಕ ಖಾಯಿಲೆ ಹೇಗೆ ಒಂದು ಕುಟುಂಬವ ಕೊರೆಯುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ಚಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಟ್ಟ ಕೃತಿ. ಲೇಖಕರ ಜೀವನಕತೆ.
October 18, 2017
4.5 /5 Reading this book is like reading someone's personal diary . The story, based on the life of the author himself, is heart wrenchingly touchy. What I liked about this book is that the author never tried to make his work look glamorous in an attempt to enhance it's commercial viability. The simplicity of his writing reflects his honesty towards his readers, and that is the reason,(though I am not good at writing reviews), I thought of writing this a few words.
May 9, 2019
"Sepia Leaves" is a walk down the memory lane of Appu who lives in Bangalore. The first few pages introduce us to Appu's father who is sixty six years old and is loosing his grip on reality. His disorientation prepares us for his death which follows soon after. The novel is a reminisce of Appu's life in Rourkela, a small industrial town. Appu's childhood in the 1970s is anything but normal. His parents, who are from Punjab don't have a sense of belonging in Rourkela, their marriage has massive problems and to top it all, his mother suffers from schizophrenia. Referred to as 'Mamman' throughout the novel, she is the central character of the book.
Mental health issues are highly stereotyped even in today's society. Since there wasn't any proper medical help available, Mamman's condition keeps deteriorating. When Appu's father brings a house help to stay with them and look after Appu, his mother's condition takes a turn for the worst. Mando, the house help for no fault of hers, acts as a catalyst and Mamman's schizophrenia makes her a classic stereotypical definition of a mad woman.
The book is about Appu and his life with his schizophrenic mother. Schizophrenia is not an easy condition to live with. The book gives a moving account of how life becomes a constant struggle when your loved ones suffer in unfathomable ways and you can't even begin to comprehend it or extend them any help. We need much more awareness about mental health. It is only after that that we can expect acceptability and finally help.
Mental health issues are highly stereotyped even in today's society. Since there wasn't any proper medical help available, Mamman's condition keeps deteriorating. When Appu's father brings a house help to stay with them and look after Appu, his mother's condition takes a turn for the worst. Mando, the house help for no fault of hers, acts as a catalyst and Mamman's schizophrenia makes her a classic stereotypical definition of a mad woman.
The book is about Appu and his life with his schizophrenic mother. Schizophrenia is not an easy condition to live with. The book gives a moving account of how life becomes a constant struggle when your loved ones suffer in unfathomable ways and you can't even begin to comprehend it or extend them any help. We need much more awareness about mental health. It is only after that that we can expect acceptability and finally help.
August 8, 2020
Many of our family lives are dysfunctional. As much as people struggle with those unpleasant truths at home, they rarely talk about it. Maybe to a few close ones. But to write about it, and openly state that it is your own life and not fiction, that takes a great deal of courage. Applause to the author for that!
I feel so much for the child he was and his tumultuous childhood. But even as I read these incidents, I see this child evolve to be a very extraordinary person. A person that is willing to accept his parents, flawed as they are. A person who loves them despite all the ugliness. And even in his moments of fear and revulsion and puzzlement, he digs deep to find compassion and understanding. For several of us, this stage of being at peace with how our families are is difficult to get to, even after we reach adulthood.
The other subtlety I appreciated was questioning our definitions of normalcy and sanity. What really is normal? Who amongst us can claim to be completely sane? And yet, we persist in labeling people with mental health issues as mad.
Worth a read, this one.
I feel so much for the child he was and his tumultuous childhood. But even as I read these incidents, I see this child evolve to be a very extraordinary person. A person that is willing to accept his parents, flawed as they are. A person who loves them despite all the ugliness. And even in his moments of fear and revulsion and puzzlement, he digs deep to find compassion and understanding. For several of us, this stage of being at peace with how our families are is difficult to get to, even after we reach adulthood.
The other subtlety I appreciated was questioning our definitions of normalcy and sanity. What really is normal? Who amongst us can claim to be completely sane? And yet, we persist in labeling people with mental health issues as mad.
Worth a read, this one.
November 5, 2012
What is interesting in this book is that the narration style. I find various characters that we generally come across normal life, makes the book more interesting. Though the book easy read, the complex characters are shown with simple narration. Good read.
February 24, 2013
Please read my review here: http://manasa-t.blogspot.com/2008/09/...
August 16, 2020
Sepia Leaves by Amandeep Sandhu is a book that is part autobiographical and part fiction. Autobiographical because it's the real life story of the author, his growing up and ways of dealing things in a dysfunctional family. Fiction because the author on his site says that though it's his own story about his parents, the timeline of the story is not entirely real and that he has merged some characters at some places while created more than one character at other.
🍂
The author, Appu has written the book when his parents come to stay with him in Bangalore. His father has undergone Angina and is bedridden. One day however, he passes away and Appu goes through old photos and letters and diary entries and revisits his entire life right from his childhood until now.
🍂
Appu has had a disturbed life where his schizophrenic mother, Mamman lives in her own world. While she sometimes showers Appu with so much love that she fills his plates with half burnt pooris clearly neglecting Appu's cry when he says he is full. While other times she just throws away the daal she has made, either in the dustbin or just out of the window.
🍂
Appu's guilt ridden father, Baba tries to deal with Mamman in his own way. But Mamman detests him so much that they are always fighting verbally but mostly always resulting into Mamman hitting Baba. Appu, a 7 year old has grown up seeing these things. With neighbours always looking at him with with pity, with a mother who is always muttering things that hardly make sense and with a father who does nothing to make things right, all Appu wants is a life that is normal but gets far from it.
🍂
Baba's commitment towards his wife may not be seen through his words but is clearly seen through his actions when no matter how hard it is to deal with Mamman, and life giving him opportunities where he could've left her, but decides to stick around her and be with the till his last breath.
🍂
This book is an account of Appu's life. How he has to switch roles, sometimes being the mother stroking Mamman's hair and calming her. Sometimes being the responsible father and taking his Mamman to her regular Psychiatric check ups.
🍂
The book oscillates between the present when Baba has died and the memories of past where Appu remembers different things about his childhood, the people he met, the way Mamman's family was distant and never accepted there was some problem with her, Baba's family where some people understand Mamman's acts but others treat her like a mad woman and hit her. The book may get confusing at times but as we progress, the story peels off its layers revealing what's inside.
🍂
The author in his own peculiar way writes about how everyone is a victim of circumstances. And how little love and care can bring hope in someone's life.
🍂
It is actually difficult to review this book because I personally feel if a heartbreaking story such as this brings tears to my eyes as reader, what the author must have gone through while penning down his own life experiences. It's really courageous of him to write this story. But as he says, it's only because he wrote this book he could finally find some peace.
🍂
The author, Appu has written the book when his parents come to stay with him in Bangalore. His father has undergone Angina and is bedridden. One day however, he passes away and Appu goes through old photos and letters and diary entries and revisits his entire life right from his childhood until now.
🍂
Appu has had a disturbed life where his schizophrenic mother, Mamman lives in her own world. While she sometimes showers Appu with so much love that she fills his plates with half burnt pooris clearly neglecting Appu's cry when he says he is full. While other times she just throws away the daal she has made, either in the dustbin or just out of the window.
🍂
Appu's guilt ridden father, Baba tries to deal with Mamman in his own way. But Mamman detests him so much that they are always fighting verbally but mostly always resulting into Mamman hitting Baba. Appu, a 7 year old has grown up seeing these things. With neighbours always looking at him with with pity, with a mother who is always muttering things that hardly make sense and with a father who does nothing to make things right, all Appu wants is a life that is normal but gets far from it.
🍂
Baba's commitment towards his wife may not be seen through his words but is clearly seen through his actions when no matter how hard it is to deal with Mamman, and life giving him opportunities where he could've left her, but decides to stick around her and be with the till his last breath.
🍂
This book is an account of Appu's life. How he has to switch roles, sometimes being the mother stroking Mamman's hair and calming her. Sometimes being the responsible father and taking his Mamman to her regular Psychiatric check ups.
🍂
The book oscillates between the present when Baba has died and the memories of past where Appu remembers different things about his childhood, the people he met, the way Mamman's family was distant and never accepted there was some problem with her, Baba's family where some people understand Mamman's acts but others treat her like a mad woman and hit her. The book may get confusing at times but as we progress, the story peels off its layers revealing what's inside.
🍂
The author in his own peculiar way writes about how everyone is a victim of circumstances. And how little love and care can bring hope in someone's life.
🍂
It is actually difficult to review this book because I personally feel if a heartbreaking story such as this brings tears to my eyes as reader, what the author must have gone through while penning down his own life experiences. It's really courageous of him to write this story. But as he says, it's only because he wrote this book he could finally find some peace.
December 30, 2019
A fast moving interesting book that is awesome, amazing and sensitively written.
The book starts with the author's father's death and as the author goes about arranging fot his father's last rites - he reflects upon his own life and childhood and about his home situation and relationship between his parents which was diagnosed as mental illness by doctors - and his father's resilience as well as his childhood and experience of growing up in Rourkela with his parents and the maid who was brought to care for him - even as the author since a very young age took on his shoulders responsibility as his mother's primary caregiver.
It is truly a book worth reading - for its account of life, growing up in a small town in India as much as for its account of mental illness and the author Amandeep Sandhu has done an amazing job in crisply editing this book to keep its many layered narrative fast moving and interesting.
I read this book over the span of 2 days in around 15 or 16 hours in 2 long sittings and felt enriched for the time i spent reading it.
Having also looked through parts of the authors next book - where he describes his time in a boarding school meant to prepare it's students as cadets for a career in the Indian military - I think this first book by Amandeep Sandhu is his best work yet and truly and totally a must read.
The book starts with the author's father's death and as the author goes about arranging fot his father's last rites - he reflects upon his own life and childhood and about his home situation and relationship between his parents which was diagnosed as mental illness by doctors - and his father's resilience as well as his childhood and experience of growing up in Rourkela with his parents and the maid who was brought to care for him - even as the author since a very young age took on his shoulders responsibility as his mother's primary caregiver.
It is truly a book worth reading - for its account of life, growing up in a small town in India as much as for its account of mental illness and the author Amandeep Sandhu has done an amazing job in crisply editing this book to keep its many layered narrative fast moving and interesting.
I read this book over the span of 2 days in around 15 or 16 hours in 2 long sittings and felt enriched for the time i spent reading it.
Having also looked through parts of the authors next book - where he describes his time in a boarding school meant to prepare it's students as cadets for a career in the Indian military - I think this first book by Amandeep Sandhu is his best work yet and truly and totally a must read.
May 29, 2018
Every time the author writes "my publishers are awesome, any mistakes in the print are mine" it is a warning that the print is going to be really horrible. In this case it was beyond that. Every page had typos. And I read the kindle version, where it should be easier to push corrections one would expect.
The book is mostly memoirs of growing up with a Schizophrenic mother without knowing that. The blurb gives a lot of it away by trying to set things up for readers. Might have been more interesting to read the book without knowing too much. But that's just me.
The print quality screwed up the book for me though. I might have liked it a lot better with a better print, and a good editor too.
The book is mostly memoirs of growing up with a Schizophrenic mother without knowing that. The blurb gives a lot of it away by trying to set things up for readers. Might have been more interesting to read the book without knowing too much. But that's just me.
The print quality screwed up the book for me though. I might have liked it a lot better with a better print, and a good editor too.
October 7, 2020
The longest 185 pages I have ever read. Took me 20 days to finish this book. It was a long read, Perhaps, I needed time to process the incidents in the story !
I will recommend this book to everyone...Read it and let the story sink. A story about an ill mother suffering From schizophrenia, (something she couldn't even pronounce ), a helpless, sad, understanding, loving, and supporting father , and a poor little son who is stuck in this abnormal family, wishing to have a normal family with loving parents.
This is just a gist, the book talks about it in length. I wish if there was More to the story, the more talks about mental illness. Nevertheless, it was a good read. Something that touched me, something that is going to stay, and something to ponder on for a while ..
I will recommend this book to everyone...Read it and let the story sink. A story about an ill mother suffering From schizophrenia, (something she couldn't even pronounce ), a helpless, sad, understanding, loving, and supporting father , and a poor little son who is stuck in this abnormal family, wishing to have a normal family with loving parents.
This is just a gist, the book talks about it in length. I wish if there was More to the story, the more talks about mental illness. Nevertheless, it was a good read. Something that touched me, something that is going to stay, and something to ponder on for a while ..
January 2, 2024
One of best books I have read in recent times. Sepia leaves intricately weaves the themes of childhood trauma, sickness, parenting and creates a wonderful narrative out of it. It talks about the caregiver and both just the sick, the emotions, hardships and difficulties one faces as a caregiver are deeply explored in this novel. The chracters are well established, and as a reader we connect with them. The pacing of the book makes it an easy read, and the lwnght makes it readable in a day.
I would recommend this to people who want to explore the help-givers and caretakers stories.
I would recommend this to people who want to explore the help-givers and caretakers stories.
October 14, 2018
How do you come to terms with the terrible?
The author portrays the bafflement of a young boy who finds himself an adult, in face of a household under siege of his mother's schizophrenia.
Go inside and take care of her, she will listen to you, says the meek, resigned father.
Why and how this happened to him is revealed through flash backs and the full horror of how mental illness wrecks havoc on a boy's life unfolds.
A book that shakes you.
The author portrays the bafflement of a young boy who finds himself an adult, in face of a household under siege of his mother's schizophrenia.
Go inside and take care of her, she will listen to you, says the meek, resigned father.
Why and how this happened to him is revealed through flash backs and the full horror of how mental illness wrecks havoc on a boy's life unfolds.
A book that shakes you.
January 5, 2019
Although a sad and wonderfully personal account of a child’s perspective on his mother’s schizophrenia and his fathers powerlessness, the story became incessantly monotonic in the second half of the book. Points for its diary-like pulling of the heartstrings. Minus points for sounding like a looong set of diary entries.
January 11, 2020
It's a book of autobiographical fiction but giving a deep insight to the life of the author and his family when he was young leading to the dilemmas, socio-cultural and mental health issues he faced. A book worth reading which is dripping with innocence but truth.
March 31, 2024
Would definitely recommend to understand the impact of mental health illnesses on families, relationships, and children, and the resilience required in these situations.
February 13, 2025
Absolutely loved this one. This is totally going on my "made me cry so hard" shelf ❤️
January 1, 2024
I understand
As much I I know I haven't gone through everything that the author and his family has gone through, I understand, I empathise. This to me is an indication of a properly written book.
As much I I know I haven't gone through everything that the author and his family has gone through, I understand, I empathise. This to me is an indication of a properly written book.
September 25, 2025
Appu's universe captures our imagination. Quest to understand and to be understood is such a light shadow game.
Emotions, imagery captured with tinge of Punjabiyat and loads of rawness and relations, root of emotions.
Emotions, imagery captured with tinge of Punjabiyat and loads of rawness and relations, root of emotions.
January 2, 2015
Second book that I'm reading by Amandeep Sandhu and love his writing style and richness of the subject matter. The toggling back and forth in time actually works without causing confusion. Look forward to reading more by him.
Schizophrenia, let alone mental health issues are not readily talked about be it Indian or Punjabi/Sikh households or communities. While there may be other such books out there, this does it so well because you actually feel and empathize with all sides: the individual with the disease and the torment they must go through, the child and spouse who love and care for their family member, and the extended family and community that feels pity and sympathy at times but doesn't know how to support because they don't understand it. I personally think it is a must read not just from a literary perspective but also in aiding activists in educating their relative adult communities to assist in bringing about the human angle and not just sharing of information..
Schizophrenia, let alone mental health issues are not readily talked about be it Indian or Punjabi/Sikh households or communities. While there may be other such books out there, this does it so well because you actually feel and empathize with all sides: the individual with the disease and the torment they must go through, the child and spouse who love and care for their family member, and the extended family and community that feels pity and sympathy at times but doesn't know how to support because they don't understand it. I personally think it is a must read not just from a literary perspective but also in aiding activists in educating their relative adult communities to assist in bringing about the human angle and not just sharing of information..
January 1, 2013
Sepia Leaves tells the story of a young Indian boy struggling with his mother's schizophrenia. It's a moving, sometimes depressing, but also an uplifting story of a family's attempt to cope with mental illness at a time where "crazy" people were usually locked away. But this is not an option for the father of the family. He stands by his wife, no matter what neighbors say, no matter how much she yells at him and even turns violent against him. What the boy perceives as weakness and cowardice in his Baba is the noble persistence of a man who always wanted to do the right thing.
Sepia Leaves is an important book that can help people cope with mental illness, but it's also a wonderful piece of literature.
Sepia Leaves is an important book that can help people cope with mental illness, but it's also a wonderful piece of literature.
July 27, 2013
The protagonist Appu's mother is suffering from schizophrenia and is not in a position to provide proper motherly care to him . Due to her illness her behavior is abnormal most of the time and generally very violent towards her husband i.e. Appu's father.
The book is a very moving account of how the father and son handle this problem in a very stoic manner with a great sense of fortitude and calm acceptance of the situation.
A must read for everyone and especially those who have to deal with cases of schizophrenia in their family.
More details @ http://bookwormsrecos.blogspot.in/200...
The book is a very moving account of how the father and son handle this problem in a very stoic manner with a great sense of fortitude and calm acceptance of the situation.
A must read for everyone and especially those who have to deal with cases of schizophrenia in their family.
More details @ http://bookwormsrecos.blogspot.in/200...
August 18, 2014
Well written book of a young boy growing up in a home torn between a schizophrenic mother and a helpless father. Simply but sincerely written. Definitely worth a read. Rupa publications could have done a better job of proofreading, though!
January 25, 2013
It is not easy to write a book like this: http://www.anureviews.com/sepia-leave...
July 28, 2015
Very good read !!
Read
October 19, 2018This is a book about a family where the mother suffers from schizophrenia. It is written from the perspective of the young son who narrates the tumultuous events of a dysfunctional family in a realistic way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews