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Beyond Our Melancholy

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"Dream Catcher. It catches your bad dreams. But Fazal Bashir never wanted one.
Tasted the fruits of success quite early for his age, the billionaire Fazal Bashir is intrigued by the veiled lady of his dreams, who always begs for his help to save her. As it is proved, people close to God are tested; likewise, a new problem is waiting for Fazal which will force him to look into his past.
Beyond Our Melancholy is a young adult spiritual romance novel, a story which puts you on thinking about life and its intricacies."

206 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2019

21 people want to read

About the author

Zeba Ali

7 books9 followers

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5 stars
11 (24%)
4 stars
17 (37%)
3 stars
12 (26%)
2 stars
4 (8%)
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1 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Khyati Gautam.
890 reviews252 followers
November 26, 2019
Beyond our Melancholy is a beautiful title that holds together a simple love story of two souls captivated in their guilt and grief and liberated by their love. Zinia was married off to Fazal long time back against his wish and this renders him anguished. He leaves for his higher studies and later finds out that his parents are no more. Right after his return to India, he is haunted by his nightmares of a veiled lady begging him to save her. On the other hand, Zinia lives a tormented life amidst tears and dark memories of her past. What's the link connecting them? How would the two estranged lovers meet? Would Fazal save that lady? Would Zinia ever find her peace of mind?

Dipped in the spirituality, the author has woven the story of Zinia and Fazal as she brings verses from the Quran in the context. The book starts at a snail's pace and it's only after a few pages in that you get the whiff of the storyline. The book discusses the stigma attached to victims of rape in our society and the trauma that follows it. It also brings into light how a horrendous act of rape could inflict severe damage on someone's mental health. I liked the writing style of the author which was simple and binding but I didn't find the central story fresh and intriguing enough.

For the most part of the book, the couple - Zinia and Fazal - are seen fighting over issues and living in discontent and disapproval of each other. I found this sequence overly stretched which does not cast a significant impact on the story. As they come to terms with each, their relationship finds stability and together they triumph over Zinia's nightmares.

I like romance books but still, this one seemed more like a less explored daily soap than a realistic story. I really liked the narration and the author's way of putting up a story but the story itself wasn't very appealing to me. Moreover, the narrative didn't go well with me in terms of characters too. Perhaps, a better storyline with refined characters would have been likable.

I would recommend this book to the newbie readers who wish to read simple romance.
Profile Image for Honey & Anjali .
550 reviews57 followers
November 10, 2019
Beyond our Melancholy is a story about two individuals who come from different backgrounds and share different beliefs but still find their way to each other as it was their destiny. Fazal and Zinnia and how their love story evolves is the main plot of the book. The narrative consists of Urdu words and Quran verses that makes it poetic and gives it a sufi touch.

The contrasting traits of the main characters makes them compliment each other well and they almost feel like a perfect match except that the unnecessary drama that doesn't get resolve until halfway through because of miscommunication and misunderstandings made it a typical romance drama.

The plot itself isn't something that hasn't been explored including the spiritual aspects of the book. The plot development was inconsistent making it go back and forth between the hate love relationship. Using misunderstanding or miscommunication as a plot device to stretch the story is something I don't enjoy especially when it's obvious that the author is just trying to prolong the inevitable.

I'd recommend it to people who enjoy romance but this just wasn't my cup of tea.
Profile Image for Shreya Rao.
69 reviews7 followers
December 24, 2019
The cover of the book is beautiful. story plot is good, I however expected a little more from the story. I also felt a few things were left hanging.

I liked the fact that every chapter also starts with unusal phrases and meaning of it explained.

The characters are well built and protagonists are very well described. It is quick read and enjoyable for one. There is plot, there is emotions and there is quick heart racing events too
Profile Image for SAMVEDNA.
161 reviews20 followers
November 17, 2019
Dissolved in romantic spiritualism, the author guides the characters, interlinking their fate and their purpose.
Fazal Bashir a billionaire, having all ingredients we need to term a person successful, and Zinnia, who hates him. And how fate, circumstances and reality encompasses the entire realms of dreams, narrating their story.
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The author has arrived with flow of emotions, and has successfully registered these emotions in the mind of the readers. Exhibiting a stable narrative.
The characterization is complementary to the emotional narrative.
The book qualifies for a light read, and the author's attempt is commendable.
Publishers: @bluerose_publishers
Language: English

My rating: 3/5
2 reviews
October 9, 2019
This book is about a dream catcher. Starting from Jaipur to Hyderabad the journey of Zinia is full of ups and downs. The character of Fazal is lovely and draws the audience towards his patience and love. But it is a bit slower at some point. There is no anticipation because the story very much reveals itself. The connection shown between the husband and wife reminds us of old Hindi movies. Still, it is a good tantalizing romance.
Profile Image for Niya.
8 reviews1 follower
October 13, 2024
This book is great. I'll say it. Yes, it's amazing on grounds of romance and spirituality. But I do think that the writing could have been better edited and the plot could have been executed better. There is an abrupt change in Zinia's behavior towards Fazal, whom she claims to dislike through the first part of the book because of the things he's done. I loved their romance after their reconciliation but it was abrupt so it took away from the enjoyment of the story a little.

I am so excited to read more works from the author because the plot to this one was promising, it just lacked flow. I liked Fazal Bashir but he annoyed me at times when he was being hotheaded or shit Zinia out because of her trauma. He didn't grovel for what he did and didn't beg for forgiveness which grates on my nerves too. I loved Zinia because of her stubbornness and the way she tried to overcome her trauma. But she wasn't truly independent in the story, always relied on the people around her. But she took a stand for herself towards the end and that puts my heart at peace a little.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you like fast-paced romances with a lot of spirituality mixed in there. If you want a quick read to get you out of a slump, this book is for you!
Profile Image for Fathima Ashab.
163 reviews24 followers
December 13, 2019
My Wattpad-ish younger self would have enjoyed this book but I am way past my teen romantic years so it wasn't for me. It isn't to say that it's a bad book but just too cliche for my liking. This story is about a girl who have gone through a terrible past which haunts her even after those bad years have been passed. So much struggle for a young girl to go through. This book also dealt with fighting fears and unconditional love. The thing I liked about the book is that the characters were practicing Islam like normal Muslims do which is hard to see in many books. This doesn't mean it was too religious or anything but it felt good to see something relatable in it. I guess the writing was really good in some places but if we take the book on the whole, it would do much better with some refining and character developments. To conclude, it was an easy read, the author has definitely put so much effort into it and would be better for younger audiences and to those who love to read romance.
Profile Image for Kritika .
209 reviews18 followers
November 13, 2019
Ms. Ali’s beautifully written book “Beyond Our Melancholy”, is a tale of two lovers who reunites after a gap of many years.
Fazal Bashir, the billionaire and having tasted success at such an early age still, wasn’t happy in his life. His nightmares never let him have a soundful sleep. He used to see a veiled lady asking for his help in his dreams and he could even hear her cries, which had led him to a stressful life. On the other hand, we come to know about a girl named Zinia, who lived with her aunt and uncle and her hatred towards Fazal Bashir. Later in the story we come to know the reason behind Zinia’s hard feelings towards Fazal Bashir. But, Hafiza her cousin brings a ray of light and hope in Zinia’s miserable life by welcoming Fazal Bashir once again in her life.
Now the question hangs in the air, will Zinia be able to forgive Fazal Bashir and start her life from a new one?
The story has many ups and downs, twist and turns which makes it quite an interesting read. The story is fast paced which makes it gripping and one can finish it in a single sitting. The cover is pretty fine and I think title is in harmony to the story. Narration of the book was fine and the language is basic and lucid I would say, in addition to it, good for beginners. One can also find the plot dealing with some real-life serious issues like rape, one’s mental wellbeing etc.
Over all the story is charming and the characters are described well. One will be able to relate to this story, which contains the essence of reality as well as fiction.
Recommended from my side.
Profile Image for Aishwarya Rathor.
273 reviews29 followers
November 27, 2019
'Opposites attract', they say. This romantic fiction revolves around two very opposite individuals, in terms of individuality and believes, Zinnia and Fazal.
They got together against their wishes and then Faizal decides pursue his higher studies.
Circumstances go bad and fate goes against them.

The best thing about the book is spirituality. The way Urdu and the verses of Quran are mentioned in the book is binding the book very well.
The plot was likely protectable,not very fresh.
I felt the need of more characters and the narration could have been slightly better.
The book started in a very slow pace and in about 50 pages I kind of understood the plot.
The story became stretchy sometimes.
Certain arguments between the protagonist was not required.
This book is recommended to all the people who are new in reading the romantic fiction genre.
Profile Image for delhihitereader.
240 reviews3 followers
September 17, 2020
The main protagonist of the story are Zinia and Fazal Bashir. They were neighborhood when they lived in Hyderabad. Zinia has been kidnapped and raped. Her parents getting worried for her future. Fazal's parents force him to get marry with Zinia but he doesn't want to get marry her because he doesn't like her at all. But unfortunately he has to do so they just had their Nikah.
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After their Nikah Fazal went abroad for his studies. Then his parents has been died and later Zinia's father's also died but Fazal didn't show up cause he doesn't know about her father's demise. Then Zinia started doing hate to Fazal cause she needed him the most at that time.
Although Zinia hated him so much but she agreed for her rukhsati cause of her mother's happiness. Then Zinia's rukhsati has been take place and she went to her homeland. And her memories coming back her past that haunted her every night in her nightmare. Then started living together in a home but their relationship was not going well. Fazal sometimes used to think how he can manage to convert her hate in love. He tried many times but nothing could work.
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But slowly Zinia started feeling for Fazal and they started enjoying each other's company. Later one fine day when they went to Charminar there she saw him, the man who raped her at that she became unconscious cause seeing that man she remembered her past. Later that man got trapped her and kidnapped again and want tore once again like he did before but this time Zinia decided to take stand for herself and she got strength to tackle with that man and was able to run away from that filthy place. After that man got sentenced for life imprisonment. And then they have their first child who was a baby boy. They named him Isa.
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Overall, it's an amazing book, I enjoyed reading this book. The cover of the book goes so well with the story. I definitely recommend this book to all my fellow bookstagrammer's. Happy Reading!
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Ratings:
Overall - 5/5
Title - 5/5
Cover - 5/5
Storytelling - 5/5
Language - 5/5
Profile Image for Kitabi Keeda.
625 reviews70 followers
February 13, 2020
▶INSIGHT: The novel is a story of two people connected by dreams or to be precise, nightmares. The male protagonist, Fazal sees a veiled lady in his dreams daily for almost 7 years asking him for help. In the parallel universe, the female protagonist, Zinia battles her trauma after a rape happened in her teenage. The story is about how these two people meet and come to terms with what Allah throws their way.

▶REVIEW: The novel revolves around Fazal and Zinia who are struggling with their own problems in two different parts of the country. While Fazal, even after getting everything in life, yearns for a family, Zinia faces the hardships of being a rape victim. The novel flows smoothly as the excerpts are very well connected. The verses of the Qur'an give a spiritual feel to the story playing an important role in uniting the couple. However, most of the story is about the differences and denials of the two which at times seems too stretched. It's good to see how even an unspoken love can work wonders in giving strength to a shattered heart and soul.

▶STRENGTH: The novel doesn't cease to amaze in terms of the writing style and the way it has been put up by the author. The author has used many fresh ways to enhance the writing for example, the use of verses of the Qur'an, the one word given to each chapter of the novel defining the gist of that chapter. The life of a rape victim and the aftermath of a rape is very well portrayed.

▶WEAKNESS: The characters of the novels were not explored completely and the storyline could have been more strong and refined.

▶TARGET READERS: The novel targets every new reader looking for a light and simple love story.

▶AGE GROUP: Recommended for an age group of 16-30 years.

▶RATING: 4/5
Profile Image for Kavitha  Sharma.
99 reviews12 followers
June 26, 2020
‘Beyond our melancholy’ by Zeba Ali is my recent read and it is written in the genre 'Spiritual Romantic Fiction'. The genre sounds pretty cool, so is the story line. The story line revolves around a meek woman Zinia who suffers from nightmares because of her horrible past. She is now with her uncle and her mean aunt, on the other hand, we have Fazal Bashir who is a rich man and suffers from a bad dream of a woman pleading to save her. 🍂

The two stories reconcile in a point, where the author reveals that Fazal is Zinia’s husband. This is not a spoiler, I uttered about the story. The story is about how god has allowed two souls to protect and pamper each other. If you read this book you will come to know why Zinia and Fazal were drifting apart and how they reconcile. So, it is a simple story of a couple with beautiful and sensible message. The emotional state of a rape victim is discussed in an amazing manner. 🍂

The narrative style could have been better with deep thoughts. I felt that if the narration of the plot had looked depth, then this book would have been one of the best sensible reads about emotional state of a couple who had gone through a difficult phase. Because of subtle and simple narration, the story might not fascinate all readers. The justification of Fazal that why he left Zinia, is not that strong. The character of Zinia melts my heart because of what she has gone through in her life. In the second part of the story, where zinia discerns her mistake reciprocates the love is so sweet.
The language is very simple and beginners would fall in love with this book. If you want to read a light beautiful romantic fiction without obscene chapters then I would recommend this book to u🌻❤
66 reviews10 followers
January 22, 2020
Beyond our melancholy is a book of beautiful yet pensive tale of love between the characters Fazal and Zinia, who were bounded by marriage arranged by their guardians, which somehow didn't last and everyone got detached from each other in different ways, unknown of the tragedies the others must be going through.
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Zinia has went through vicious events in her life which still haunts her in her nightmares. Six years has passed and she despise Fazal a little more with each passing day, taking take of her aged mother living under the roof of her paternal uncle. Until a day appeared when both of them met again and this time Fazal tried his best for getting them all happy together despite knowing Zinia's hate for him.
And there started a beautiful love story between them. Fazal caressed for her like an ideal husband should(which is an extinct trait from men). He tried his best to help her overcome with her nightmares whichbwere the result of her past.
The storyline, which I feel is extremely obsessed with just the two main characters, Fazal and Zinia. The relationship between Fazal and Zinia has been extended a bit longer giving very little space to other events going on in their lives, but I loved that part of their relationship which I didn't want to end. Talking about the start of the storyline, it took me some time to adjust and get comfortable with the plot, nevertheless it became immensely interesting till then, it made me giggle, got me tensed, worry a little for the characters.
A smooth writing style which makes the reader comfortable. I feel this is a suitable book for any newbie.
54 reviews1 follower
November 3, 2021
Beyond Our Melancholy
~Zeba Ali Beyond Our Melancholy is a young adult spiritual romance novel, a story which gets you thinking about life and its intricacies.
The nove is not only a story but also teaches a very strong lesson which is very well portrayed by @zebaz1_author.
It all begins with a dream of Fazal Bashir, the protagonist, the handsome millionaire. He sees a constant dream of a veiled rather a mysterious lady reaching out to the him for help due to which he is constantly disturbed.

Then we are introduced to a young adult, Zinia. She is more or less same as our protagonist.She stays with her mother at her uncle's place. She is too restless, unhappy and disturbed as Faizal.

What is the connection between the above two? Reasons of their dreams, and many more secrets to be revealed. Who is the veiled lady and many more mysteries are to be solved? These will be revealed only if you read it once.
What are you waiting for? Go and grab your copy.

Coming to its cover page and its title, both of them are fascinating and eye-catching.

"It all starts with a dream"
"Please, don't... don't hate me..." Her voice was breaking at the edge as Zinia shuffled more in his embrace .........."

The title is justified by the author. She has used simple and lucid language which a beginner can read in one go.

Suggestions- Since it is a fairy tale story which obviously ends on a happy note, I wish the author writes something realistic (a modern text).

Ratings-⭐⭐⭐.5
Pages- 199
Cost - 210/- @amazondotin

Tags : #bookworm #booklover #patna #readbooks #bookinspectors
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ananya Thakur.
239 reviews10 followers
December 26, 2019
Beyond our Melancholy is a sweet love story with a traumatic background. Fazal Bashir, a successful entrepreneur was struggling to fight against the insurmountable voidness of his life. Having lost his parents at a very early age, he was accustomed with his solitary lifestyle. He was quite disturbed with his dream where he saw a veiled lady asking for his help. At the same time, Zinia was living a miserable life where she was invariably subject to her aunt's unjustified weight of wrath. Along with that, her constant urge to get rid of her unwanted and horrifying nightmare was making her entire life unworthy.

While going through the mishaps, one day she got stumbled at the sight of a young man. All episodes of her past seemed to came in front of her past. She got numb as the sight brought the chill down her spine. Little did she know, her life is about to swerve in a new direction. Against her will, she was married to Fazal and was left with no choice than to commence her new life with Fazal, the person with whom she was not even ready to spend a day. However as soon as they started acknowledging each other's presence, there comes another problem from somewhere. Would they together be able to get rid of this terrible problem ?

The author has tried to show the aftereffects of a traumatic life. I was quite dissatisfied with the ending. The excitement with which i had started the book got totally lost at the end. The entire story was strecthed on a single incident which pigued my interest, but the revelation was not quite disappointing. What i feel is that the author could have worked more to give it a different closure. Also it was predictable, i somehow guessed the content beforehand. Had it been more enigmatic, it would definitely turn out to be more engrossing. Nonetheless her efforts in trying to make it a good storyline should be appreciated.
Profile Image for Rakhi (New Book Reviewer).
631 reviews33 followers
December 13, 2019
The story is about two lost souls who find their happiness in each other after struggling for seven years of personal misery. Zinia a young, scared girl, due a tragic and awful event that happened at a young age, left her broken and shattered who trusts no one. Because of the trauma it’s difficult for her to interact with others without a panic attack and hides herself in a veil which leads her to total isolation from the outside world.

Fazal Bashir a Billionaire, a great believer of his Lord and Creator. He believes that everything lord does is for a reason. After forced Nika, Fazal goes abroad for further studies and later find that his parents' deaths which leads him to come back only to find that her wife and others were gone. Building his business and making himself a success. Only a veiled girl made him restless in his dreams, begging him to help her. It shocks Fazal when he sees the veiled lady of his dream in real after 7 years, those brown eyes belonged to his childhood friend and his wife Zinia. After seeing her sad and unhappy Fazal takes responsibility for her and her mother. But Zinia hates him, hates his gut that he just can’t come back after 7 years and expect everything to be ok. So what will happen, will Zinia forgive Fazal and live rest of her life with him? Will Fazal be able to help Zinia just like she begged him in his dreams? What’s the tragic event that made a cheerful and talkative girl a scared and vulnerable girl?

My Take:

Beyond our melancholy, the title describes itself simple and elegant, a simple love story of two lost and distanced souls. Author Zeba Ali has described the relation remarkably, from hate to realization, from care to love. Every scene and every chapter that led to their love was simply perfect, and I admired the patience of Fazal that he had for his wife’s struggles and arrogance. The story itself shows us to have faith in our god, to have hope that one day everything will be ok, to have courage and stand for yourself, to love without condition, to live happily as we have only one life. I like every part and every chapter of the book. It has a bit of mystery as well, in the start it has only shown that Zinia is traumatized by an even from her past and has not recovered since then. But until you have not reached halfway through the book, you don’t know what happened to her; the suspense makes you read the book in a flow. The small moments described between a husband and wife are amazing, like reading from the Quran that made the book special. Also, Author describes how only you can overcome your fear and only you can help yourself if you decide to.

Overall loved the book and would recommend, if you want to get away from all the drama in your life, just read this book and witness the pure and simple love story of Fazal and Zinia with Beyond our Melancholy.
272 reviews10 followers
December 30, 2019
What's the story about? Beyond our melancholy is a simple yet heart touching love story. It revolves around Fazal and Zinia who are married long back against their wish. Their paths are different, their dream are different yet are tied together. There's a lady begging for help, who's like a nightmare to Fazal. Who's she? Like the laws of physics "unlike poles attract" the couples are brought back together again after twists and turns. What happens next? Will they continue to live together? To know one must read the story.
The story not only focuses on romance and routine love but makes one understand how awful the social evils such as rape can impact on one's life. The book is combination of spirituality and romance together and this blend is totally creating wonders. The book also unfolds verses from holy Quran and puts you on thinking about life. The Nizam city Hyderabad is perfect set for the plot. The author has given a promising work in her debut novel.

Review: 📌Title is thought provoking
📌Simple yet beautiful storyline
📌Plot is intriguing
📌Language used is lucid
📌The characters are well developed
📌Narration is smooth with no unnecessary lags
📌The emotions and scenes are penned raw and real
📌Short and emotional read. I would recommend this book for everyone and mainly for romance fictional lovers.
Happy Reading📖!
13 reviews2 followers
June 21, 2020
Reading the book beyond our melancholy felt like watching a Pakistani drama because of the Urdu and Sufi touch that it has.

Beyond our melancholy: it all starts with a dream is a story of two people Fazal and Zinia. Fazal was forced to marry Zinia at a tender age. He moves abroad for further studies. He comes back home on his parent’s demise. By that time Zinia also lost her father and she had to live with her uncle and aunt along with her mother where she was ill-treated. Zinia is also fighting a melancholic past that keeps haunting her.

On returning, Fazal wants Zinia back in his life. He sees nightmares in which a veiled woman is calling him out for help. Zinia develops detest for him because of his absence in her life when she needed him the most. Despite her will, Zinia succumbs to her family’s persuasion and reunites with him. But will Zinia be able to overcome her hatred toward him and will Fazal be able to pull Zinia out of her melancholy and hatred towards him is something you need to read and find out.

I loved the cover page and the title. The title is well justified. The story has a spiritual touch to it. The emotions of the protagonists have been dealt with so deeply that you can feel their pain. I was completely engrossed in reading this book. Completely my kinda book and writing.
Profile Image for Aditi Mehta.
191 reviews6 followers
June 16, 2020
"Beyond our melancholy" is a spiritual romance that celebrates the culture and traditions of Islam in a beautiful way. The book wonderfully symbolises "faith always win" and "we are all mere characters in the hand of that divine, our playwright".

The book tells the story of Zinia and Fazal who are childhood neighbors, bound by marriage as per their parents wishes but against Fazal desires. Fate separates them for seven long years and in that many drastic changes happen. The bubbly Zinia becomes a calm, simple introvert with no hope and Fazal makes his way in the tough world of business and becomes The Fazal Bashir.
After seven years both Zinia and Fazal are battered by guilt and lather in grief but connected by faith.
The first half of book appears promising with all the Zinia mysterious past, it's haunting memories and Fazal overburdened guilt and nightmares.
Admirable writing of author clearly shows the earnestness, passion and the studious gaze she turn on faith.
As the story unfolds (which is too soon) the pages feels like coercive add on to the story.
The Story wants to be too many things, there's a running subplot involving the mental trauma and stigma of sexual assaults survivor and how Protogonist deals with it. The author also bung in paparazzi drama a elite wife has to faced.
The story is overwrought but undercooked and tonality inconsistent.

The second half of book is so much stuffed that it little makes the impact including Zinia and Fazal romance. The story strain to be suspensful and poignant but it doesn't get that and readers can clearly feel it.

I wrestled for a while about what rating to give this book, wish I could give 3 stars but settled on 4. The one added star to the poetic sensibility of Quran verses and unquestionable faith which won my heart.
112 reviews
July 13, 2020
" BEYOND OUR MELANCHOLY "

BY ZEBA ALI

"Dream Catcher. It catches your bad dreams. But Fazal Bashir never wanted one.

Beyond melancholy is an spiritual love story of two individuals who knew that there paths in life can't be together but didn't knew that destiny can always make a tunnel to join the lines

Pages of this book is inked by the stories of fazal and zinnia prodigy fazal was married to zinnia at young age without his choice and later on moved to abroad with the thought of never coming back
Whereas zinnia was dealing with a flood of emotions because of her father's death as well as because of the absence of fazal in her life

Later on when fazal came back he found that both his parents died with the grief in his heart fazal and weird dreams about a girl approaching for help he couldn't think of anyone but zinnia he knew he left her without any clue so now he had no clue how to get back to her but again as I gave you an hint earlier that they are destined to be together

Loved the title simply relating to the story story line was different but it could be alot better if the plot was different

Language is super easy so if you are beignner and wanted to read a light romance read you could definitely go with this book

Profile Image for Rashmi Pai-Prabhu.
113 reviews7 followers
March 17, 2020
Book review 91:
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Beyond our melancholy by Zeba Ali
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About the book:
It all starts with a dream. Fazal Bashir, the dashing millionaire has everything going for him but disturbed sleep. He sees a constant dream of a veiled lady reaching out to him for help. .
Zinia , a young adult, stays with her mother at her uncle's place. She is restless scared and unhappy. .
The connection between Fazal and Zinia, who is the girl in Fazal's dreams and whether Zinia is able to leave her uncle's house and consequently find happiness. These answers make up the story of this book. .
Review :
The title is pretty good and contextual.
The cover picture is interesting too,the monochrome effect is striking and unique.
The language is simple , easy to comprehend.
The fonts could have been bigger though.
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Opinion and Ratings :
First the good bit, the title of every chapter is a complex English word with meaning and is deeply connected to the chapter. I loved that innovative touch. The story is ok, fairly stereotypical with the expected fairy tale ending which probably is more popular among younger readers. .
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Rating :⭐⭐⭐ good
Profile Image for Sofia Kazmi.
74 reviews8 followers
January 4, 2020
Beyond Our Melancholy by @zebaz1_author 📚
Beyond our melancholy is a young adult spiritual romance novel. A story which gets you thinking about life and its intricacies. The subtle intimacy and the connection with God is was attracted me the most. I would highly recommend this for romance lovers.
🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀
Blurb: This is a beautiful love story of two captivating soul who cannot let go of their grief or guilt .
🎀
Zinia, who was once a outgoing and bubbly girl is now just a breathing body with lost soul. Her life is now full of darkness which was once filled with love and passion.
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Fazal, a billionaire is intrigued by a veil lady who was seeking his help causing his sleepless night.
But the question is, who is the lady? Why do he have her nightmares when he had never met her?
.🎀
Once they were free from any care of the world but then destiny decided to play a cruel joke that scattered their life.
Read to find out how they found their happiness in each other even in the time of grief
Profile Image for Om Kini.
108 reviews
July 7, 2020
Book follows our main protagonist Fazal Bashir and Zinia.

Fazal Bashir, an successful entrepreneur who is dealing with a veil lady begging him for help in his dream.

Zinia is too dealing with the nightmare on top of it her aunt was making her life miserable and much more difficult.
Destiny has planned to bring them together. when they meet their past opens.... What is the mystery behind the dreams?

Are they somehow connected?

What is their past?

To know, you must read this book.

Honestly I was facing difficulties while writing this review. I feel if I write more then it will spoil your mood while reading it.

Lot many things are going in this book. if you think that you have finally figured out what is going on then boom!!! In the next chapter author puts a new surprise.

Each chapter has a very different name that I have not even heard and i personally don't know how to pronounce it.

Narration would have been better. At some places the story is stretch a bit. Author has hope to do much better.
Profile Image for Harshita Ashwani.
Author 2 books12 followers
December 25, 2019
Book: Beyond our Melancholy
Author: Zeba Ali
Blurb:
"Dream Catcher. It catches your bad dreams. But Fazal Bashir never wanted one.
Tasted the fruits of success quite early for his age, the billionaire Fazal Bashir is intrigued by the veiled lady of his dreams, who always begs for his help to save her. As it is proved, people close to God are tested; likewise, a new problem is waiting for Fazal which will force him to look into his past.
Beyond Our Melancholy is a young adult spiritual romance novel, a story which puts you on thinking about life and its intricacies."


The author's style of writing is great and lucid. The language was simple and easy to understand, even beginners can understand.
The cover was relevant and looks amazing.
The Title was very different and looks really interesting part.
The tagline is quite interesting and adds up to its beauty.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Rating: 4.7/5
Profile Image for Bharat Ahuja.
51 reviews
December 25, 2019

It is a beautiful title that holds together a simple love story of two souls captivated in their guilt and grief and liberated by their love. Zinia was married off to Fazal long time back against his wish and this renders him anguished. He leaves for his higher studies and later finds out that his parents are no more. Right after his return to India, he is haunted by his nightmares of a veiled lady begging him to save her. On the other hand, Zinia lives a tormented life amidst tears and dark memories of her past. What's the link connecting them? How would the two estranged lovers meet? Would Fazal save that lady? Would Zinia ever find her peace of mind?

Dipped in the spirituality, the author has woven the story of Zinia and Fazal as she brings verses from the Quran in the context. The book discusses the stigma attached to victims of rape in our society and the trauma that follows it. I liked the writing style of the author which was simple and binding.
Profile Image for Sonali Khan.
319 reviews3 followers
February 7, 2020
The billionaire, Fazal Bashir, often has these nightmares of the veiled girl asking for his help to save her. He is forced to marry Zinia that puts him off and he moves abroad for further studies. On his return he realizes a lot has changed in his life. He tries to work his failed marriage but things are not so simple as they seem to be. Misunderstandings and dark past haunts the couple in various ways. The book is a struggle to overcome any problems that may arise in their way towards a happy and simple life.

The narrative is simple with a cute hate-to-love story happening. The book also has references of rape so avoid if that is out of your comfort zone.
40 reviews1 follower
November 8, 2019
the_bookish_blog welcomes you 🌺
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Book : Beyond Our Melancholy
Author : Zeba Ali
Publication : Blue Rose Publisher's
Published on : 10 Oct 2019
Pages : 206
Price : Rs 210( excluding discount )
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" Love makes the time pass , time makes love pass . "
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Among the seven types of sub genre of romance this novel is a mixture of young adult and spritual romance . The book starts with two parallel stories . The story of two central character , Fazal Bashir and Zinnia . And as the plot develops the two different story becomes one unlike two characters . Fazal is forced to marry Zinnia but after fazal parents die he moves to America and try to deal with this loss and focuses on his study while Zinnia's father dies due to sudden heart attack and Zinnia and her mother had to stay with her aunt and uncle . One day , Hafiza ( Zinnia's cousin ) emerges as a source of light to mend past relationships and Zinnia and Fazal meets in an award ceremony held in Hafiza's school . Fazal approaches to Zaheer ( Zinnia's Uncle ) and asks to marry Zinnia again . Zinnia agrees to marry for the sake of her mother's happiness . But will Fazal and Zinnia will be able to restart their relationship ? . Will they be able to forget past and find love in present ? . Will Zinnia forgive Fazal for his past activities ? .
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The cover of the book is beautiful . The title is justified with the plot . The language used is easy . Writing style is good . Narration could have been better . Story is fast paced which keeps readers hooked . The author had dealt with serious issues like rape , physical and mental torture etc . Their were so many beautiful lines in the book that made the whole plot more intriguing . The essence of the book lies in characters . Whether it's Fazal , Zinnia , Hafiza , Zaheer, Zohra , Masood , Hamza etc every character is so beautifully plotted and reality is shown through them which makes them so relatable . The simple yet beautiful love story remarking the realities of society through characters makes this book a MUST READ .
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5 out of :- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Profile Image for Neriah.
173 reviews5 followers
September 7, 2020
'Beyond Our Melancholy' is a simple indie love story exploring life and its complexities revolving the two estranged lovers, both of whom are leading opposite lifestyles but are haunted by a dark: her dark past haunts Zinia and a nightmare of a veiled scared woman pleading for his help haunts Fazal. All until one day, their fates entangle and the plot moves on to explore where that will take Zinia and Fazal.
Thank you, Zeba Ali, for providing me with a review copy in return for an honest feedback.
With verses from Quran and lingering spiritual vibe, Zeba crafts a story with immense potential and tries to portray the stigma surrounding rape and rape victims face in the society by focusing on their intricate emotions and lifestyle. For the first few chapters, I was hooked, setting aside the grammatical errors and the slow pace, because of how heartfelt the writing felt. Even when the story lacked the right tone from the beginning, I couldn't deny how much heart and soul has been put into this story.

Even though it became harder for me to navigate through the story because of few illogical scenes that came off bollywoodesque and unrealistic, it also started to sadden me that this is such a good story with such a huge potential. If only this was polished by setting down the correct writing tone, fact checks and dealt with consisting plotholes, it could have easily been a 5-star read.
I loved the creativity with the chapter names and the themes consisting in the story that held all the potential to be good literary fiction, if not the best. And when it comes to the characters, they failed to reach the potential, foreshadowed in the first few chapters.

I would suggest Zeba revisit this work and revise it by adapting the right tone that will help in navigating the base of this story (by taking into consideration that this book serves as the foundation) to a better route of exploration.
Profile Image for Rutuja Ramteke.
1,995 reviews97 followers
November 6, 2019
🌼Beyond Our Melancholy🌼
"Dream Catcher. It catches your bad dreams. But Fazal Bashir never wanted one.
Tasted the fruits of success quite early for his age, the billionaire Fazal Bashir is intrigued by the veiled lady of his dreams, who always begs for his help to save her. As it is proved, people close to God are tested; likewise, a new problem is waiting for Fazal which will force him to look into his past. 
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🌼This is a story of a young boy Fazal, who has his life destined with Zinnia, she hates him and the reason is obviously secret. But, life has some different plans, the book started like the same typical romances, hate and slow burn and I thought I couldn't cope up with it, but omg, the way the author twisted the story and everything was upside down. I was continuously wondering who how did she do it but couldn't figure it.
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The real book started after fifty pages or so and it started with such a page which wasn't too fast or wasn't too slow but exactly what I needed at that time. The book taught me many lessons as a person and the most important amongst was, Time, how time is important to heal everything even the deepest wound. I have grown with this book and with characters. Spiritual romances are not mushy-gushy but they actually can make the reader feel a lot things. I loved how the author so much focussed on characters and plot at the same time.
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There was a point where I felf like weeping because it is written in a way which is easily relatable, even if you are not into romances then also you gonna love this. I definitely think the writing could have been more intense and better. I loved this book and will highly recommend it to everyone.
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Rating : 4🌟
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