The Boundaries of Sanity: Readomania Shots

by Mira Saraf

Five distinct imperfect people battle with the monsters within their minds - anxiety, alcoholism, and guilt, among others. Each battles against a situation of their own creation, which challenges them to redefine their ways of looking at the world and cross into uncharted territory. Can they win against their own demons? Or will they succumb?

59 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2020

Reviews

[Upkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb read.

Whilst a lot has been written about the green phases of prevailed souls,the transition from “verge of doom” to “Determination to prevail” is not narrated much.Thankfully, Mira does that very well with innate story narrating skills. The writing is so good that it ran like a movie in my head while reading.

For anyone who has seen dark phases or is going through one,this is a strongly recommended read.

[Anushree · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a nebulous, even numinous phase when in the thick of mental disintegration, a ray of insight pierces its way into the human consciousness. This off-beat, quirky and brave anthology of five precocious short stories tries to capture that precise moment with commendable effort. Is it possible to have insight into our pathological, compulsive, addictive, chaotic yet predictable self-defeating pattern? Yes, more often than not. Can we change just because we have the insight? Not always. These five stories capture the murky, shifting terrains of losing and then finding one's way back to a sensible, reliable mind.

If the characters were more fleshed out with a back story and the narration was as an omnipresent third person, I would give this five stars. Narration from pov of a person on the edge feels unsettling, they may even come across as unreliable narrators when the main character is second-guessing everything and stitching back fragments of inchoate memories. For a reader not versed with mental afflictions, this may be an underwhelming or frustrating experience.

Overall an excellent, brave attempt by the author. Three stories won me over despite the pov issue discussed above, but that's just my opinion. Hoping to read more of the author's work in future!

[Aditi Varma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Week 34 Book 50
The Boundaries Of Sanity by Mira Saraf
Rating: 4/5

This is an intense collection of dark and powerful short stories. The writing style is eloquent, articulate, and intoxicating. The stories revolve around love, relationships, emotions, and most importantly, dealing with one's own demons. A very well written but uncomfortable book, not for everyone. I especially liked the last story!

Trigger warning: includes description of mental illness, addiction to drugs/alcohol, thoughts of suicide/violence, etc. Please exercise caution.

[Siddhant Agarwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in the book are very well crafted and the title of the book justifies each of the 5 stories that make up this book. Mira has taken five very different situations and characters to drive home the point that sanity is truly a state of mind we control, and that an external locus of control is just a part of that illusion. From a lonely island, to the hustle-bustle of the lanes of old Delhi, the locations differ, but they play a very crucial role in the unfolding of events in the book. Despite being a collection of short stories, the details are explained to the core, with the texture of the coconut to the carved elephant, and the routine of an obsessive husband. The storytelling is quite imaginative, and as the story moves, the reader is pushed into a trance, so much so that he/she becomes a part of the narrative, living it. If I had to pick my favorite from the lot, it would have to be The Storyteller for the simple fact that I could relate to it. The climax of each story was unexpected, well-crafted, and well-executed.

Coming to the characters, each of the story had a distinct character, who had their own secrets and demons. Each of them was very detailed, and had their own quirks that made them unique as well as interesting. There were just enough characters to move the stories, and no fillers were introduced, which was something truly commendable.

[Sitharaam Jayakumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains five short stories. First thing I would like to mention is that Mira Saraf is a subtle storyteller. Her stories are the kind that make one think. She does not follow the typical method of telling stories where people resort to a lot of melodrama. Her method of telling stories make you pause and think but not jump up in ecstatic joy or make you feel gloomy. Read the rest of the review here.