Despite Stolen Dreams – review

Despite Stolen Dreams is a collection of emotions – the protagonist and the antagonist – everything about the world created by Anita Krishan revolves around the emotions… Despite Stolen Dreams is a novel written by Anita which is also her latest one and it succeeds the previous one entitled Tears of Jhelum. At the centre, it’s about the problem of terrorism in the valley of Kashmir which forces a family, the Wali Khan family, to flee from Kashmir and take refuge in the Indian capital Delhi.

The novel is interesting and certainly something which might be called a literary fiction in the truest of its sense. It has the best set of characters; it has a well-knit plot and a serious theme and the best part, to me, as a reader as well as a critic, seems the narrative of the novel which certainly revamps the memories of reading the classics of the modern age – Lawrence, Forster or even Hardy. The language used by Anita Krishan in her latest novel Despite Stolen Dreams is just fascinating and wonderful as well as perfectly synchronising with the theme she has chosen!

The Storyline:
It can be construed as an agonising journey of Wali Khan who has to leave his own house and homeland in Kashmir. His life in Delhi and then ultimately his final confrontation with the terror are the attraction in the novel. Despite Stolen Dreams offers a tale of terror and a tale of love and affection. On the one end of the yardstick, you will find Wali Khan and his family and on the other end, you will find Hashim and his terror-prodigies. On one side, there are love, affection, adaptation, progress and emotions and on the other side, there are murder, ruthlessness, cold-blooded violence and hatred and ultimate dejection! It will be a wonderful experience reading this novel by Anita…

The Review:
In the contemporary Indian English writing, there are very few writers who can be put on the highest pedestal and undoubtedly, Anita Desai is one among them… her fiction tells it. Her writing style is broad and it has all the essential elements in the proper proportions. Despite Stolen Dreams is a novel which might be entertaining for the youth readers because it has a plot full of unexpected turns and whirlwind-like twists. At the same time, it can be a serious read for those who come from a literary background because it tells us how a novel can be constructed in its truest spirit! The novel offers the readers a wonderful fusion of two contrary perceptions – hope and despair; affection and hatred; love and enmity; life and death… Anita Krishan, moreover, with her language, has further added a new dimension to this pleasant novel. A perfect read for the readers, Despite Stolen Dreams, the novel is certainly a must-read for anyone!

Where to get the novel?
You can get the novel from Amazon. We have made it further easy for you by adding a link to Amazon below. Just click on the link and it will take you directly to the page where you can buy the novel:

Despite Stolen Dreams by Anita Krishan on Amazon

review by Rahul for Desi Readers