Siya Seth has
committed suicide. After her death, she decides to bare it all, telling
the world her story. Siya, a school girl [17 years of age] was a victim
of parental abuse since she was 8. Though she tries doing everything
possible to gain her some peace and comfort, her hidden secrets keep
haunting her, not letting her rest, driving her over the edge at the
end.
Review of Siya Seth Decides to Die…Pages 255. Rs 100
Publisher- Diamond Books, Delhi
When
i 1st read the title, i was taken aback. Made me wonder if the author
had been inspired by Paulo Coelho’s Veronica Decides to Die, but as i
read through, i realised this is fairly different.
i 1st read the title, i was taken aback. Made me wonder if the author
had been inspired by Paulo Coelho’s Veronica Decides to Die, but as i
read through, i realised this is fairly different.
The opening lines –
“Life
sucked me dry. I felt like a diagonally parked car in a parallel
universe. People rolled up, collided, had accidents, and recovered;
while I lay bruised. externally and internally. Seen and unseen. I
committed suicide. For my own good.”
sucked me dry. I felt like a diagonally parked car in a parallel
universe. People rolled up, collided, had accidents, and recovered;
while I lay bruised. externally and internally. Seen and unseen. I
committed suicide. For my own good.”
had me engrossed.. Though i kind of knew where the story was headed, i was curious to see how Sneha’s novel would be…
Siya
seems to be a a regular teenage rebel, one who is very bold, and yet on
other hand she is coming to terms with adulthood, trying to deal with
changes in her physical appearance and inside of her. She goes on with
life, with only a best friend- Reva.
seems to be a a regular teenage rebel, one who is very bold, and yet on
other hand she is coming to terms with adulthood, trying to deal with
changes in her physical appearance and inside of her. She goes on with
life, with only a best friend- Reva.
Although
she has it all, Siya does not seem to live in peace. There is something
that is haunting her, giving her sleepless nights and endless
nightmares. She even dates the good looking Randeep, which does not sit
well with her best friend Reva. She bunks school, bribes a policeman in
Marine Lines, bluffs her way through the day, visits a man who is
proficient in Past life related issues, who claims to heal her soul for
just Rs999. But, none of this seems to help… And we, the readers
wonder why?!
she has it all, Siya does not seem to live in peace. There is something
that is haunting her, giving her sleepless nights and endless
nightmares. She even dates the good looking Randeep, which does not sit
well with her best friend Reva. She bunks school, bribes a policeman in
Marine Lines, bluffs her way through the day, visits a man who is
proficient in Past life related issues, who claims to heal her soul for
just Rs999. But, none of this seems to help… And we, the readers
wonder why?!
Siya
is a depressed teenager who has a dark secret buried deep inside her
heart. She is depressed, lonely and sad. She is also stinking rich, an
only child and has servants attending to her day in and day out, so
nobody can understand why a filthy rich and good looking teenager could
be miserable. As readers we do know it has to do something with her dark
secret.
is a depressed teenager who has a dark secret buried deep inside her
heart. She is depressed, lonely and sad. She is also stinking rich, an
only child and has servants attending to her day in and day out, so
nobody can understand why a filthy rich and good looking teenager could
be miserable. As readers we do know it has to do something with her dark
secret.
No
prizes for guessing what Siya’s dark secret is..you will know it if you
have read the blurb on the back cover of the book, or if you read
through the 1st 50 odd pages. The book starts off strong, but after a
while makes us wonder where it is headed. Siya takes her own sweet time
in revealing the truth, and what was really going on in her life, and
why she committed suicide.
prizes for guessing what Siya’s dark secret is..you will know it if you
have read the blurb on the back cover of the book, or if you read
through the 1st 50 odd pages. The book starts off strong, but after a
while makes us wonder where it is headed. Siya takes her own sweet time
in revealing the truth, and what was really going on in her life, and
why she committed suicide.
The
abuse, the victim and the culprit, the emotions running high and the
society’s role in all of this could have been highlighted better. I felt
the plot kind of fizzled out after a point, and the extent of Siya’s
trauma dint come through the pages. Also, there were quite a bit of
grammatical errors and typos here and there, which the author and editor
should spend time in polishing!
abuse, the victim and the culprit, the emotions running high and the
society’s role in all of this could have been highlighted better. I felt
the plot kind of fizzled out after a point, and the extent of Siya’s
trauma dint come through the pages. Also, there were quite a bit of
grammatical errors and typos here and there, which the author and editor
should spend time in polishing!
But hats off to Sneha for taking such a sensitive and prevailing issue and attempting to bring it out to the world!
About the Author
Sneha Mehta is a student of organizational psychology and a freelance writer.
