Echoes in the Well || Belinder Dhanoa

“I will lower the clamour of my memories into your silence. I will color the pale surface of your life with the bright blood from mine, and forever, the raging sound of my life will echo through the well of yours.”

This book took me a while to digest because  it has ended in such a mundane fashion. This debut by the author is definitely one of those hidden gems that you seldom come across. Those who believe that time is cyclical will come back to re-read the introduction again after finishing the book. Everything makes sense towards the end and just  like the circular motion it comes back to the beginning. 

This is a story of how lives are interconnected, woven yet separate. I believe that the author did an amazing work at presenting different layers, living in a patriarchal society in a subtle fashion. 

The book has different perspectives going on, trying to explain the sequence of events from the point of views of different characters in the story. The protagonist (Madhulika)  has two daughters, Ambika and younger one Amrita. The story is focused more on the perspective of Madhulika and Amrita where Amrita has been nothing but a silent presence throughout the book. 

It explores the meaning of what it means to be defiant, to be different and to try to live life on your own terms in a society which understands conformity. It takes us through the sacrifices of a mother for a better future for her kids, making them independent and self assured while balancing her role as a wife. 

It takes us through the intricacies of what it means to be a women with dreams and to be different, to be subjected to the constant stereotypes which the young generation are yet to understand. 

Overall, it was one of those books which lets you seep into the lives of others and relive their world, though mundane yet it lures you in to know the outcome of lives lived in different timelines.