Stars From The Borderless Sea by Shalini Mullick

Book Title: Stars From The Borderless Sea

Publisher: Readomania

Language & Pages: English & 247 pages

Author: Shalini Mullick

Available On: Amazon.in, Free with Kindle Unlimited and ₹ 244 paperback

Mostly, I am not a big fan of romantic stories. Some how they seem not to sit well with my practical side. But I had read rave reviews about the book Stars From the Borderless Sea by Shalini Mullick and I was curious to see how her stories fared on my sensibility meter.

The book starts with ‘Sayonee’ meaning soulmate and a quote from Rumi. Sayonee is the story of two people who are deeply in love and are part of each other’s life for decades but never spend a life time together. It is Geetu and Shekhar’s love story. And it was the perfect story to start the book with. A practical love story (if there is such a thing), I loved their sensibilities. Theirs was not the love that burnt bright and flashed. Theirs was a love that endured even when they were actually never together. It lived in their hearts and sustained them through the hardships of life. A lifespan of love that was their strength. A love that was understated, understood and undemanding. What I also loved about this story is the strength of both the protagonists. Through highs and lows in their life they never gave up. They always kept moving forward. All those who have a practical soul will love this story.

The second story is titled ‘Humsafar’ meaning companion. Once I understood the premise, I was hooked and was really curious to see how the author tackled the particular issue of suspicion and jealousy. Rajat and Rachna had made a life for themselves. But the cozy marriage stemmed from some dark times right at the beginning.  But with love and patience Rachna had helped herself and Rajat make their marriage successful. Until…someone from Rachna’s past came back into her life. I was really interested to see how Rajat would handle this. And to my delight he chose a path that I am happy to say was the right one. He answered his own insecurities and questions and came to a conclusion. What was that conclusion? Well, you will have to read the story to find out.

The last story is titled ‘Humraaz’ meaning confidante. Mahima is a girl next door with regular dreams; a job, happy marriage, kids…But her dreams are left unfulfilled when she marries Pawan who berates her at every turn and generally makes her life hellish. He slowly chips away at her confidence and leaves her raw and frustrated and frayed. But she finds the courage to get a job and stick it out inspite of the hostility at home and all the guilt Pawan and she herself piles on her for leaving her daughter home. A classic working woman’s dilemma. But in all this chaos she finds her island in Sanjay, her boss. He is dealing with his issues too. But the way they draw strength from each other is what the story is all about.

For me, the best part about the three stories was not the love but rather the protagonists themselves. Three women who rose up to the challenges of life. I loved reading how they grew into these women who took adversities and turned them on their heads. They discovered their hidden strength as they went along in their lives. They stood by their convictions and beliefs. They drew strength from their meaningful relationships, Geetu from her never-meant-to-be-together love, Rachna from her desire to give her marriage a shot and Mahima from still-a-taboo-in-the-society extra marital affair.

The author, Shalini Mullick has done a great job in creating these women. They are relatable and inspiring. The language is simple and narrative is flowing making it easy to focus on the story and enjoying it fully. In no way does this feel like a first book.

Do read this book, ‘Stars From the Borderless Sea’ if you like unconventional love stories, if you like strong women, if you like to see your protagonist grow as you read on. I bet, you will be able to identify, partially or fully, with atleast one of the protagonists if not all. A good read and a definite pass on my romantic-sensibility meter.