Book Review: After Taste of a Half-Lived Life

‘After Taste of a Half-Lived Life’ by Barnali Roy is a collection of nine short stories set in the present, urban India. Each story is an exploration of characters at a specific juncture in their lives: a new mother, overwhelmed with her job and the baby should make a tough decision for her well-being, a father must accept the reality of his only son’s personal life, a couple must overcome a rift in their relationship, a woman must gather the courage to leave an abusive marriage and embrace a new life.

What makes the stories in this collection engaging and intriguing is the dilemma each character faces. The stakes are high, and the characters must make tough decisions to move forward in their lives. Not all of them move on, though; some realise that their life was half-lived and must deal with the aftertaste of that half-lived existence.

The strength of Barnali’s writing is how she portrays raw emotions. Reading the stories, my eyes turned moist at many places. Many situations and emotions depicted in the stories are so universal that readers will feel that these stories mirror their lives. The book becomes a success when the readers are able to relate to it and are moved by it. In that sense, the stories in the collection, ‘After Taste of a Half-Lived Life’ have succeeded.

Another aspect of the book I really liked is how the stories portray women. The women in Barnali’s writing are strong, independent, brave and resourceful. At the same time, they are vulnerable and utterly human. Another aspect is the role of the supporting characters. Typically, in short stories, the main character is given more importance, while the supporting characters aren’t explored in depth. But in this collection, I felt that even the lives of the minor characters are etched well so that readers feel that they are real.

The stories are written with clarity, in a simple language, and often in a linear form. So, the book will be great for anyone who wants to start reading short stories. The language is lucid, the plot is very clear, and every loose end is tied up neatly at the end of the story. I finished reading this book in a few hours. It’s an ideal book that you can finish during a short trip.

If I must nit-pick, I would say that some of the stories felt one-dimensional, maybe because the narrative was linear and straightforward. Also, I felt that the dialogue could have been a bit more natural in some of the stories. But this is the editor in me speaking, but the reader in me is fully satisfied with the stories. They gave me pleasurable company during one of my solo travels, and I am grateful for them.

I will recommend ‘After Taste of a Half-Lived Life’ to anyone who loves to read short stories packed with emotional punch and that depict the lives of urban characters.

The book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Aftertaste-Half-lived-Life-Barnali-Roy/dp/B0DPVNGG5C/