Book Review: The Other End of the Corridor by Sujata Rajpal

Introduction

• ISIN: 978-9350881019
• Genre: Fiction/ Drama
• Publishers: Mahaveer Publishers
• Price: Rs. 150/-

When your dreams are tainted with lies and deceit, you have no other choice but to walk to the other end of the corridor Leela has nothing extraordinary about her except the dream to become famous. Her desires take wings when she gets married to a handsome boy from a respectable family in Delhi. But her dreams are shattered even before they have a chance to take flight.

She happens to meet two friends from a long forgotten past, which infuses hope and opens new avenues to realize her dormant aspirations. Leela delves into previously unexplored paths of deception and forbidden passions that only make her stronger. In an attempt to rediscover herself, she falls in love with life and with herself but her life takes a sudden turn again… No matter what, Leela will continue to chase her dreams. Where does this journey take her?

Behind The book

Source: Google Images

About the author

Sujata Rajpal is a Corporate Communications Manager by profession and a writer by passion. She holds an MPhil degree in Economics, and has studied Journalism & Mass Communication from Panjab University, Chandigarh. She regularly contributes articles and short stories to publications and journals, such as Femina, Deccan Herald, Star of Mysore and others. Besides writing, she enjoys being a Toastmaster. Sujata is a yoga enthusiast. She currently lives in Mysore, India, with her husband Rajiv and sons Nikhil and Rahul. "The Other End of the Corridor" is her first novel. 

Me thinks

For me this begins where the others end. Usually we read stories where the girl meets boy, the fall in love, get married and live happily ever after. This book begins by exploring those happily ever afters.

Indian marriage system needs a revamp. It is at this stage since eternity I feel. The age old customs, norms and traditions sometimes suffocate a person to an extent where the person might still be alive but the dreams of that person would have died long back. The other end of the corridor is one such story, a battle of keeping those dreams alive along with desire to stay alive.

The other end of the corridor is the story of a simple girl Leela, with some very simple dreams in her heart. She gets married with stars in her eyes only to fall flat on her face. This story is about the way she picks herself up, gathers her broken pieces together and begins to chase her dreams once again.

Every time she faces a storm, she learns how to dance with it. Needless to say she is the strongest characters I have come across in my recent reads. She is very nicely defined in a manner that she will stay on the readers mind for long. And the beauty is she is depicted as someone who could be anyone – you, me or that girl next door, and that is where her charm lies.

This book doesn’t hold anything that you wouldn’t have heard or read till now and yet is the one that is will make you sit up and take notice of the sheer grit and determination of this simple girl next door. Read it for the narration, for the story line, for the strength of this character and for the lucid yet gripping depiction of some day-to-day incidents.

With this book the debut author Sujata Rajpal has announced her arrival with a great élan and raised the bar for herself. She is one author I would really look out for as she has left me asking for more after this book. Recommended read for all women to know the price one has to pay for their dreams at times in our country and for men to understand how precious dreams are, even to a woman.

Foodie Verdict

This book is like elaichi tea - refreshingly different, one that makes you want more.

Source: Google Images