#BookReview: 3 Short Stories by Sarika Patkotwar
Sarika Patkotwar
Born, raised and living in Pune since 1992, Sarika is, first and foremost, an avid reader. Her passion for reading led to the creation of The Readdicts Book Blog in 2012 (@thereaddicts on Instagram), where she reviews and promotes books. She is extremely fond of dogs and spends a major part of her day around wagging tails and wet noses which she posts about on @pawstruckfurever on Instagram. She truly believes that dogs are magical beings who make the world a better place by simply being a part of it. Having pursued her Master’s in French literature, she has been teaching the language, which she refers to as her first love, for the past six years and loves every second of it. Always brushing it aside as something not made for her, she has decided to try her hand at writing, inspired by Albert Camus. She hopes readers find in her writing the same feeling of belonging and comfort that she finds in books.
The Reviews
I read all of Sarika's short stories this afternoon. And rather than put off reviewing the books, I decided to review them while I read them - while they are fresh in my mind. Below are my reviews for each of the books. I've linked the books to Amazon Kindle, where they are available at a reasonable price.
Just Another Day
I just finished reading Sarika’s short story, Just Another Day, and honestly? I’m still sniffling. I am all too familiar with the loss of a beloved pet. Sarika’s simple but beautiful language makes the feeling of both hopelessness and hopefulness resonate with the reader. You go from feeling Tisha’s pain to watching her heart heal just a little bit by the end of the book. Life works in mysterious ways. And Sarika’s story proves it. If you have just lost a beloved pet, let this story be the much-needed pick-me-up that you desperately need. In no way can we say that the pets we’ve lost can be replaced…but I do know they’re happier watching over us from across the rainbow and wagging their tails or kneading biscuits in appreciation for the owners they’d once saved from their darkest thoughts. I hope you write more stories Sarika. This was a delight to read.
Is It Over Yet?
I’m going to be honest. If I’d read this story before June 2018, I would have probably not been able to understand it one bit. But having lived alone for the greater part of three years now…I can relate to Darshit. And I’m quite surprised that Sarika (someone I’ve always considered to be social…then again, we’ve only interacted with our pets around and met literally once in our lives), feels the way her main character feels. There’s nothing wrong with feeling however you want to feel. Some of us live for the weekends. Others, want it to end as soon as possible. Darshit belongs to the latter. Sarika’s narrative has once again left me in awe of her writing, and wondering why she decided to keep her talents away from us for the greater part of the years I’ve known her (we’re heading off to the 7th year, I believe). I hope Sarika writes more and next year, finds the courage to attempt a novella…I would love to see a world where Tisha and Darshit collide. (Here’s an idea for you ;))
Emily’s Christmas
A bittersweet short story, Emily’s Christmas, is bound to leave your heart aching with both love and sorrow. Once again, Sarika does a brilliant job of telling you an ordinary story with extraordinarily simple words. Emily reminds most people of their childhood, of course. She wants to be a part of everything. You don’t know what the beautiful and heartbreaking twist is until the very last page. Kudos to Sarika for making sure her readers are always at the edge of their seats. It was a beautiful short story to read, and ties in perfectly with the themes of Christmas, and now I am hoping Sarika has lined up one story every month for us to consume! I am still in awe of how beautiful scenes can be painted without using difficult words. I hope you consider writing more and more stories in the future, Sarika.
