Title: Saturday Stories

Author: Rashmi Bansal

Genre: Short Stories

Publisher: Harper Collins

Paperback

I am a big fan of the author Rashmi Bansal, who is the bestselling writer of the book Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. So when she came out with this book, I was really eager to read it.

First of all, I am all for short stories. Don't get me wrong, I am an ardent novel reader, but there's several points about short stories that make them irresistible.

Firstly, you can start or stop at any point, unlike a novel, where you need to have a recap if the gap has been too long. You can devour the entire book in one go, or a single story or tens, it's all upto you and love is lost. The endings are often lingering which make it all the more intriguing. And every story in this book Saturday Stories leaves you pondering over the ending.

There are 29 short stories written by Rashmi herself, while there are 6 more stories penned by her workshop students. Majority of these stories are set up in the Covid era and many of them strongly strike a chord with my very own life.

As most of us must have felt deeply disturbed and troubled during the lockdown era (barring a few, who took this time to relax and enjoy). So many people lost their jobs, so many lost their loved ones, millions went into depression from the repercussions of this period and thousands of home broke. 

However what I loved most about these stories is that they have an unexpected ending, mostly happy ones (a big cheerleader of hope) while some not that expected. I am sure all of these are purely fictional; but they are narrated in such a way that the story transports you right to the first lockdown period, and you feel you are reading the newspaper and watching the news.

Some of the stories are high on emotional quotient, which brought me to tears. An ode to love is a magnificently written ode. I could relate all the more as I had resided in one such apartment while travelling through Italy. It is so beautifully narrated that you can visualise the balcony and the girl playing her instrument. 

I really salute the author to come out with so positivity from those dark times. How a son flipped his father's business from despair, how someone leveraged social media to its full potential, how a novel business idea bloomed from nothing. The relatable part is that these things have actually happened during the pandemic. 

Stories like 'The Witness' make you disturbed. As a mother of two daughters, I just can't help but keep on wondering. There is nothing clear in the story, it's all a mystery but you would be compelled to linger over it. At the end of the day, I know it's all fiction but then reality is always stranger than fiction, right?

I highly recommend this book. Each story is hardly 4 pages long and easy read. So if you plan to start reading , you can start with this book. And if you are an avid bibliophile, this is definitely for you!

You can buy this book here.

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