Twice Upon A Time by Anjali Bhatia.

• Book: Twice Upon A Time.
• Author: Anjali Bhatia.
• Publication House: Fingerprint Publishing.
• Category: Fiction.
• Rating: 4/5

Story-in-Short:

Is a man’s past set in stone, or can it be changed? Rewritten and reshaped?

Is time a reality, or a construct of the imagination? Fleeting and fragmented?

One man is about to find out . . .

Meet Arpit, a bitter young man who embarks upon an incredible and seemingly impossible journey to right the seven wrongs that have shadowed his life, all in a quest to be together with Mannat, the love of his life.

When Arpit meets Nishimaya, a modern-day mystic, little does he know that his life is about to change. In entirety. But change comes with effort. And Arpit has to lose himself in order to resurrect his past and set things right. With every past mistake he corrects, he finds a corresponding change in his present life . . . but not all changes are easy to make. And as Arpit travels further back into his own life, he’s forced to dig into frightening depths and fight against his own self to dredge up the truth from the sediments of folly that litter his world.

Unknown to him, however, Mannat is supporting his struggle from halfway across the world even as she tries to gather her own life together. And Nishimaya, as she takes Arpit through the swirls of time, has to confront ghosts of her own as well. As their lives get caught in the web of karma, dreams, memories, and destinies, Arpit, Mannat, and Nishimaya must stumble and fall if they are to r
each the end. But Time still holds a revelation none of them had expected . . .

In my view:

In the journey of life, we commit several mistakes, take wrong decisions, unknowingly ignore crucial things and then regret. Regression gives birth to a thought – what if we could undo certain things? What if we could travel back in time to modify our mistakes? Well, time travel, as a topic has always enthralled readers. Debutant author Anjali Bhatia gets us a beguiling novel with a fascinating story.

Arpit, the protagonist of the story feels mortified of his deeds. He pays for his harsh and inapt words, as he loses his love - Mannat. But by the time he feels bad about it, the damage is done. As Arpit moves ahead, he repents his actions and finds himself in a mess. During this phase of his life, he comes across Nishimaya – a modern day mystic. 

Arpit gets quite comfortable with Nishimaya after their first meet up. He shares with her the story of his life, and tells her how things unfolded. He expresses penitence at the way he reacted to the situation and Nishimaya gives an active ear to his story. She, who too has had a wicked phase in life, familiarizes Arpit to a technique of re-dreaming, in an attempt to help him sort out his problems. But, in first place, will this attempt be successful? Will it be fruitful and productive for Arpit? Will it have some effect on their lives? 

I am sorry but I won’t give you any hints to the further part, as I want all my readers to explore this amazingly narrated tale. It is a tale which will make you to marvel and contemplate on every aspect, while giving you an enjoyable time.

The cover page of the novel is amazing. I was reading this book while travelling and thus I did notice people staring at the cover page of the book. The title again is wonderful and intriguing. Both features that have first impression on a reader’s mind are awesome. The story is written well. Apart from the main plot there are some sub-plots like – Nishimaya’s own story, Arpit’s reckoning with his father, the account of a company began by Arpit’s dad and villagers opposition to it due to environmental hazards. Addition of these subplots, make the story explanatory, though at times details feel a bit overstated and unnecessary. But the narration plays miracle. I specifically liked the author’s choice of words.

The story moves at a slow pace and gives readers time to connect with it. And once this connection is established, readers start enjoying the story. At places, I sensed the story getting dull but the curiosity that it created made me pursue it completely! At times, sub-plots collide with the main story and create a bit of perplexity. But this flaw subsides quickly, preventing the story from getting spoiled. Meanwhile, the author’s writing style persuades readers to hold their attention onto the story. 

I would urge my readers to give this book a try as it has an interesting story to deliver.

Considering everything, I would rate the book with 4/5. Congratulations to the author for her debut novel and I hope she keeps writing and bringing us new stories to read! 

NOTE: A review copy of the book was provided by the author and the publication house. 

•  Twice Upon A Time is available in leading bookstores. 

• You can also get it online via:  Amazon, Landmark, Uread, Homeshop18, Flipkart, Crossword.