March 2023 – The Book Told Me That

Devdutt Pattnaik has an interesting writing style where he simplifies complex mythological stories into small, digestible bits for new-age readers, making them easy to understand and also bringing some valuable insights into everyday life. I have had many opportunities to read his books in the past, and I was expecting this one to be similar to those books. However, on completing the book, I found myself with mixed feelings.

The book certainly contains great content. Summarizing stories about God Shiv into short stories, discussing the origins of their various names, and several anecdotes that form part of the larger epic tales was worth reading. However, I felt that the book was shorter than I expected it to be. I would have liked a more detailed narration, not only of the stories but also of the other Gods and Goddesses mentioned. This would have made it more complete and informative.

At times, the author seemed to take different tangents just for the sake of diverting from the story. Especially when talking about male and female relationship dynamics, it felt fabricated and opinionated and not at all necessary to be included as part of ‘Shiv’s story’ or even close to the narratives we grow up hearing in mythological stories. Lastly, I found the title to be misleading. The stories that are told about Shiva are not secrets but well-known characteristics. Getting into the book hoping to learn ‘secrets’ may end up being disappointing.

A lot of times when I think I’m being self-sufficient, I’m really just learning to live without the things that I need.

I was captivated by the book cover when I first saw it years ago. However, I didn’t have the opportunity to read it until now, and I wasn’t disappointed. At that time, I didn’t realize how literal the book cover was because I didn’t read the synopsis. Needless to say, I was fascinated. If I were to summarize the feeling of reading this book, it would be like watching a movie. It felt like it ended too soon, the writing was effortless, and the characters were well-developed. The story and characters flowed seamlessly, like a well-thought-out stream of consciousness. The main reason for this is that the story and characters are not overly complex, but the good writing was enough to evoke all the intended emotions.

The book introduces us to the protagonist, Lillian, and her only friend of 15 years, Madison, who exchange letters to keep each other updated on their whereabouts. We soon gain insight into how they met and how imbalanced their friendship dynamic has been throughout its entirety. Following its natural course, Lillian has another favor to do for her friend, which leads her to take a job caring for Madison’s twin stepchildren, who have a tendency to burst into flames occasionally. The rest of the story follows how she navigates taking care of the children, forming a bond with them, re calibrating her relationship with her friend, and finding a purpose for herself. All the characters were interesting, although a little inconsistent at times. However, the ending of the book made it a worthwhile read.

The overall arching theme of the story was a mix of humor and heartwarming moments. There were times when I found myself rooting for the characters with all my heart, and other times when I couldn’t stop laughing at them. It was a great read and one of the few books that I finished in one sitting.