H - A Novel - V.R.Chaithanya

This is Chaithanya's second novel and it is distinctly different from the first which was a diary of a violent dacoity. It is also written in a different style which I found intriguing.

The story is of Honey, a girl who lives in Gujarat and comes from a family of Panchals, or master craftsmen. While growing up she has a comfortable life - a loving father and mother, schooling etc. Small bits of trauma creep in certain incidents like her father missing a train when he gets off at a station but appears again later causing some kind of an abandonment issue with her. She has another trauma - a boy she meets through a letter writing exercise at school seems to be liking her but the exercise is terminated as the boy and girl are getting too intimate. 

Honey grows up, writes exams, meets some interesting boys, joins an Art College and chooses photography. In the process she falls in love and gets rejected, likes a guy with whom she shares a peculiar connection where they seem to photograph the other without realising it. She rejects that chap though after travelling a bit with him. Then she finds the love of her life who she marries and has children with.

After her marriage her father passes away - which to me was the part that was very well written - nowhere does he describe the death or the person - it hangs around heavily with the weight of the unsaid. Meanwhile Honey's husband explains to her that he has the capacity to share his dreams with people he is close to which makes it a little uncomfortable initially because they are both having his dreams but then she finds comfort in it too. Two children, old loves coming back, old connections relooked at, a lot of paranormal activity almost, Honey finally makes peace with her traumas thanks to these shared dreams and at one point she discovers she has similar powers too which she can use to heal herself.

I found the idea of dream sharing interesting as also the other aspect of people appearing in each others photographs by chance. It makes Honey some kind of a paranormal spirit and she comes across like that - hazy, in the background, no specific wants or intense desires, flowing along with life, treading carefully. At times Chaithanya goes deep into certain topics which are interesting in a way - be it the root bridges of Meghalaya, the life of the Panchals or stuff like that. 

Was an interesting read overall. I did have trouble making the connections between the key incidents and went back and made them. The writing is good and interesting and so is the style - distant, not probing too deep. I felt it could have been enhanced a bit by exploring her deeper emotions, her motivations etc which would have made her more real and more relatable. But Chaithanya is a writer with promise, someone who writes well and with discipline and I am looking forward to seeing more of his work in future.