Yakshini: Book Review




Book Review

Title: Yakshini
Author: Neil D' Silva
Genre: Horror/ Mythology


Yakshini chronicles the story of a 15 year old girl named Meenakshi who is the youngest of the seven daughters of the Patil couple. They lead a peaceful life in a small Maharashtrian village.  Meenakshi often finds solace in the company of the Sal tree in her garden. One fine day, Meenakshi discovers a voice of another person inside her-that of a Yakshini bound by a celestial curse to be trapped inside a human body. Things take a sudden turn when Meenakshi's fast maturity and her exotic beauty coincides with other strange occurrences in the village. It remains to be seen if the Yakshini is her savior or an evil force that is out to destroy mankind. 

The writing style is simple yet engaging. It details life in a village, its customs and superstitious beliefs of the rural folk. It's interesting how the topic of mythology blends well with the supernatural element in the plot. The character of Meenakshi generates sympathy. As a young girl she has to constantly live in fear and is subjected to various taunts. This includes the preying lustful eyes of men-an issue that the author manages to touch upon and which mirrors reality. Another interesting portrayal is the role of nature being a faithful companion and rendering solace whenever needed. 

Yakshini is a page turner. It takes the reader on a roller coaster ride and makes them encounter a myriad of emotions.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heidi: Movie review

Image
I had read this classic by Johanna Spyri as a little girl. I won it as a prize along with my merit card when I was graduating from Primary to Middle School.  When I stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, I was delighted. It always feels good to watch your favorite fictional characters on screen. Its often slated that the book is always better as it captures a lot more depth with regards to the plot and characters. However a couple of adaptations that I had seen in the recent past made a good watch. A couple of them ended up being a visual treat. One was The Call of the Wild which showcased the beauty of the Alaskan Wilderness. Another one was Heidi which exhibited the splendor of the snow clad Alps.  Heidi is the story of a young orphaned girl who is sent to live in the mountains with her rather eccentric grandfather-who is known as Alm Uncle by the villagers. Heidi manages to melt his heart as he develops an affection for her. She spends her carefree days in t...
Read more

100 meters : Movie Review

Image
Watched this inspiring Spanish film over the weekend on Netflix!  100 meters is a based on a true story of a man named Ramon who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is told that he will be able to even walk 100 meters in the next one year. Determined to prove this wrong, he takes up the challenge of doing the grueling Ironman race which involves 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  With the help of his father in law with whom he initially shares a shaky relationship with, he begins to train relentlessly. Ramon faces challenges on the way and is almost pushed to the brink of being bed ridden. He overcomes every hurdle with grit and a positive frame of mind. It remains to be seen if he actually finishes the race.  This movie struck a chord in many ways. A triathlon is not just a race-its a humbling journey which alters your life forever. The training period is especially a challenging one as it demands a lot out of you. The film showcases the i...
Read more

My friend Ganesha: Friendship with God

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=b7ab149a-5f35-4861-8859-6a890ddb71fe Loneliness often propels one to longingly seek a friend. Times like these often push us into a solitary stance or we find our solace in the road to spirituality striking an unspoken friendship with God. My friend Ganesha is one such film which depicts this divine friendship between a child and the elephant faced God and takes you down the mythological lane. The movie revolves around a family consisting of Ashu, his parents, aunt and the maid Gangubhai who places her sincere devotion in Lord Ganapathy. Ashu is a lonely child devoid of any friends and to top it all he is bullied by his counterparts at every given opportunity. To make matters worse, his parents who are caught up with the corporate lifestyles hardly spend time with him. One day he ends up saving a little mouse from the harsh rains. On sharing this with the maid, leaves her enthralled enough to tell him of being the...
Read more