Book Review: When Life Turns Turtle
Indraneel is a successful bollywood celebrity. He has all the good fortune of life, looks, education, fame, personality and a life that looks well settled. At the utmost peak of his life and career, things suddenly take a complete U turn, totally upending his life. Despair and hurt take refuge in his heart as he tries to see through the pain. His soul searching leads him to Rishikesh, the land of answers and he tries to sort it out. The land of the Ganges changes his perspective on life as he knew it.
Seeking answers through spirituality has been a standard solution to most of life’s troubles and problems. When people are at the most critical point in their lives, questioning everything they ever knew and believed in, they seek guidance from something beyond their normal cognition. The guidance is usually masked under wise philosophical words, clearly throwing light on some of life’s truths that you already knew but are not able to put into words.
The novel gives timely advice – in the form of well written fiction that makes it timeless, not bound to any particular era or style of life. The philosophies talked about in the book are ancient, but the form they are presented in is relatable and modern.
More than the story itself, the writing and plot development, interspersed with generous dosage of reflective passages, draws the readers into the book. The story is just a medium to put forth something deeper, more meaningful and really valuable. There are memorable lines, quotes worth taking back from the book and overall, it achieves the effect of being a piece of fiction that is actually everyone’s answer to some of life’s many questions.
The descriptions are vivid, bringing the scenes and the situations to mind with clarity. The words used are not really complex and are not overly preachy. Indraneel is the general representation of most humans – he is the author’s chosen character sketch with which he takes the reader on a journey of self discovery and realisation.
The pacing is not quite even – sometimes fast and sometimes very slow and the focus of the book is not on the plot but on the message it wants to convey. The language is good, though not flawless, and some parts of the book are memorable and interesting. While it does follow the stereotypes (running to Risihikesh in search of answers) it manages to clearly give a closure – of the spiritual kind. Merely for the attempt and presentation, this book gains a good rating.
The cover art with soothing brown tones suit the mood and theme of the story, revelling much in its simplicity. The title is intriguing enough – life turning turtle is something most people will immediately understand. We have all had moments in our life, few of them too simple to be of any consequence, but sometimes completely changing the paths of our life.
The book is a well written, message centric story of a wandering tramp. It is a make or break, depending on what you look for inside its pages. Anyone who likes to read well written fiction and is not averse to spirituality as a solution to life’s problems would find this book right up their alley. Also, if the reader is interested in descriptions and sidetracks that offer a reflective perspective on life, this book would really be one treasured copy.
p.s. But, If you are not ready to accept spirituality as a solution or are not really open to long winded pieces that are not plot centric and are focused more on the journey than the climax, this book might not hold you hooked to it.
This book has been published by Leadstart Publishing. If you are a new author and want to get published, send in your manuscripts at
Title: When Life Turns Turtle
Author: Raj Supe
Publisher/ Imprint: Leadstart Publishing
Pages: 469
Genre/ Sub-Genre: Fiction/ Spirituality
Rating: 4.50 of 5.00
Reviewed for: Publisher
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