A Hundred Little Flames| Book Review

A Hundred Little Flames

Author: Preeti Shenoy 

Pages: 368

The novel talks about the relationship between two people of different generations who meet for the first time and how they get along with each other. The book introduces us to Ayan who is a 26 years old boy who is attending an office party and getting to work the next day and is asked by his HR to put down his papers due to some controversy in the party which he had attended. Even though he was not interested in the job but had taken it due to the pressure from his father he was wondering about how to get about his job search due to the conditions due to which he had leave his previous job.

When Jairaj (Ayan’s father) comes to know of this he is frustrated and sends Ayan to live with his muttacha (grandfather) in a small village in Kerala who has just met with an accident and has fractured his leg. He soon discovers that the village is a sleepy, idyllic place and doesn’t even have internet connection. 

But this is not it; to make matters worse Ayan’s father makes a sudden visit to his village and takes his father (Gopal Shanker) for a check-up to the hospital. But returns alone no one knows what happens to Gopal Shanker and where he is? This is when Ayan sets on a mission to find Gopal Shanker and Ayan comes to know the harsh reality of life and the greed that exists even in families.

To know more read A Hundred Little Flames

My Thoughts:

The book shows us the condition in which the elderly are living in the present days, how they are left to look after themselves or are left in the old age home. The characters are real and relatable. The places have been described in great detail that we feel as if we are there walking through the paddy fields in Kerala or taking a walk on the streets in Pondicherry.  Overall it is a very nice book wherein we are introduced with the family bond, the betrayal and greed that somehow exists in every family to some extent and how Ayan overcomes all this and builds a unbreakable bond with his grandfather and the relationship that people in the villages share with each other in comparison to the city life where people have no time to even talk to each other.

My Favorite lines from the book:

• ‘There’s no ‘Can I’. There is only ‘I will’.

• ‘Many a times, things have a way of sorting themselves out. We just need to be patient,’

• ‘He is the kingfisher. He hunts fish. He waits, sitting very still for his prey. Once he spots it, he swoops down and takes off with it. So fast, so sharp. No distractions. He knows what he wants and goes after it. Then he gets it. You should be like that in life,’

• ‘Friendship in my times meant, you knew everything about each other. And you would support each other, no matter what.’

• “We all try too hard to do the right thing and stay in control. Once in a way, we should just let go and see where it takes us. “

• ‘Once a flame is lit, it can burn brightly and divide into a hundred little flames—or it can die down. Just like the connections we form.’

• ‘Everything happens in good time’

• ‘It is the smallest things that take up the largest space in our hearts.'

• ‘What lies behind us and what lies before are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.’

• ‘Sometimes, when you run a race and you are nearing the finish, you feel you have used up the very last reserve of strength within you, and you cannot go on anymore. Then suddenly the finish line looms large. You decide to complete the race. You give it all you have got. You dig deep into yourself, and an extra burst of energy which you never knew was within you, opens up from depths which you didn’t know you had. You run with all your might, complete the race successfully and collapse—to rest and recover.’

• 'The obstacles life throws in our paths, makes us grow.'

• ‘The ocean reminds us of how fragile life is, how small and insignificant our problems are.’

• ‘The beautiful thing about friendship is understanding the other person’s needs and to find happiness in whatever makes them happy.’

•  ‘The mind is like a monkey and we have to control it. The heart is a wild stallion. It gallops where it wants to go.’

• ‘It is important to not chase somebody. If they want to be in touch with you, they will find a way. Just because you keep calling someone, it does not mean they will respond to you.’

• ‘The secret of staying young forever is to drown yourself in work that recharges you.’

• ‘Finer things in life take time.’

• ‘True Love or True Friendship – People go through their entire lives searching for this, and never finding it.’

• ‘Life is full of surprises. We do things which we never thought we would.’

• ‘Life doesn’t let you choose.’

My Ratings: 5/5