Title: The Beauty of the Moment
Author: Tanaz Bhathena
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 978-0143447160
Genre: Young-Adult, Contemporary fiction
Pages: 360
Source: Flipkart review program
Rating: 4/5
“This is your heart. It’s not made of glass. Your heart is
made of muscle, tough and resilient. It’s strong enough to weather most things,
including emotional storms”
Realization of displacement is
pursued in “The Beauty of The Moment by Tanaz Bhathena” it is her second
novel, followed her widely praised debut “A Girl Like That”
In Young Adult Genre, Tanaz Bhathena’s
storytelling is like fresh breathe, I tried to read this book in one sitting,
it was bit hard though but trust me, book is that much impressive.
It is well written coming-of-age
story, deals with many social issues, like immigration, acceptance, growing up
in dysfunctional family and striving for life goals.
Susan Thomas, our protagonist of the
book is an Indian girl, who had to move from Saudi to Canada, for further
studies, I could totally relate to immigration feeling, you feel displaced, you
search for identity, and you tackle odds of surroundings. My heart was rooting
for Susan in a way.
The second character is Malcolm, an
Indian Parsi guy, who is not sure about his life goals, I loved the chemistry
between Susan and Malcolm, plus how he struggles to mend the relationship with
her step-mother.
As saying goes, a real friend is one
who brings out the best in me. Susan and Malcolm seemed to follow this
connection beautifully. I admired their small efforts, it really made me emotional.
How could I forget to mention Mahtab,
Malcolm’s sister and such powerful person, She raises fund for Syrian refugees,
her journey was really impactful.
Many parts of Tanaz’s writing read
like a screenplay, I must tell you an entertaining one. She made me visualize
her characters and I was eager to follow at once, all turns and twists of their
journey.
I embraced each character and their
growth, moment by moment. Along, skillfully woven interlacing characters, author
managed to captivate drama at right place, nuances of family bonds, light
hearted humor, and many shades of curiosity.
Confusion, fear, suffering pain, with every vibrant emotion, characters keep
you hooked till the end, ever after you flipped the last page.
Without having heavy drama, Tanaz offers
unique narration. Dialogues were witty and natural. There were hidden insights.
Although it is light hearted romance, but there was subtle sadness as well,
makes this book worth-to-read to me.
“Nothing lasts forever. Not this
snowflake. Not our homes, not our families. But it doesn’t mean we can’t live
in the beauty of the moment.”
What I loved about “The Beauty of The
Moment” is, that author has shown empathy towards her characters. I
wouldn’t say it is beautiful writing, it seems wise, unique and effortless
though, While reading, I had the feeling of
being wrapped in Bhathena’s world. She has great command on teenagers’ psychology.
I found the characters gorgeously
vulnerable and honest, especially Susan, stirred up something good in my heart.
It is so rich with small nuances, explores different dimensions, at a point I
felt hard to leave the characters and come back down to reality. It feels so
right and relatable,
ABOUT AUTHOR
Tanaz Bhathena was born in India and
raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada. Her critically acclaimed novel A Girl
Like That was nominated for the 2019 OLA White Pine Award and named a Best
Book of 2018 by The Globe and Mail, CBC, Quill & Quire, Seventeen,
PopSugar, and The Times of India among others. Her second novel The Beauty
of the Moment releases on Feb 26 2019. Her short stories have appeared in
various journals including Blackbird, Witness and Room. Her short stories have
appeared in various journals including Blackbird,WitnessaandRoom
A wanderer at heart, Tanaz can often be found travelling to different countries, learning bits and pieces of a foreign language, and taking way too many photographs. She loves slapstick comedies and any kind of music that makes her dance. She lives in the Toronto area with her family.
A wanderer at heart, Tanaz can often be found travelling to different countries, learning bits and pieces of a foreign language, and taking way too many photographs. She loves slapstick comedies and any kind of music that makes her dance. She lives in the Toronto area with her family.