Love in Silence-2
Author: Sumpak Sumnyan
Notion Press
Pages: 233
Price: 260
[ Yater Nyokir ]
Love in Silence – 2 has been written by Sumpak Sumnyan, a civil engineer by profession. The novel is inspired by the author’s reminiscences of his childhood days, and is spread over thirty chapters. In all, it is a fine dissection of experiences during teenage years.
The story is set in a village in Arunachal Pradesh in the latter part of the last century. The author has efficiently brought alive the ambience of the lives of school students of those years in Arunachal Pradesh. It is a story of sweet and sour experiences of the protagonist of the novel, Chetan, a poor tribal schoolboy. His intense unrequited love for Ishee, a tribal girl, and then falling in love with Anjali, a Brahmin girl from the mainland, despite cultural differences, is the fabric of the tale.
Besides being a saga of romance, it also offers glimpses of the sublime teacher-student relationship, which is hard to find nowadays. The description of the struggle for pursuing higher studies when there were hardly any facilities available in the countryside – the isolated rugged terrains of yore, unlike the Arunachal of today – is inspiring. Being a tale of love, Sumnyan’s novel hits the sweet spot of the readers, especially those who have experienced the tickle of love and friendship.
While reading the novel, one can relate to the beauty of being in love, the joy of friendship, the exciting life of school and hostel, and all the convolutions of teenage years. It makes the reader smile and laugh with its deliberate imitation of real-life incidents. The novel is also an exemplum, bearing lessons to be learnt from life by parents, and for teenagers to deal with the complicacies of being teenaged.
The story is presented in the flashback mode. It is told through the eyes of Chetan. The simplicity of the plot makes the story an easy read. No mushy descriptions and fairytale sequences, yet incredibly romantic.
Sumnyan’s writing is a bit loose. It seems to have been slightly let down by the editing, which makes the narrative verbose. But Sumnyan does know the pulse of the young readers; it is a simple yet captivating love story with carefully crafted characters. The book is, without a doubt, a treat for the readers this Valentine’s Day.