Title: And Her Story Began
Author: Ayushi Raghuwanshi
Publisher: One Point Six Technologies Pvt Ltd
Genre: Contemporary Romance
First Publication: 2022
Language: English
Book Summary: And Her Story Began by Ayushi Raghuwanshi
26 years old Aanya regularly writes in her diary, addressing Romit, her recently divorced husband. While she knows he would never get to read it, to feel as if he is still close to her she shares everything about her life in the dairy.
While she is still grieving over the loss of this separation, her life takes another major turn. As she reflects on life and its unpredictability, she realizes that may also be the beauty of it. She climbs out of the abyss of her self centered grief ready to navigate the turns with courage. She devotes herself to things she has always wanted to do. In 7 year old Sarah, a girl she meets in an orphanage and wishes to adopt, she finds her own reflection, and a ray of hope. But is it already too late?
What does life have in store for her? Will Romit ever find out about the lonely journey that Aanya went through?
Read Aanya’s story, that is neither a romance nor a tragedy but a roller coaster of an emotional journey, and yet just a slice of life.
Book Review: And Her Story Began by Ayushi Raghuwanshi
Occasionally, a book comes along that is lacey, dressy, decorous, cultivated, rosy, sweet, courteous, cordial, romantic, a bit mysterious, quirky, poignant, tragic, amusing, warm, cosy, and loving. “And Her Story Began” is a similar book with an enchanting story about love, loss, and healing. A wonderful cast of endearing, memorable characters made this book a pleasure to read!
Aanya is a divorced and broken woman for whom marriage has proved to be a disappointment. She writes about her life in the diary even though she knows her husband would never read it. While she is still suffering the loss of this separation, her life takes a dramatic turn for the good. During her contemplation of life’s unpredictability, she comes to understand that it may also be its greatest treasure. It takes bravery for her to rise out of the pit of her own self-centered sorrow and traverse the twists and turns that lie ahead. She starts to walk on a path toward resurrecting her life again and connecting with the world. Sarah, a 7-year-old child she meets in an orphanage and hopes to adopt, serves as a mirror for her own life and a glimmer of hope for her own future.
In ‘And Her Story Began’, Ayushi Raghuwanshi has woven a refreshing, beautiful, and feel-good tale of loss, love, heartbreak, redemption, and hope. It is infused with indelible and touching moments. This book sure packs a punch. We get to hear about Aanya’s life and the difficulties she is trying to resolve and leave behind her through her diary. Reading about Aanya’s separation from her husband was particularly painful and heart-breaking. The other thing that really struck a chord with me was Aanya’s hope for a second chance at life after meeting Sarah. It’s still pretty rare for literature to include this important theme, and I’m always so heartened to see it. When all the odds are against you and nothing is in your favor and you just can’t catch a break, you become broken. Luckily, Aanya was able to get Sarah on her side, but that doesn’t mean the journey wasn’t rocky and chaotic.
Ayushi Raghuwanshi has a way of inventing characters that will penetrate your heart and whole being. This book is not crowded with many colorful characters, but there are a couple of main characters that I was devoted to from the very beginning. Throughout the book, Aanya writes in a diary to Romit, who was once in her life, and this is how we come to know her and her story. For all that she’s been through, she’s still a kind and considerate person who wants to do the right thing and move on with life. To say that Aanya is selfless is an understatement. She’s a character to love, and she’s written beautifully by author Ayushi Raghuwanshi. Sarah is another character I liked the most. She’s respectful and compassionate. All of the characters had good attributes, and I loved seeing their development in this book.
Whether “And Her Story Began” is a story of happenstance, serendipity, or the fickleness of fate is up to each reader to decide, but for me it was a gloriously clever and heartwarming story that belied its simple premise and gave me much to ponder. It has all the ingredients to make it a perfect read: simple and addicting prose, realistic characters, an intense yet emotional story line and people trying to fight their ways through lives. This book is emotionally driven, one that totally creates a beautiful impact on every reader.
