Shadow of The Past

Shadow of the Past by Mayank Manohar is the story for anyone who has fallen in love with the possibility of a person, instead of who he or she really is. It’s for anyone who hoped against hope that the object of your heart’s affection could live up to the image you desperately held on to, when deep down you already knew they could not come through.

This debut burns with a blend of coming-of-age novel and literary romance, and beautifully renders how hard it is to both live through and then come to terms with your complicated relationship and heartbreaks. I've had a lot of sleepless nights. Nights when I was so worried about something that had happened in the past that I let it dictate my future. We’ve all been there at some point. You're not alone. I’m talking about those times when we just can’t shake the past, and running away from it makes it worse. Whether it’s something small, like making a terrible first impression, or saying something you wish you hadn't, to something big, like having to shutdown your relationship; running doesn't help, facing it, does. This book harps such negative experiences which is painful, but learning from it is what makes it special. A love triangle of Lavanya, Rehan and Arpita, but not in a clichéd way. It focuses on the decision that a human being takes. Though at one point I felt that the beautiful relationship of Rehan and Arpita didn't get the deserved importance. Nevertheless, all the letters in the book covered up for it, as it really gave me cold shivers and bumps because of the emotions they offered. The author sears the reader with his vivid depictions of past, adolescence, loss, and longing with his debut. And this is surely a #relatable read. Rating 4.5/5 —Sana