“A captivating tale of yesterday, today and everything in between.” All Those Who Wander reviewed in Kitaab.org

“Manral’s writing at times sounds like a silent whisper that escapes one’s lips while on the threshold of anger and irritation. While at places it sounds like a loud guffaw, laughing at our quirks and eccentricities, looking at the world that is both shocked and bemused.

All Those Who Wander is the story of Ana who is at a different age each time we meet her in the book. The whole novel is a discovery of who really is Ana. The story is pacy akin to a whodunnit. Conversely, it is a drama cum coming-of-age novel. By the end of the novel, you have befriended Ana who held your hand at the start of the book like a friend and takes you through her life. As if to tell the reader, ‘See, my friend. This is what happened to me. This is how my life was.’

The way trauma has been dealt with, in the novel, is simply stupendous. There is sensitivity and empathy, with zero preaching.  While writing about trauma, dysfunctional families, and other such sensitive issues, the author mustn’t make it triggering for the reader. The aim should be to make others know about it in a way that they are comfortable talking about it. Manral aces that sensitivity magnificently.

Manral ‘s writing is a spectacle that can be felt at a deeper level in various ways.

Sample this sentence:

“And then Ana had been gone the next day, only to return now, in the night, at a time when the country was dealing with the loss of a prime minister, and rivers of blood flowing in retribution.”From All Those Who Wander by Kiran Manral

In one breath, Manral has told us what date and year it is while sharing an important moment from the story as well. Some portions of the book are immensely powerful in their narrative reminding one of Manoj Night Shyamalan’s popular movie The Sixth Sense, while others that are reminiscent of Sidney Sheldon’s Tell me your dreams. What do all of these stories have in common? A compelling narrative with moving characters. That, in a nutshell, is All Those Who Wander.”

Read the entire article here

Thanks Namrata / Privy Trifles on Twitter for this lovely review.