Book Review for Whispers and Lines by Aditya Kunapareddy

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

Whispers and Lines, by Aditya Kunapareddy, is a psychological drama about being comfortable with yourself and finding love inwardly. The book is separated into 2 parts. The first, Unvoiced, is about an aging ventriloquist who becomes codependent on the many women in his life and slowly, but painfully, learns how to love himself. Throughout this process watches a puppet in the background that acts as a conduit for the heartbreak that his master experiences. The second part, Boundaries, introduces a young clinician who, in pursuing the best treatment for his client, becomes vulnerable and must understand that he cannot support himself and his ego at the same time.

The stories were wonderful and spoke volumes about how subtle codependency can be. You wander in the dark, trying to figure out who you can trust with your heart, a heart that you yourself beat up and neglect. If you treat your own heart like that, it’s unrealistic to think that others will give you a haven. For people who struggle with codependency, fields like social work, counseling, teaching, caregiving, or anything that has you care about people is very tempting. It’s easy to indulge in those habits because, in our society, it’s encouraged that we sell our bodies for the “greater good.” I see this in myself, and unfortunately, I see it in Anand, the unfortunate target of that lesson from Boundaries. It felt like I was seeing myself when I was younger and more inexperienced, trying to save every person who fell on my doorstep. Anand treated Ishani like a fragile thing, and unfortunately, I repeated the same habits with my own clients. I’d like to say I’ve gotten better. My supervisor says so at least. 

Moreover, in Unvoiced, Charlie reminds me of the portrait from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. In this case, both are representations of the creator’s mental state. However, I loved Charlie’s ending and how, although he was separated from his creator, he still represented something healthy for Kabir. Will there be seemingly impossible obstacles sometimes? Yes. Will there be times when Kabir may experience crushing loneliness? Absolutely. But it’s okay. 

I will admit that there were times when the tone felt a bit too flowery to me. Repetitive phrases didn’t necessarily help me keep grounded either. Still, the themes explored in the book and the development of the characters helped shape the stories into enjoyable narratives. Because of this, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.