Rukhsat The Departure

by Sujit Banerjee

Genres: Short Stories

260 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 2015

About the author

Born to Bengali parents in Lucknow, I grew up in Patna where I finished my post-graduation in Psychology and ended up becoming a tour operator instead of a Psychologist! Which was good since a Bengali born in UP and reared in Bihar does not make a great Psychologist! Am I now glad to be in tourism? It has taken me all over the world including places you would have never heard of. Eh? How about Tlacotalpan? It’s in Mexico.

Destiny had other plans as well so I became a reluctant healer. A crazy Shaman in Mexico set the ball rolling and it has rolled all the way to Delhi. Today I both heal as well as read Tarot cards. My wife thinks I am mad. My friends think I am weird. I guess I am both.
My first story was published in a magazine when I was seventeen. The Editor made such a hash of it that I stopped sending out my stories but I continued writing. Then I broke my heart and started writing poems; first in Hindi and then in English. All personal collection. They still remain personal. I do shudder when I read some of them! Then the short stories came back and written over two years - now is a collection.

I now love in Delhi with my wife Sonali and my parents. You can reach me at skban05@gmail.com or message me at at +919810261195

Reviews

[Archit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and moving



Will touch you, no "hit" you, unaware.

I am not sure where do I keep this one. Anthropology? Disjointed short stories?

To begin with, these 26 stories are named after 26 characters. Those fabled twenty six letters of the alphabet that you and I know.

How things move and change in their lives, covered in pages less than the fingers in your hand. There was a touch of O. Henry where Sujit crafts the entire story up for up and sets up the table for an ending your mind is configured to.

Well, that is how we are, we start finding patterns in the books we read. And we start expecting, guessing as to what the end might be.

But not with this one.
With the table set, the author overthrows it more than once, with a single closing sentence that turns the story upside downwards.

" The failed, the departed, the separated and the forlorn souls and their stories.

Sometimes connected and sometimes just stand-alones, like the characters themselves. "

The author is a name in the story collection genre for me!

Poignancy at its striking best.



We all have a home that's figurative. It might not be the house you live in.
But the abstract sense of comfort you get when you are there.

No, I can't point that out on the latitude and longitude of the globe.
Told you, it's abstract.

Well, tell you what, some people never reach home.

Verdict : Melancholic and dazzling to the eye.

[-,- · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soaks your soul as a sponge getting drenched by emotions.

"Twenty six stories flow - some into each other, some crossing one another and few charting their own path."

Rukhsat is a coming together of finely written stories that have their own meaning. Sometimes they are related and most times they are not. Yet, they are independent. Have of their own.

The contrast of emotions laid bare; emotions that are all too powerful for a human heart.

A beautiful and rare collection of writings that are short yet moving.

Rukhsat is that enchanting word that means departure. Departure of a woman's mellifluous voice. The draining of the love from a couple's life as a child empties a can of chocolate shake into its glass. Or the tearing apart of the conscience in the inability to conceive.

A retreat of stardom and the slow weathering of a once ember-lit passion.

Sometimes for the good. Sometimes for the sake of a heartbreak. The pages have to turn and the stories have to come to an end.

The author presents to you, in a platter, blow after blow. Page after page.
He holds the pen with a grip on not only the story flow but also on your feelings.
Remarkably well scribbled and stories like Palash, Gustav and Siraj meet the one-sentence-undoes-the-story kinds in the 5 or so paged tales of Farzana and Chitra.

Verdict : 26 Soul stirring. Five Stars.

[Vishakha Tiwari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the book in a giveaway on Goodreads.
I am not a "short story person", to be honest and was not quite sure about my expectations with the book.
However, if there is anything that could have changed this ideology, it is this book. The stories are simple, creative and thought-provoking. The plot is unique for each of the 26 stories while never abandoning the soul reverberating though each of them. The best aspect of the book was its closeness to our traditions, inhibitions, culture and society. The prejudices and impasse harrowing the protagonists are like the ones very much our own. The stories are contemporary and conventional at the same time, if that is possible.
Great work from Sujit indeed, keep the ink flowing.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the variety of characters and storylines in every short story in this collection, and they definitely evoked a lot of emotion. However, there were lots of grammatical errors and formatting issues, so I really can't give this book a higher rating until it gets some professional editing.

[Merril Anil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of Uncommon and Irregular gems

First of all a huge thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of the book to read and review

Rukshat, The departure is definitely a unique collection of short stories. I call the book collection of uncommon and irregular gems because each story is undoubtedly a gem and surprise treat in itself but either blame it on my less developed comprehension skills that I couldn’t see the big picture or how it all fit together but then that shouldn’t be a problem because each story can be treated independently and in doing so, you get a wonderful treat.

Stories like Abhimanyu, Bhushan, Gustav, Lotika, Qamar, Thammaiah, utkarsh, xitij, yasmin bibi, zayan, revealed to be a fantastic treat because as soon as you come to its end, the story manages to leave something very prominent to think over in very few lines that you can’t stop from applauding the cunningness with which the author brought you to such a huge topic

But at the same time, stories like chitra, eklavya, Farzana, Hemakshi, Jaba, nitin, omi, Reena, varun, failed a bit to resonate as the ending couldn’t strike the right chord or lived up to the status the gradual build up that the story had been aiming at.

Stories like Devesh, karan, manu, palash,Siraj, waseem, were sort of surprising with its endings and was part of the light and cute stories

There were stories like Indu, which was a blurry experience as I couldn’t find out the jist of what happened in there.

One of the unique things that I noticed was how the author had titled each of his chapters after a character’s name and sorted it in alphabetical orders. In the book, you can’t actually pin point the stories as exactly good, bad or ugly as each of them have something unique about it whether be it the beginning or something in what it aimed at during the flow or what it left for you to think over in the end.

In short it is a collection of uniquely put together stories with a very poetic language adorning each of them. It is a collection of hit and misses but nothing bad. So it is definitely a book worth trying plus its short stories not demanding much of your time.

[Manpreet Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a collection of short stories that touch different deep emotions and are also interrelated.
Let's talk about writing first because that's the first thing you'll notice about this book. The writing is super amazing and it wouldn't fail to impress you. You will just go through the first story while deeply engrossed in the excellent words.
Once you get out of that trance, you will start appreciating the theme of the stories. Those are very dark and adult themes but awesomely expressed. Each of the stories touches different subjects like betrayal, adultery, longing, unconditional love, one-sided love, kindness, poverty, and more.
What makes this short story collection better than anyone I have ever read is when the story finishes, neither you feel like reading more about it nor you will feel like it's complete. You're just dumbstruck and can't help but flip to the next page. If you fail to do so and give yourself time to ponder over a story, you'll find yourself submerged in deep and gloomy emotions. The book is intense (and amazing).
The book portrays rebellious thoughts and many stories talk of same-sex love and more. I wouldn't suggest you read it if you are uncomfortable with those subjects but if you're a true reader, this is a book you shouldn't miss.
READ IT!

[Akshat Solanki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have 2 or 3 books in the bookshelves that are short story collections and that too from authors like Great Rabindranath Tagore and Khushwant Singh. I mean, I hardly read short stories. And all of sudden, from nowhere, I got this book 'Rukhsat-The Departure' to read.

While writing/typing this review I have serious thoughts going in my head as the book made me think again & again about the ideas, opinions possessed by people living out there with hopes and other emotions.

The book contains 26 short stories (I don't want to give details because they're worth reading), 26 stories of 26 persons, hailing from different-different communities and societies, and adding their 26 emotions personally through this.

Sujit (The author of the same book) has impeccably narrated this stories and driven emotions so strong that after completion of each story you want to read it again & again, to get into the shoes of the character and realize what should be the situation or the answer, however, you're left with many questions that made you think and that's what an important thing while writing any book.

Writing style - Sujit has meticulously written emotions of the characters and thus making his stories more pronounced and adding depth of thoughts in one's mind. Of course, writing a short story requires a particular skill to present all situation in just 5-6 pages without making it lengthy but giving a strong message, and it was very impressive about him.

Plot - Each and every story contains a different set of plot that requires an amount of research and thought process. Each of this adds a different set of values in the readers' life.

Improvements/Suggestions - There are some grammatical mistakes that need to be fixed. Along with this, the author could have added some things like starting every story with the same alphabet, or plotting a connection between all these stories (Some of these do have). The author could have numbered each and every story while at the start.

In all, I liked this book very much, especially, I liked stories of Indu, Yasmin, Thammaiah, Reena, Qamar, Omi, Zayan, Karan and Waseem.

I'd recommend this book to all as it's surely going to make you think.

PS : The author has gifted me a copy of this book. I hope this doesn't sound a biased one but what I read and wanted to share with the readers.

[Meera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rukhsat - The Departure - Intriguing stories of 26 myriad characters where each one leaves an indelible mark.

I was not aware that this anthology of short stories would interest me this much when I picked this at first but it proved me wrong. It gave me a chance to read about some untold stories in a neat narration. And I completed it within a day.

First of all, I loved the cover page. It is simple and apt for the title itself. With neat presentation in his debut book, the author really did a commendable job.

Twenty six alphabets, twenty six names, twenty six short stories. Each story explores unique emotions which takes you into the darkest recess of mind. It is like getting to know their secrets. Every story is an episode in their life. Some frothy, some painful, some might look weird while most of them are dark. But all of them are intriguing. Sujit dug deep into each character's lives and explored their untold side which he carved them into some wonderful stories.

I loved the way the author perceived each characters. They are all well etched and their thought process are very well told. This book introduces us to 26 different characters. Some characters are likable. Some are not. Either you'll like them or hate them but you can't just ignore them. Because they portray uniqueness in their voices which is quite engaging.

The smooth flow in his writing made me glued to the book. It was like I am listening to each character. I also felt like connecting with some of them. To begin with, Abhimanyu who is still unborn talks about his world inside the womb. Farzana talks about her weird sexual desires while Gustav longs about his one night stand love. If Hemakshi dwells on her empty womb, Lokita survives this harsh world to buy her family a home. If Yasmin's story ends in a sad way, Zayan reminisces how he ended up there while he was dying. Also there are few other characters who touched me.

The language is good and it's catchy sometimes especially when sentences are short. Some stories are interconnected. The same story told in 2 perspectives makes it interesting. Some left me speechless, some made me ponder and some disappointed me. Some stories have twists in the end and it leaves you in a state of wonder. And that is something I always enjoy in a story.

I am not sure if many like this genre but to me, it stands out among the regular fiction.

Rukhsat - The Departure is an engrossing read where in the end, the stories leave you to make your own judgment.

[Ruchi Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful fast read, this book is an series of short tales that can, at times, be overwhelming. And although, it deals with a spectrum of human situations and emotions, a recurring theme of "loneliness" is evident in a lot of the stories. It's a great read while travelling and flying, and for those days of self introspection. However, I'd advise against reading this if you're going through an emotionally vulnerable phase yourself, because this book can be an explosion of emotions.

[Sanchita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three I’s
Innovative, Interesting and Illusory are the elements that make this book stand out. Twenty-six alphabets of the English language serve as the starting letter of the title of each of the twenty-six chapters. It’s an innovative approach to hold the readers’ interest, which the author has successfully achieved by penning 26 short stories that are illusory in nature. The language used by the author makes each of the stories feel pregnant with suspense and when you start reading them, you cannot help but guess the end. And that’s where the author uses his master stroke in lending the illusory nature to these stories, for you think you are being led on to the right track, but at the climax the author skillfully changes track and leads you to an expected and bitter-sweet ending.

Untouched perspectives
In death, we always tend to think about the family members of the departed, but what about the departed? How does it feel while departing? Does anyone spare a thought to them? Even his dying characters come to life with lines like these. His mind had stopped working; another voice was saying something, but his head was buzzing now and he could hardly make out anything. No one noticed the tears collect at the corner of his eyes and slowly roll down. All he wanted to do was to tell them, he was not brain dead. To scream at them and tell them he could still hear. Yes, he could not move, could not speak, or open his eyes, but damn it, he could still hear.
Or when it comes to a convicted criminal we only look at his crime, do we care to or dare to look beyond his crime and dissect the situation that converted a carefree, loving human to a heartless criminal? They gestured to my father to the furthest corner and squatted down, speaking softly and rapidly to him. I saw him, his head lowered, listening to them in rapt attention. I saw one of the fat men take out a gun from one pocket and a big wad of notes from another. He put both on the floor- between him and my father. After an eternity, my father picked up the cash. Barely an hour later, I left with those men with a small bundle strapped to my shoulder; it had some clothes, a tin of sweets, and a tabeez that a fakir had given my mother for me- to keep me safe from the Djinns.
Lost in the pages of this book, one is sure to find some direction towards understanding the deepest of human emotions.

The Story
It’s a platter of several human emotions. From the feelings of an unborn child to those of a man lying on death bed and several stages in between, this book contains a plethora of emotions and perspectives that are sure to make you sit up, take notice and look and think beyond the obvious. Street urchins and their lives, prostitutes and the workings of their mind, gay men and their dualities, women and their ultimate desperation for a biological child are some of the varied aspects that this book covers. Interestingly some of the secondary characters assume primary importance and become the protagonist in subsequent chapters, so when one chapter ends you are left with a feeling that you might meet your character again and see his or her actions from another perspective.

Kudos for:
1. Handling many ultra-sensitive issues with immense responsibility and in the process actually helping the reader in broadening one’s horizon.
2. Writing in a lucid yet enticing style, so much so that it builds up suspense from the first line which is ultimately revealed only at the end. And how? Excerpt from one of stories titled ‘Nitin Bent Minds’. The entries in the diary were not really true; at least most of the things you might have read, and the police sure did. And dropping the silencer there was also deliberate, though I knew it would pose a bit of a problem- why? And as you will soon realize, I could not have done it myself. So I hired someone to do it (and he sure is not talking). Every evidence, every lead, and every clue- I had planted. Turn the page Varsha and you will know what happened that night. May you bleed to death, and yet not die.
3. Beautifully scraping off the upper façade of his protagonists to reveal their innermost real selves to the readers.

Only hitch:
1. In some of the stories the build-up to the suspense is so much, that there are chances the reader might lose track of the beginning. So at times grasping the depth of the story might get difficult, nevertheless if you are an alert reader then this will not be a hassle for you.
Reason for star ratings:
1. Embarking on a journey from before birth to beyond death and in the process his protagonists touch upon some of the very innermost of human emotions, those that one does not have the courage to accept.
2. Intelligently segmenting the book with an interesting concept of alphabetical order to start each story with.
3. The author sure deserves credit for digging beyond the mundane and unearthing some preciously special emotions, which one tends to overlook in the rigmarole of daily life schedule.
Rukhsat- The Departure truly departs from the beaten track as it never ceases to amaze you with its spontaneity. The protagonists’ style of departure at the end of each of the short stories is thought provoking indeed.

The line that stayed with me:
I kept quiet and let D let go of herself; this was that crucial moment when she had to get used to the empty house of hers and then fill it up with light and hope; with purpose.

[Inderpreet Uppal · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all of us bloggers, this book is a shining example of what writing from the heart and writing with discipline can do. It has taken Sujit from a blogger to an accomplished author. With the #AtoZChallenge just concluded last month, this book will inspire many readers and writers.

Well, this book is not just about writing a bunch of stories and publishing them. Many books just tell stories and nothing more. Rukhsat stands apart due to its stories, the twists in the tales, the subject of the stories and how the author has connected them.


The writing style is lucid, easy to read and the thoughts expressed well. The language is good and straightforward so it is a pleasure to read. Since these are short stories I was easily able to read them in between or whenever I had a break. Sometimes I took a break to read them too.:)

The stories have a lot of substance and give food for thought. These will stay with you long after you have finished the book. I will be honest, when I had picked this book I was ambivalent. I started reading the book thinking that it would be a book of average, everyday regular incidents. I have been pleasantly surprised that the author has effectively used a short story to share a lifetime in a few of the stories, many lives in fact.

Some of the stories shook me up, they just sort of crept up and ended with a bang!

Farzana – The Needles was one that dived so deep into the psyche of a little girl and revealed the monsters she found. This needs to be read, how dark and maniacal our minds can be.

Lotika – The Apartment was another story that exemplifies the human selfishness and how we ignore things we do not wish to see.

Manu – The Trial and Siraj – Manu Egg rolls were two stories that left an impact as the author explored so many sides of a story.

Finally, I think Zayan – The smell of Green Apples is a reminiscence of The Kite Runner, yes. It has so much depth and emotion. I had a lump in my throat by the end of it.

But my favorite story is Yasmin Bibi – The Second Marriage, the punch in the tale was just so subtle and right. Read the book if you want to know more!

Rukhsat is a well-balanced collection of stories, creative, diverse and emotional. Overall the book is a pleasure to read and the one odd typo ignored since the stories are so good. My pencil lay forgotten as I turned the pages.:)

These are stories based on the alphabet, exploring the human mind, the innermost feelings and what depths will a person go to for what they wish. Few stories are straightforward or simple, the layers and endings in most add an edge to them. I also loved the way many stories were interconnected, like two sides of a coin or the view from both the characters.

I read them at leisure and went back and forth to connect the interlinked ones. It was like reading a book with a puzzle laid out and the fun was in finding the links. Go ahead pick this book and you will enjoy them and get motivated to pen your own book. Sujit, hope your next book is in the works!

© I received a copy of this book from THE BOOK CLUB / Author and this is my unbiased review.

[Shree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note : This review was first posted in my blog my Book and Ink

There is a general misconception that Short stories are difficult to read. In Fact, Publishers and writers believe that marketing a collection of short stories is simply grueling. However, there are enough people around like this writer Sujit Banerjee, who have gone on to prove that short stories can be as marketable as a full length novel. Accomplishing this however is no easy feat unless the writer is can adeptly handle characterization. Reviewing a collection of short stories is difficult, especially if there are 26 stories which are equally good. So here is my humble attempt in telling you about why I absolutely loved this book.

Stories
There were 26 stories, each named after a character alphabetically. Few stories had cliffhanger endings, while few were interlinked – as in they were narrated from multiple point of views. I’ve never read such stories. It was rather heart warming to reach such narrations. Most of the stories dealt with dark emotions – heart wrenching, soul stirring types.

Characterisation
Projecting various shades for a single character in a short story is simply impossible and would probably be imprudent. So this writer went to do it in a different way – but using multiple point of views. However, the writer more often than not ending up just showing the darker shades of the character. All the characters could either be classified as dark,darker and darkest. I was a bit disappointed that the writer didn’t capitalize on light hearted emotions which would have simply added variety. In spite of the characters being simply dark all the way, they made a lasting impression. My personal favourites being that of Farzhana, Manu and Siraj. The writer certainly needs to be lauded for one type of variety that he brought in – the characters – Unborn child, man on deathbed, Married woman, a lover. It was as if the writer observed people in a crowd and decided to write stories guessing about their lives and aspirations.

Narration
The language, the narration – the writing in short obviously was pretty clean and good. The writer used simple but effective sentence structuring to make his stories effective and convey fierce emotions. Just that all stories seemed a bit similar thanks to the gloomy theme, so phrasing may seem to be a bit repetitive while it is actually not.

Cover and Title
The cover was actually stark opposite of the stories from the book – it was bright and beautiful. The title however, didn’t make sense until I read about 3 stories. The book was indeed a ‘departure’ from your normal collection of short stories.

MY SAY: A great read.
RATING: 4.5/5

[Nupur Saha · Rating 3 out of 5]

to begin with "RUKHSAT-The Departure" is an experience more than just a meagre melange of short stories, its an encounter of many lives different from mine and others. some experiences stay with you, some experiences grow on you and some disappear as you march ahead in time. its an indulgence, one similar to SADDAT HASAN MANTO... the book is an knitted arrangement in the progression of the alphabetical order ( a-z) travelling a ascended emotional graph. if you are someone who revels in psychosomatic proverbial pleasure, this book offers the blend of emotion in pain and power, in ecstasy and fantasy, in voyeurism and euphemism.
Farzana being the most beautiful one... i could feel the needles pierce through my bosom and spin the ball of pain inside of me... i fall out of words to describe the emotion i experienced when i was a witness to her act of pleasure to induce in herself the same feeling as she had for the first, the second, the third and as long as her tender body could reap the pleasure out of that pain.
Manu and Siraj... the confrontation at the entrance of heaven reminded me of the book " conversations with god by Ronald Walsche"... the mere act of indulgence for the sake of pleasure without the realisation of the other is so disgraceful... this is on story that stayed with me... and then the conjunctive existence of Siraj and his choice of earning himself a meal a day was skilfully encrypted. the first night of Siraj was also canvassed in depth and every colour could be felt in its texture. these stories had an essence of Ismat Chugtai's " lihaaf" and Khushwant Singh's the "beggar maid".
Hemakshi, the loss, the empty womb, the process of vacating the room of the dead... and the intercepts drawn from the various raagas was melancholic yet tormenting.
XYZ... all three are so visual in their storytelling; in complete capacity of being choreographed as 3 parallel running stories for proscenium theatre. Yasmin bibi being one of my favourites, with an intention to explore all kinds of relationships husband-wife, a married woman and her lover, an adolescent and the first experience of a man, the inexplicable love of a mother, the loss of a child at gun-point... and the seven minutes prior to the final call when you see your whole life and the smell of green apples.....
this book I would call an experience through the journey of life,lives that run parallel, anal and linear to mine & yours .

[Sandeep Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sujit Banerjee in his debut work has transformed his A-Z Challenge of blog posts (in this case short stories) into a beautiful collection. Widely accepted phenomenon among bloggers gave Sujit Banerjee an idea to make his debut in the world of books and I must say that it is surely a brilliant one.

Rukhsat The Departure is the collection of 26 heart touching stories that are connected to each other because of the characters that are used in each story. Simple language and simplicity of thoughts to explain uncommon emotions of humans, is the USP of the book. The characters look lively and it is pretty difficult to build up the whole magic with 4 or 5 pages but the author does that pretty well. Almost every story is predictable but still they do succeed to touch the reader’s soul.

One unique thing that I loved the most was the same story being told from 2 different perspective. It was like you are witnessing the same chain of events but with two narrations. beautiful writing of the author made me hear the characters and took me beyond the reality. It was totally a divine feeling.

Now the drawbacks. Most of the stories in the book leaves a long term impact over the reader but some are not so good. Those stories are not upto the mark and makes the collection, a dull one. There are few mistakes in editing as well. Another thing that took me off is the book cover. For me, it is not eye-catchy.

Overall, I would say that the author has done justice to his debut and presents a book that will stay with his readers for long. A must read for short story collection readers and to someone who loves to experiment with their reading list.

[Deepali Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had been on my list ever since! starting with the cover- it is neatly designed and gives in a feeling of letting go. The cover and the title go hand in hand. It consists of 26 stories, deep and dark to every human emotion. I really like how the author has penned down each story with beauty. The description are detailed and gives you an insight of the story- the description- are appreciable. I’ve read different collection of short stories but this is by far the strongest collection. Few stories are dark but that is what makes this book a unique one! The emotions which are not opened up but are cupped within are chest. It would be injustice to other stories if i said one of them were my favourite- i THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book!

The small drawings which are given in the beginning of the story- are tremendously amazing. The author keeps you hooked and moreover. At times, in story the past& present go hand in hand. Metaphors used is really a wow factor. how brilliantly every story flows like water with punches on the stomach on every ending of the story. I really loved the new aspects brought to life by the author. This book is a gem I rate it an overall 5/5

[Amita Sehrawat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally published at - Amita's Pen

Short stories are always a gem and a delight to read on. The best part of short stories is that they take me to a different world and I come back in no time.
‘Rukhsat The Departure’, a collection of short stories titled on their main character name starting from A to Z took me to the real world. All the stories depict a life lesson which might be bitter or sweet - but at the end I realize that it does happens.
The author has narrated different human emotions in the way they must have been felt. There are some stories which end without a note ad it’s absolutely fine – because those emotions cannot be explained. Some things can/might just be felt by putting yourself in the person’s shoe.

Click the link - Amita's Pento read complete review

[Tushar Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

All stories from A to Z, took me to greater depths of emotions. Emotions, which i might have experienced and not explored (like- Gustav & Eklavya or Omi & Palash) to the ones which I could never imagine to feel being a guy (like- Farzana, Himakshi & Yasmin). Each story I finished and kept this book aside as the abrupt ending made me wondered how destiny in real life plays such a bigger role. The writing style is so unique, where I nearly felt what the character would have felt while experiencing it. Xitij with his unexpressed love till the end to Thamaiya being lost at station quivered my mind so much that I thought of asking the author whether he will continue these stories ever? will he write another book which could be a sequel?Over all, I must recommend this book to all of you who are an avid reader and enjoy reading some serious books, the ones who can understand all sorts of pain & emotion.

[Rocismati Romance lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

RUKHSAT –The Depature by Sujit Banerjee is wonderful book to read .The stories are written in an Alphabetically Way .There are twenty six stories in this book .Some stories are interwined with each other , some are heart warming , some are gut wrenching and some make you question ‘Is it possible ’.

The Author Sujit Banerjee has manfully tackled all the issues pretainning in our society by penning it in form of 26 short stories .After reading Sujit′s book , you will grow into a matured individual as some of his stories will make you think …and this will have a great impact on your persona.

The Stories which impacted me are

1.Siraj -Manu′s Egg Rolls.

2. Devesh- The Confession .

3.Jaba- Flower of The Gooddess .

4. Chitra -The Marriage and

5.Palash- Letter to an Ex-Lover .
5 Lolipops for this book.

A Recomended Read to All.

Please do buy and read .

I thank Namrata M for sending me RUKSHAT -THE DEPATURE BY SUJIT BANERJEE.

[Vibha Hegde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review initially posted on : https://dreambookreviews.wordpress.co...

I had chills while reading this book. There were times when I didn’t want to read further but curiosity would get the better of me and then I would start reading once again.

One thing about the book is it’s interesting enough to make the reader feel scared, elated, chilled to the bone and everything in and around with its words. It is not a “bad book”. Infact it is really good. However, this book is not suitable for young readers and orthodox readers. This might give you a heart attack if you are very orthodox in what you read.

There were times when I literally loved the story and cried along with few of them. I could understand the characters so well as it was written pretty well and depth was provided to make the experience more amazing.

[Book Reviews & Promotion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are overall 26 stories arranged alphabetically A to Z , some standing
alone, and some chatting up with their long lost friends. All the story are engaging and will grab the attention of readers.Its a blend of emotions, feelings of anger,darkness,betrayal.
There is a mixed feeling of nostalgia and curiosity.
The stories are short & some may seems to be incomplete.

Where a story stops, another one begins. The thing with them is they never walk alone. They always walk with a group of friends. Each reaches its own climax.

Each character is sketched very well.The writing style is very impressive that adds to the beauty of the book.

I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Chittajit Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I picked up this book I was a little worried about it, since my previous reads of short stories haven’t been impressive at all but as I read the first story itself I was assure that this book will surely touch my soul. As I finished the book I was blown away! The cover is simple & sober. The author has used quite simple language yet effective & has kept the stories brief *as short stories should be* which kept me glued to the book. I believe its one of the best Leadstart Publication product yet.

full review here,

http://itsgoingtobeobvious.blogspot.i...

[Tushar Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read collection of short stories. There is an unexpected twist at the end of some stories, some stories have been left unfinished while some are entwined with other stories. The length of the stories is ideal, language is crisp and stories deal with a variety of subjects. Most of the stories are dark dealing with the complexity of human mind, emotions and relationships but some stories are also on a lighter side. One will see real life reflections of some stories. For me the best part is the fact that there are no judgements and the readers are left to decide on their own. Be prepared to be scarred by few stories.

[Rishit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this book from the author to review.
26 alphabets, 26 names and 26 short stories:Rukhsat the departure is indeed a awesome and very soothing collection of 26 short stories each exploring different emotions! Its hard to choose which of these 26 is the best, they all are superb! The narration makes the story come alive!
Despite being a fiction, sometimes the book seems like a self-help one as it gives you many lessons for life! It seems like this book is hard to categorize.
The author, Sujit Banerjee really creates a impact on its readers! Have more expectations from him in the future.
Beautifully written book!!

[Mallika Bhatia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I picked up this book, I could not really keep it down till I finished. I love to read fiction but this was the first set of short stories for me. Some stories really moved me, some touched me deep within, and some left me asking for more. I loved how an entire lifetime was described in just a few pages. There were some stories where I would have loved for them to go on, maybe just a few pages longer....
I would love to read more from you Mr.Banerjee.

[Reena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book sprinkled with some happy moments, surprising turns, dark emotions and underlined sexual tension and violence. Whilst each story has a lot of depth it is actually a pretty fast and diverse read. I would recommend to pick it up for short holidays and long travels...or if you like a book that makes you wonder 'what if...' Nice work Mr Banerjee! I enjoyed reading it :)

[Cifar · Rating 2 out of 5]

A uniquely conceptualized book but I think author failed in creating variety in stories in spite having liberty of varied characters in his hand. A simple read with only few interesting stories from a list of twenty six stories. For full review : Book Review : Rukhsat - The Departure

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing stories about minds and souls.
The author does not shy away from what is hidden in Indian society. Rukhsat the departure requires a different way of reading: Flipping back and forth through the pages to grasp the essence of connecting stories. The book is an eye opener and left me feel weird sometimes.
The subtle illustrations complement the stories beautifully.

[Prashanth Srivatsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barring the title, which eats away a good chunk of the allure, Rukhsat is a likeable collection of stories that chronicles the daily lives of 26 characters, some meshed, all cleverly plotted and well written. Sujit doesn't shy away from manhandling tropes and revealing the cracks in the armor of the Indian culture, all the while resorting to suffering and despair as his tools.

[Aniruddha Sastikar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rukhsat The Departure was a gift to me from Suji Da. I am thankful to him.
I was a bit slow in reading this wonderful book initially, but I finished reading it during my yearly holidays.
I am deeply touched with poetic language of Sujit Da, and I would recommend everyone to read Rukhsat The Departure.

Well done, Sujit. Keep it up.

[Surbhi Sareen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well,This book has unique 26 stories with all 26 alphabets and names. Furthermore, I liked the way the author expresses his thoughts... and one can find aura of tabula rasa in it. To read full review :
https://captivatingmode.wordpress.com...