The Price of Our Silence

by Hanadi Falki

Have you ever wondered how it would feel when your loved ones look through the 3D glasses and spot your name in the movie credits of big Hollywood projects? How rewarding would that be, for your ego and for your deep pockets?

Zuby, Adi and Tanya join Digiworld Studio in the hope of achieving these dreams. Little do they know that they would soon have to face some ugly truths of the industry. Will their friendship survive betrayal, revolt and a tragic death?

Join the journey of these youngsters in modern day India where they have to silently tread the thin line between right and wrong, struggle between friendship and love and balance their traditional values with modern spirit.

Genres: Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Hanadi Falki is an award-winning Indian author, creative writing mentor, and the Executive Director of WakeUp India Education and Medical Trust.

She won the TCK Reader's Choice Award 2018 for her debut novel, ‘The Price of Our Silence’ and the Top Influential Authors Award 2018 by ‘The Indian Awaaz’ for her collection of short stories, 'Women Around Us'. She has also written biographies and has contributed short stories in several bestselling anthologies.

Hanadi is a recipient of the University Gold Medal for English Literature (Aligarh Muslim University) and has a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. She conducts Creative Writing Workshops for kids and raises awareness on social issues through her books.

Along with her career in the field of writing as a Content Developer, Editor, Digital Content Specialist and then a Communications Director, she has worked with various organizations trying to combat extreme poverty and polio, raise awareness on various social issues and bridge the gap between people of different faiths and income groups.

Reviews

[ANTONY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indian women contributed just 17 per cent of national GDP, which is less than half the global average of 37 per cent, according to a McKinsey study.

Courtesy

After advent of Internet and information technology   in India, both boys ad girls join the IT sector and work together to earn their livelihood. More lucrative jobs await them , they get the opportunity to mingle among themselves and their life is full of mirth and merriment .For some  this may lead them to develop good friendships . 

I like the fictions involving the youth , their fun filled activities , the romance budding due to the proximity and closeness  ,love and hate drama ,and the resultant love affairs, as well as break ups due to conflicts. 


"THE PRICE OF OUR SILENCE " tells us the story of  young working professionals .


The Plot :


Zuby , the protagonist, a Muslim girl  joins Digiworld Studios in Pune , the leading Hollywood Post Production company as a fresher with a dream. She was a rotoscopy artist in Vision 3D in Hyderabad.There he meets Adi, Mansi, Tarun, and Saachi,Vimal who are her colleagues  and develop friendship with them .Zuby and Tanya, another fresher share the same flat.In the beginning there is a misunderstanding between Zuby and Saachi and they part with each other. Later on, Zuby, Adi, Tanya and Vimal become dearest buddies. The love and affection they show to each other take most part of the story .Their relationship is oscillating between friendship and love It is only funny  and .playful as they are  young and enthusiastic about their career and life. Tanya has got a bitter experience with Dev her previous lover and Zuby helps her  to come out of the turmoil. Also the hectic schedule and time bound targets frustrate them. Jealousy plays havoc in their relationship.Later on, the story tells about how they settle themselves in their own way .


The Pro :


Hanadi Falki , the author , a recipient  of University Gold Medal for English literature (Aligargh Muslim Unversity batch 2007) and a master degree holder in Creative writing from Auckland University of Technology New Zealand has penned this novel with a fantabulous language and a fluent style.She has depicted each and every incident in a gracious manner,and  it compliments the pensive flow of the book . 


Also I like the characterization as all the characters are there for a reason . I admire Zuby for her knowledge, thoughtfulness, wisdom and skill. She is shouldering the whole story with a genteel manner.


Also I assure that you can relate to the story as it revolves around the youth and their aspirations.


Cover design is dull but the picture suits well.


My favorite : 


Adi's father impresses me a lot.He is a hard working business man . He knows the pulse of the consumers. He has not got any bad habit.

After a heart attack, he allows his son  to continue his job and  follow his heart  even though he is in need of person to look after his business.


The following general views by the author are note worthy:


India has many customs and rituals that may seem bizarre to anyone not used to its distinctive culture. It is a strange combination of being a young nation as well as an ancient country.


The best insurance that a girl can be given is a proper education and a steady career That way she can assume a bright future for her family herself instead of depending on her future groom to give her a comfortable life. 


My verdict :


I recommend this clean and entertaining book to youth Fiction lovers.

[Vikas Mahajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a wonderful experience reading this book as it’s somewhat concerned with my life. This is the story of friends right from the days of their professional studies leading towards their struggle as beginners, and ending with them becoming achievers in their fields. They face ups & downs in their lives but even then they live their life with happiness and the only reason for this is the bonding between these friends.

The best part in this novel is the various instances between these friends, which make you laugh and take you to your world of friendship. You feel sad for some characters and almost depressed in one chapter! But then you are happy when some of them are taught a well-deserved lesson. Throughout the book you will find every moment fully alive.

There is a familiarity I felt with these youngsters. I loved the character of Tarun a lot bcoz I find myself connected to it. Thank you sooooo much Hanadi for inspiring every youngster’s life in such a beautiful way by making us believe in our own dreams and friends again.

[Karandeep Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author dives into the works space environment of a couple of friends and then how it affects their personal life. In the very beginning i was kind of expecting it to be a love story which would end up in the two protagonists being a couple, but no. The passion of the protagonist inspires me to be a better person in my life. Zuby's fierce heart and the importance she gives to her friends is the thing that i loved the most about this book. i would have loved to read about the other characters in more detail, but other than that, i loved this book very much.

[Naveen Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the backdrop of a 3D stereoscope industry in India, which is really fresh one, this book offers you friendship, their jealousy, prejudice of parents, office politics etc. You can easily relate to the protagonist and other supporting characters in various situation they go throughout the story, be it arranged marriage scenario or future insecurities etc. It isn't a love story but a story of friendships. At first it looks like a simple story but after you finish it and mull for a while, you'll wonder how the author subtly pointed out how our society thinks, how far how we have come and how much we need to go more to become a society where girls are allowed to do whatever they feel like doing. Moreover, as the title suggests, its about what decisions we make and how they affects us, be it good or bad. Don't expect lovers meeting in the climax, you're in for surprise. Overall its a good book with simple language and for no specific audience.
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Thanks to the author for providing the copy of the book for review.

[Anupam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall nice and touching. The characters are well-sketched, although zuby's character exudes a holier-than-thou attitude,which gets a bit irritating.

Highs
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The description of Aligarh in chapter 13 was really good and of high literary value. The author could probably explore the possibility of narrating historical events in her writing career
Description of how Adi would have loved to get past time back when his father was ill
Good explanation of true meaning of jihad
Page 163 - Adi appearing suddenly and seeking Zuby's time was sweet

Lows
--------
In the penultimate chapter Adi professes his love for Zuby and engages in prolonged conversation with her, when he has received the news that his elder brother is dead! This appeared very unnatural and artificial to me.
There is excessive technical detail about stereoscopy which becomes boring at times
There are at least 3 occasions when one of the leading ladies bites her lower lip! The expression was probably used once too often!

Overall well presented, although the reason for the silence is a bit inexplicable. Adi could have professed his love for Zuby earlier to sort out the complications. In summary, "The Price of Our Silence" is certainly well narrated and is a good read! Well done Hanadi!

Review Link - https://anupamdasgupta.com/review-pri...