What do you think?
All Those Who Wander
What if the past, present and future exist at once? What if you could rewrite your past? What if you could go back and change it around? What if you could protect the child you were from the trauma you know she will have to live through? What if you were living infinite versions of the same life simultaneously? This is the story of Ana, who is at a different age each time we meet her. But who is Ana—is she really who she says she is? A tangled tale of looped time and non-sequential lives, of guilt and repercussions, ‘All Those Who Wander’ turns the classic time-travel genre into a spine-tingling gorgeousness of who, what, when, where. Wouldn’t you take that one chance to heal your inner child?
- GenresIndian Literature
280 pages, Paperback
Published January 15, 2023
About the author
Kiran Manral
32 books89 followersAfter quitting her full-time journalist’s job when her son was born, Kiran became a mommy blogger, on the internet, with a remarkably original voice. She was a journalist at The Asian Age, The Times of India, features editor Cosmopolitan, India Cultural Lead and Trendspotter at Gartner Iconoculture, Senior Consultant at Vector Insights and Ideas Editor, SheThePeople.TV. Kiran is currently a celebrated Author and an independent research and media consultant.
She was shortlisted for the Femina Women Awards for Literary Contribution in 2017. The Indian Council of UN Relations (ICUNR) with the Ministry of Women and Children, Govt of India, awarded her the International Women’s Day Award 2018 for excellence in the field of writing. In 2021 she was awarded the Womennovator 1000 Women of Asia award. In 2022, she was named amongst the 75 Iconic Indian women in STEAM by Red Dot Foundation and Beyond Black, in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, and British High Commission, New Delhi.
Her novella, Saving Maya, was long-listed for the 2018 Saboteur Award, supported by the Arts Council of England in the UK. The Kitty Party Murder was shortlisted for the Popular Choice award at the 2021 JK Papers TOI AutHER awards and has been optioned for a series.
Her other books include The Reluctant Detective, Once Upon A Crush, All Aboard, Karmic Kids-The Story of Parenting Nobody Told You, A Boy’s Guide to Growing Up, True Love Stories, 13 Steps to Bloody Good Parenting, Raising Kids with Hope and Wonder in Times of a Pandemic and Climate Change, More Things in Heaven and Earth, Rising 30 Women Who Changed India, Rising 2.0: 20 More Women Who Changed India, All Those Who Wander and The Moon in the Lining of her Skin.
She also has published short stories in various magazines, in acclaimed anthologies like Have A Safe Journey, Boo, The Best Asian Speculative Fiction 2018, Grandpa’s Tales, Magical Women, City of Screams, The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction and Hell Hath No Fury.
Her nonfiction book, Karmic Kids: The Story of Parenting Nobody Told You, was listed amongst the top five books on parenting by Indian authors in 2015 by the Sunday Guardian.
The Face at the Window, released in 2016, was listed amongst the top 30 books written by women authors in 2016 by The Ladies Finger, as among the must read books by contemporary women authors by BuzzingBubs and received much critical acclaim. The Times of India stated that “Manral may have very well pioneered the "Himalayan Gothic" genre” with this book. Her novella, Saving Maya, was long listed for the 2018 Saboteur Awards, UK, supported by the Arts Council England, The Kitty Party Murder was shortlisted for the AutHER Awards 2020 Popular Choice Awards. The Face at the Window was long listed at Jio MAMI Word to Screen and showcased at the Singapore International Film Festival. Monster Complex listed her in their global list titled "Urban Fantasy Showcase: 100 Authors To Know and Their Works." Desi Blitz listed her amongst the top seven horror writers from India. Her book, The Face at the Window, was listed in HoneyKids Asia's list of top picks of Asian Horror books alongside books like Han Kang's The Vegetarian, and The Ring. Bookstr.com listed her amongst "6 Fascinating Asian and Pacific Islander Horror Authors."
She was shortlisted for the Femina Women Awards for Literary Contribution in 2017. The Indian Council of UN Relations (ICUNR) with the Ministry of Women and Children, Govt of India, awarded her the International Women’s Day Award 2018 for excellence in the field of writing. In 2021 she was awarded the Womennovator 1000 Women of Asia award. In 2022, she was named amongst the 75 Iconic Indian women in STEAM by Red Dot Foundation and Beyond Black, in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, and British High Commission, New Delhi.
Her novella, Saving Maya, was long-listed for the 2018 Saboteur Award, supported by the Arts Council of England in the UK. The Kitty Party Murder was shortlisted for the Popular Choice award at the 2021 JK Papers TOI AutHER awards and has been optioned for a series.
Her other books include The Reluctant Detective, Once Upon A Crush, All Aboard, Karmic Kids-The Story of Parenting Nobody Told You, A Boy’s Guide to Growing Up, True Love Stories, 13 Steps to Bloody Good Parenting, Raising Kids with Hope and Wonder in Times of a Pandemic and Climate Change, More Things in Heaven and Earth, Rising 30 Women Who Changed India, Rising 2.0: 20 More Women Who Changed India, All Those Who Wander and The Moon in the Lining of her Skin.
She also has published short stories in various magazines, in acclaimed anthologies like Have A Safe Journey, Boo, The Best Asian Speculative Fiction 2018, Grandpa’s Tales, Magical Women, City of Screams, The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction and Hell Hath No Fury.
Her nonfiction book, Karmic Kids: The Story of Parenting Nobody Told You, was listed amongst the top five books on parenting by Indian authors in 2015 by the Sunday Guardian.
The Face at the Window, released in 2016, was listed amongst the top 30 books written by women authors in 2016 by The Ladies Finger, as among the must read books by contemporary women authors by BuzzingBubs and received much critical acclaim. The Times of India stated that “Manral may have very well pioneered the "Himalayan Gothic" genre” with this book. Her novella, Saving Maya, was long listed for the 2018 Saboteur Awards, UK, supported by the Arts Council England, The Kitty Party Murder was shortlisted for the AutHER Awards 2020 Popular Choice Awards. The Face at the Window was long listed at Jio MAMI Word to Screen and showcased at the Singapore International Film Festival. Monster Complex listed her in their global list titled "Urban Fantasy Showcase: 100 Authors To Know and Their Works." Desi Blitz listed her amongst the top seven horror writers from India. Her book, The Face at the Window, was listed in HoneyKids Asia's list of top picks of Asian Horror books alongside books like Han Kang's The Vegetarian, and The Ring. Bookstr.com listed her amongst "6 Fascinating Asian and Pacific Islander Horror Authors."
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 11, 2023
First of all, let me applaud this book's alluring premise, which made me take it up for review. I stopped book reviews a long time ago. But now I am back reviewing this mind-bending novel that takes its readers on an ecstatic journey through space and time. I couldn't encompass the story within one genre - there's science fiction, horror, romance, philosophy, and thriller packed into one book. It's a total package for someone looking for something new to read in Indian writing.
I haven't read any of Kiran Manral's previous works. So, I was totally mind-blown by her narration which was lyrical, flowery, empathetic, and intense. Though the core theme is science fiction as it involves a lot of time travel and futuristic scenes, there is this deep story of a woman who had a traumatic childhood and a romance that acts as a much-needed breather. Kiran adopts a non-linear narrative that you'd keep wondering how the chapters are interconnected. But it is her astounding prose that draws you in right from the first chapter.
The protagonist is Ana who is also known as Nayna and sometimes as Sue (though we can assume that she is a different person). Ana can travel through time and space involuntarily just by looking at her reflection in any mirror. She is flung into her own past and future mercilessly, while she can also travel through multiverses, meeting multiple versions of herself. She tries to change her fate by pulling out one of her versions and putting them in another universe. Is she successful? How are the other versions of her intertwined with her own life? These are some of the questions that the book might answer or might not.
Read the full review here: https://kavyajanani.wordpress.com/202...
I haven't read any of Kiran Manral's previous works. So, I was totally mind-blown by her narration which was lyrical, flowery, empathetic, and intense. Though the core theme is science fiction as it involves a lot of time travel and futuristic scenes, there is this deep story of a woman who had a traumatic childhood and a romance that acts as a much-needed breather. Kiran adopts a non-linear narrative that you'd keep wondering how the chapters are interconnected. But it is her astounding prose that draws you in right from the first chapter.
The protagonist is Ana who is also known as Nayna and sometimes as Sue (though we can assume that she is a different person). Ana can travel through time and space involuntarily just by looking at her reflection in any mirror. She is flung into her own past and future mercilessly, while she can also travel through multiverses, meeting multiple versions of herself. She tries to change her fate by pulling out one of her versions and putting them in another universe. Is she successful? How are the other versions of her intertwined with her own life? These are some of the questions that the book might answer or might not.
Read the full review here: https://kavyajanani.wordpress.com/202...
April 5, 2023
The most beautiful book I have ever read . It was irresistibly smooth . Painful and enchanting at the same time . This book is so surreal .
March 7, 2023
Kiran Manral is an incontrovertibly gifted writer. I’ve read nearly all of her previous works. But this one was like no other. Is it time travel? Paranormal? Horror? A thought-provoking love story? A complicated mother-daughter story? The best way to put it would be to borrow from a film title doing the 2023 awards circuit with aplomb: Everything Everywhere All At Once. It really is. All Those Who Wonder is an epic canvas—both in theme and storytelling (it has multiple interconnected stories, all powered to garner complete and total attention)—Kiran paints on it like a pro. Full of surprises, masterful detailing, and erudition, she does with such effortless flair what James Michener recommends writers must aspire to do: conjure the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions. Her characters travel with chilling ease through time and space, but I'm willing to wager the reader shall remain put, compelled by the need to know where these characters will show up next and how it will all end. Will it all end?
February 22, 2023
How would it be if you could go back in the past and change something?
Many have tried to answer this eternal question, in movies, in books, but none so beautifully as the author of All Those Who Wander.
It's a book about time travel, about multiverses and multiple selves. But to me it was a book about consequences, both external and internal.
It's a story about one girl, and her multiple selves and how a decision she takes makes all the difference and ultimately none at all.
It's not easy to write about time travel, multiverses and the likes. But @kiranmanral not only writes about these complex topics well, she writes about it all so beautifully that it transcends and defies genre-fication. You travel not just through time and space but also through the places the protagonists do, you travel inwards with them, into the rabbit holes of their hopes and despair.
It's an atmospheric, evocatively written book.
Recommend highly. And thanks Kavitha for the tip off.
Many have tried to answer this eternal question, in movies, in books, but none so beautifully as the author of All Those Who Wander.
It's a book about time travel, about multiverses and multiple selves. But to me it was a book about consequences, both external and internal.
It's a story about one girl, and her multiple selves and how a decision she takes makes all the difference and ultimately none at all.
It's not easy to write about time travel, multiverses and the likes. But @kiranmanral not only writes about these complex topics well, she writes about it all so beautifully that it transcends and defies genre-fication. You travel not just through time and space but also through the places the protagonists do, you travel inwards with them, into the rabbit holes of their hopes and despair.
It's an atmospheric, evocatively written book.
Recommend highly. And thanks Kavitha for the tip off.
July 10, 2023
Genre- Science Fiction (Time Travel)
Pages 270
What if the past, the present and the future exist at once??
Nayna had made friends with Ana, the lady from A 302. Ana was someone who would come one random day and disappear the next. One day she was here and the next she found herself elsewhere. Ana was nothing like anyone. What was strange that nobody saw Nayna talking to Ana. Nobody saw Ana living in A 302. Infact the house had been closed for many many years.
Then who is this Ana? And how is Nayna talking to Ana or is she Hallucinating??
#bookreview
When i started the book it was giving paranormal thriller feels. At first i was pretty confused as to what was happening. Then slowly slowly the picture becomes clear. It is complex and slow paced at beginning so you need to have patience to read and understand it.
Like i said, i was confused at first but once i got the hang of it, it became interesting and i was in awe thinking what if something like this is possible.
⭐This book follows the theme of going in the past and changing things and at the same time living your present. And what happens when things go wrong or if your are stuck in the past or future.
The ending part was exciting to read as it goes into the future 3096 where Earth is unliveable. I like how with this part the author takes us somewhere unexpected.
The book is sure lengthy and complex but i enjoyed reading it given my love for science fiction. And it was something different i read in a long time.
I won't recommend this to beginners. But those who like complex readings and if time travel interests you then you can pick up this book
Dont forget to check out few highlights that i have shared in the slides...might spark an interest in you to read this ♥️
Pages 270
What if the past, the present and the future exist at once??
Nayna had made friends with Ana, the lady from A 302. Ana was someone who would come one random day and disappear the next. One day she was here and the next she found herself elsewhere. Ana was nothing like anyone. What was strange that nobody saw Nayna talking to Ana. Nobody saw Ana living in A 302. Infact the house had been closed for many many years.
Then who is this Ana? And how is Nayna talking to Ana or is she Hallucinating??
#bookreview
When i started the book it was giving paranormal thriller feels. At first i was pretty confused as to what was happening. Then slowly slowly the picture becomes clear. It is complex and slow paced at beginning so you need to have patience to read and understand it.
Like i said, i was confused at first but once i got the hang of it, it became interesting and i was in awe thinking what if something like this is possible.
⭐This book follows the theme of going in the past and changing things and at the same time living your present. And what happens when things go wrong or if your are stuck in the past or future.
The ending part was exciting to read as it goes into the future 3096 where Earth is unliveable. I like how with this part the author takes us somewhere unexpected.
The book is sure lengthy and complex but i enjoyed reading it given my love for science fiction. And it was something different i read in a long time.
I won't recommend this to beginners. But those who like complex readings and if time travel interests you then you can pick up this book
Dont forget to check out few highlights that i have shared in the slides...might spark an interest in you to read this ♥️
May 14, 2023
The concept of the book is quite interesting and the plot keeps you hooked as we take the journey through space and time along with the characters. The story moves forth between years and we see how the time travel affects both the characters and the life they are living. The idea of multiple versions of oneself living in multiple times has been explored quite well. The idea of the protagonist trying to ensure that the pain she has lived through is not present in the lives of her alternate versions is quite noble, even though the price she pays for it is high. The book starts on a good note where we see that the Nayna from two different times face each other. As she tries to help her younger self, the complexity of the plot increases. What didn’t work for me in the book was the fact that the timelines become confusing and as the plot moves forward, the story starts getting muddled up and as a reader, it becomes quite a challenge to keep track of what is happening, in which timeline and to which version of Nayna. It would have helped if the concept that Kiran is using in the book would have been explored in a bit detail so that the connect with the story could have been better. The climax of the story is well executed and brings to the story to a close with an interesting finality.
The book primarily focuses on Nayna and her versions from different points in time and space as she attempts to move back and forth in time. The journey of self-discovery as she learns from her mistakes is told in a wonderful manner. Sukanya’s character was a good addition to the plot, and running her story in parallel with Nayna adds another level of detail to this story.
The book primarily focuses on Nayna and her versions from different points in time and space as she attempts to move back and forth in time. The journey of self-discovery as she learns from her mistakes is told in a wonderful manner. Sukanya’s character was a good addition to the plot, and running her story in parallel with Nayna adds another level of detail to this story.
March 28, 2023
'All Those Who Wander' is the story of Ana who talks to the reader as human and soul at different ages. Although Ana stands as the protagonist of the story, the innocent and charming Nayna is the one who keeps you glued to the story. As the layers of each character unravels you find yourself also floating in the dark space through which the characters travel through time.
It's been a long time since I've read good time travel fiction with intricate layers and complex women who are not enemies to each other although their interests are the same. I loved how the author has used the classic portal of time travel in the most beautiful way where you are not stuck with the portal and astral projection mechanism like in science fiction but you continue reading the story with the same lack of knowledge of the happenings like the characters.
For me the writing is what kept me thrilled throughout the book. You get bored with the helpless life of the people here, you feel the thrill to save the innocent ones, the women here are not like the ones we meet in life. You understand there is something beyond black and white.
I would recommend the book to those who love gouging fat book pie and wanna get their brains wrecked going back and forth as you move ahead with every chapter.
#readingfatima
It's been a long time since I've read good time travel fiction with intricate layers and complex women who are not enemies to each other although their interests are the same. I loved how the author has used the classic portal of time travel in the most beautiful way where you are not stuck with the portal and astral projection mechanism like in science fiction but you continue reading the story with the same lack of knowledge of the happenings like the characters.
For me the writing is what kept me thrilled throughout the book. You get bored with the helpless life of the people here, you feel the thrill to save the innocent ones, the women here are not like the ones we meet in life. You understand there is something beyond black and white.
I would recommend the book to those who love gouging fat book pie and wanna get their brains wrecked going back and forth as you move ahead with every chapter.
#readingfatima
August 7, 2023
All those who Wander is an amalgamation of Everything, Everywhere..., The Timetraveller's wife and Cloud Atlas.
Ana, Sue, Nayna, Ananya....multiversal variations of the same person crash into each other's life, each in a different timeline, a different era. The premise is mindbending and raises a few hairs just thinking about it.
But it was painful reading through. The protagonist's life is a mess, it's an emotional whirlpool. I had trouble breathing just imagining myself in her situation. I started reading with excitement and then gradually my reading speed became slower and slower, each word getting heavier as I got immersed in her world.
The writing is beautiful, it is like a painting of words. Some lines make you feel like you're gliding through silk.
Consider this description of the Aurora Borealis "solar winds blazing through 150 million kilometres, passing through our magnetic poles, through our magnetic shield, making love to atoms and molecules in our atmosphere, orgasming in resplendent blue, green, violet streaks through the skies".🔥🔥
Sometimes it felt a bit too much though. I mean you need crisp clear concise descriptions at a few places as well. Also, the mood remains gloomy all the time, as a reader I became a bit desperate.
Negatives aside, the premise wins the prize and deserves a read for sure!
Ana, Sue, Nayna, Ananya....multiversal variations of the same person crash into each other's life, each in a different timeline, a different era. The premise is mindbending and raises a few hairs just thinking about it.
But it was painful reading through. The protagonist's life is a mess, it's an emotional whirlpool. I had trouble breathing just imagining myself in her situation. I started reading with excitement and then gradually my reading speed became slower and slower, each word getting heavier as I got immersed in her world.
The writing is beautiful, it is like a painting of words. Some lines make you feel like you're gliding through silk.
Consider this description of the Aurora Borealis "solar winds blazing through 150 million kilometres, passing through our magnetic poles, through our magnetic shield, making love to atoms and molecules in our atmosphere, orgasming in resplendent blue, green, violet streaks through the skies".🔥🔥
Sometimes it felt a bit too much though. I mean you need crisp clear concise descriptions at a few places as well. Also, the mood remains gloomy all the time, as a reader I became a bit desperate.
Negatives aside, the premise wins the prize and deserves a read for sure!
March 27, 2023
All Those Who Wander by Kiran Manral, author's newest release and I had to pick it up. Since I have enjoyed the author's previous books as well. This one I must say is quite different from her other work.
"Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it."
- Lucy Maud Montgomery
The story is about a woman names Ana, set in Mumbai majorly and in different timelines. I love how every chapter starts with a different and beautiful quote, it just elevates my reading experience. I definitely would recommend this book to you all.
"And the moral of the story is that you don't remember what happened. What you remember becomes what happened."
- John Green
Woman stuck between her childhood trauma and present time romance which helps here heal, through sci-fi and time travel theme Kiran Manral has nailed this book. At some points I had to go back through the previous chapters to actually connect the dots but I guess that's the beauty of this book.
"Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it."
- Lucy Maud Montgomery
The story is about a woman names Ana, set in Mumbai majorly and in different timelines. I love how every chapter starts with a different and beautiful quote, it just elevates my reading experience. I definitely would recommend this book to you all.
"And the moral of the story is that you don't remember what happened. What you remember becomes what happened."
- John Green
Woman stuck between her childhood trauma and present time romance which helps here heal, through sci-fi and time travel theme Kiran Manral has nailed this book. At some points I had to go back through the previous chapters to actually connect the dots but I guess that's the beauty of this book.
April 21, 2023
Kiran Manral's books always take the readers off the edge, but this one is a different level altogether. One life reviewing itself from different life-stages, and at each stage, the perspective of reviewing has changed! This time travel sci fi has planted mirrors all across the manuscript where a linear narrative gains a multidimensional structure. Relationships blossom and sink in that plane, pains emerge and diffuse, pleasure flickers. Thrown in between the human sensitivities are the natural participants - birds and animals questioning and clarifying things with the precision of human subconscious. Brilliant!
May 22, 2023
My mind is blown just attempting to fathom the depth of the author's imagination!!! I've always been super intimidated by scifis but the author left no stone unturned to make this one of my most indelible reads of the year!! Such a mind boggling story made accessible for readers while being embellished with stunning prose is definitely an unmissable read!
February 18, 2023
Loved this book! Its about Nayna and Ana...who is also Nayna. Its a book abot getting lost and finding yourself. Its difficult to slot in any one genre but its great and truly worth reading
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews