The Book of Everlasting Things

The Book of Everlasting Things is a novel by Aanchal Malhotra which was published on December 27, 2022 by Flatiron Books. It is the first fiction novel by her.[1]

Background

Malhotra began writing the novel in 2017.[2] It was partly inspired by a story she was told about her grandfather.[3]

Plot

The novel is the love story of Samir who is a Hindu perfumer and Firdaus who is a Muslim calligrapher in which their families torn apart during Partition of India.

Reception

The book was mostly well received, with critics praising its portrayal of the Partition of India and its consequences.[4] It received some criticism for its characters and the repetitiveness of its story.

Donna Edwards of Associated Press wrote "The Book of Everlasting Things is deeply human, with careful attention paid to both factual and emotional accuracy."[5] Shubhangi Tiwari of Scroll.in and Sreya Sarkar of India Today also praised the book's historical accuracy.[6][7]

Reya Mehrotra of Financial Express wrote "a beautiful and whole love story entwined with separation". Darshita Goyal of Vogue India described it as "a beautifully visceral reminder that there were no sides in the partition."[8]

Kushal Gulab of Deccan Chronicle gave the book a mixed review, praising its atmosphere but criticizing the flat characterization of the novel's protagonists.[9]

Farooq Chaudhry of Chicago Review of Books found the book's exploration of trauma and the memory of the Partition, but wrote that its "the story can be unevenly paced and repetitive at times."[10] Saudamini Jain of Hindustan Times similarly described parts of the novel as repetitive.[11]

References
  1. Shankar, Avantika (2023-01-19). "Writer and historian Aanchal Malhotra pays tribute to the Indian soldiers who fought in the World Wars with her first novel, The Book of Everlasting Things". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  2. "Historian-author Aanchal Malhotra to tell a Partition love story in her debut novel". The Times of India. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  3. "Author Aanchal Malhotra: 'The transition from historian to novelist was extremely difficult for me to do'". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  4. "A saga of pain & partition: An oral historian's efforts in tracing family histories culminates in a story of love and longing". Financialexpress. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  5. "Review: India's Partition in deeply human debut novel". Associated Press. 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  6. Tiwari, Shubhangi. "'The Book of Everlasting Things': A novel that is gained in imagination, squandered by the prose". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  7. "Do you remember how we smelt before they partitioned us? | The Book of Everlasting Things Review". India Today. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  8. "Aanchal Malhotra's 'The Book of Everlasting Things' is an ode to family and fragrance". Vogue India. 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  9. Gulab, Kushal (2023-01-29). "Book Review | Book of everlasting Partition pain poignantly penned but lacks punch". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  10. Chaudhry, Farooq (2023-01-16). "Love, Loss, and Lahore: Aanchal Malhotra's "The Book of Everlasting Things"". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  11. "Review: The Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra". Hindustan Times. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
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