Rating: 4/5
Look at that cover. Doesn’t it make you feel serene. As if the book is going to be a joyride, a happy-go-lucky collection that will make you smile and laugh. A very light read to lift your spirits. Well, be ready to be blown away with how this book actually turns out to be.
‘Delicate’ is a collection of short stories and poems. I did not notice any such common ground among them, except that they were, for the most part, quite engaging and kept me on my toes!
The short stories in this book really stood out to me. Some of them got very dark and twisted, while some got my blood boiling over their events. And of course, the sweet ones that brought a smile to my face. They are filled with flawed, realistic characters and I love how their issues are addressed in the stories. There is a mini-novella short story, with a really messed up protagonist which is something to absolutely look out for! That was the highlight of the book for me.
The poems were good, they were easy on the eyes. But they did not really stand out for me. With the short stories, I was on a high with the book, but the poems brought them down. Individually, the poems are really great, but not close to how the short stories were and they kind of flattened the book towards the end.
Over all it is an amazing read. A small suggestion - maybe the poems should be before the short stories, to give them some build up. It’s a really short book, barely 70 pages, but the stories stayed with me for days after.
I definitely recommend this book. A high emphasis on keeping some tissues handy, because this book gets brutal and very, very real.
Reviewed by Muskan Rajani
Honest review!!!