Are you looking for your next favourite read? How about a nice contemporary fiction, a father-daughter story? I had read one contemporary fiction a few years back that documented the relationship between a grandfather and his grandson through a beautiful story. And since then, it was in July that I found another book like that that I wanted to read. And today I’m going to talk about that book with you. It’s Farther by Chaitanya Desale.
Farther: A Fabulous Tale Of A Troubled Father is the story of Manbir, an ambitious guy who also loves his family. He and his wife Nivia have a beautiful little world of theirs and it revolves around their almost toddler daughter – Ruhi.
Manbir’s dream is to create India’s first AI robot and make his family proud, and really, make a better life for his family. But would Manbir be successful with it or would he lose his very family in the process?
This becomes even more challenging as his wife passes away unexpectedly and he’s left all alone to take care of his daughter. That’s what the book is about.
Let’s talk of the plot.
The book – Farther by Chaitanya Desale has a beautiful beginning and since, then it keeps you engaged. For a person like me, who has been reading a lot of mystery and thrillers with complex plots, it was surreal to read something like this – simple and yet, with a beautiful story.
The plot just documents Manbir’s ambition, introduces his character, his world until the tragedy hits and his life changes. What happens then… everything is quite minutely captured in this book.
Honestly, I don’t read such books from Indian authors much. Because, Indian books are normally to the point and just. Short. Authors never go into the details – the backstories of the characters, the reason behind somebody’s name or even their daily life, unless absolutely necessary.
But in this book, the author has taken all of that and weaved it into the plot. The overall story is truly interesting, but the way he has delivered it through various incidents and scenes is just absolutely brilliant.
There wasn’t a single point in the whole book when I felt disinterested. It’s more than 400 pages long, but each page kept me glued. That’s why I loved this book.
Characters
So, there’s Manbir, his wife and his daughter. The book really focuses on Manbir, his ambition and his struggles. Nivia, his wife, is a nice lady who also aspires to be a writer. Ruhi, his daughter, is a character that you see developing throughout the book as she grows.
Then, there’s Danny – one of Manbir’s colleagues who’s now my favourite character in the book. Is he good? Not so much but the author has given him enough layers that you find it hard to hate him either. You do, at times, but your interest is in more about understanding why Danny is who he is. Should you love him or hate him?
Then, there are several characters like Manbir’s colleagues, friends, and even the couples families. All characters have been done well. No complaints there.
Writing Style
The writing style of Farther by Chaitanya Desale is easy, making it an accessible and enjoyable book even for beginner readers. The book can be ready by anybody above 12 year old age and thus, it’s open to even wider audience. Only caveat here is the length of the book. Like I said before, Indian audience is accustomed to reading short books. They may not feel inclined to read such a long book, but if you’re watching me, and you’re keen to take my suggestion, I would say, ignore the length. Just pick up the book and read it.
It’s one of the best self published books I have come across. I would definitely recommend it.
Do I have anything else to say about the writing style? Well, I would say it just doesn’t look like it’s been written by a debut author. The author has such a good flow and grip on the writing, and the entire story that the whole experience is super elevated and awesome.
While I was reading this book, especially the last 25% of it, it was hard to get me to do anything for I was so glued to this book. That’s how good it is.
Overall, I think Farther is an amazing contemporary fiction novel documenting a father- daughter story, his ambition & his perils after his wife’s sudden demise and his need to look after his daughter. The story has emotions, relationships, jealousy, innovation, dreams and love. It’s a story I am sure people will enjoy. So just pick it up and try it out for yourself and see what you think.
