For the last month or two, I have been trying to read and experience different styles in the fiction genre. While they are not strictly something I enjoy as much as fantasy fiction, I am happy that I have begun to widen my range. It started off with Forty Rules of Love, then came Handmaid’s Tale and the last one was Normal People. Tinted Tales is another book that is far from my usual taste. Written by debutant author Akanksha Shukla, Tinted Tales is a collection of 10 short stories that take you back to your childhood and make you reminisce that wonderful time, full of hope and dreams. Each story has its own particular setting but as you go on, you start to see the author’s stamp in all of them.
If I had to pick my favourite, I would go with ‘Wounded Wings’, ‘The Pink Dream’ and ‘One of Those Days’. Wounded Wings starts off in the most innocent manner but goes on to tell a haunting tale. It is about an incident that any child would want to forget, but sadly, it will forever remain imprinted deep in their subconscious. The sudden turn in the story takes you by surprise and you can’t help but imagine the horror of actually experiencing something so devastating at a young age.
‘The Pink Dream’ on the other hand is an adorable tale about a little girl’s dream to own a pair of heels. Her mother tells her that they are not good for children but she has set her heart on them. The story gives us a glimpse of the small, innocent dreams, which, for a child, could mean the world. It took me back to shoe shopping days with my dad. I could never understand how, without a word from me, he could find out that I liked the expensive shoes more than the ones that were in our budget.
Akanksha makes it a point to focus on elements that resonate deeply with Gen Y in almost all the stories. So ’One of Those Days’ instantly clicked with me because I read the word VCR. While studying or doing other boring activities like having a haircut, regular things appear to be the most interesting ones (Read: The Waiting Corner). The story took me back to my 10th board exams. I was trying my best to focus on the task at hand, but with the slightest sound of the TV, my ears automatically tuned-in, almost like a radio. It did not even have to be a show that I was fond off, because even the most boring serial seemed as interesting as an Amitabh Bacchan action film during study time. But ‘One of Those Days’ is not really about a VCR. It is about all the privileges we cannot have, about the boundaries we cross and the price we think we are willing to pay for crossing them. The ending of this story has to be my favourite.
The beauty of Tinted Tales lies in the nature of stories Akanksha puts forth. If you have grown up in India, then each and every story will pull some strings from the past. It is a book that requires you to be attentive because Akanksha’s writing demands it. She makes it a point to describe the most mundane things in a literary way and some people would really love that. So If you enjoy short stories and want to take a trip down memory lane, give Tinted Tales a shot. It is available on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
I was introduced to Tinted Tales because I know Akanksha and her husband, Anand, for many years. We share a great bond and I have the highest respect for them. I have seen the hard work that has gone into this book and how Akanksha managed the house, her job and her kids, while she worked on her first book. Even though I have tried hard, but some bias may have crept into the review due to the love I have for Akanksha and Anand. My request would be to let this review act only as a catalyst for you to pick-up the book. Nothing more, and I sincerely hope, nothing less.