Looking back to her world

Twisting My Kaleidoscope by Shannon Love
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everyone around her is an enemy of her.
She has a feeling that the world is watching her every move-waiting for her to take a false step. She also has a firm belief that with her power she can help people-only she has forgotten how to use them.
She started imagining that the male population is keen on controlling her special magical charm-that is why they are after her. She started to have a sensation of repulsion whenever a man came near her-as if he has an evil intention for her-as if he is going to commit a heinous crime.
Even she started to suspect her husband for putting her into hospital-he must have planned a profit running venture in putting her into hospital. He must have put her into hospital to live a life king size-of his own will!
She imagined her flesh is decaying slowly-and her body is covered with transparent clothing. As a precaution-she started to have baths countless times a day and after every shower she started to have her body covered with all sorts of garments she could gather. Then one day she asked herself-why I am trying to make myself presentable? After all I am making myself more vulnerable to the lustful eyes of man.
From then on she started to restrict herself to one shower per day. Let they come now!
Hallucination? Day dreaming? Mental breakdown?
Twisting My Kaleidoscope by Shannon Love is the account of her days of struggle against herself. In an absorbing narrative she recalls the memory of her days of storm-her days of clinical therapy…..it is a journey of life for Love where she will life from a different perspective-a new angle that will give her more strength to conquer her difficult days. In this quest of life she will find a true meaning of the word-love! She discovered many new bonds-bonds that gave her courage, grit and determination to sail her ship in turbulent water and her imaginary friend called God who always stood by her side. Her faith also acted as a catalyst-‘once puberty arrived, I only approached my friend God, occasionally when I required a favor.’
She and her husband Charles are nice examples of characters of contrasts. She came from a diverse cultural background rendering her a liberal outlook-whereas Charles coming from a traditional background might have some conventional mentality. She described their journey together with a dash of humor
“Thus with a decisive itinerary, Mr. and Mrs. Rigid-Irresolute jumped hand in hand onto a boat to ‘elsewhere.’ Shortly after we embarked, the wind blew our plans into the churning sea. We have been winging it ever since, through years of travel and three kids.”
Life was like migratory birds for the couple-free like the air-open like the sky until they packed their bags and journeyed from the Dark Continent to Asia-the land of dragons. In china the global couple encountered their destiny-destiny that placed them at the crossroad of life-destiny that proved to be an extreme test of relations. Here she discovered some friends-who would later provide her strength and a possible hint of cardiac problems-of which she had a family history. Here she was also caught into two minds-about her future. In the words of Shannon
‘After some thought, I narrowed it down to two options. Would I be Ms. Love, the history teacher or Shannon, the school guidance counselor? Counselor won, as my nurturing skills outweighed classroom management. Working with confiding teenagers seemed more natural than attempting to control a group of kids who might or might not be interested in what I had to say.’
Memories of life sometimes overshadow our personality. Shannon faced the same-her personal life threatened to eclipse her thought-‘my world was transformed into a mountain I could not envision climbing.’ To escape from the reality around her- she imagined a voice deep within her –her biggest friend with whom all ups and downs can be shared-only with him. Even she gave him a name-Valentino-her only valentine or what she has envisaged at that point of her life. She forgot to notice when the distance is created between the two loving minds.
She was now a patient of psychosis. Treatment can be helpful when the patient develops an urge to live a normal life again. And at that moment of her crisis-at her moment of deep depression-at her moment of confining herself into an imaginary cocoon-who else could have hold her hand other than her husband. In a mind touching narrative-Shannon described her moment of resurrection (is not the word too dramatic?)
‘My eyes fixed on the television screen as I studied carefully the twenty three year old face of the man sitting next to me, looking into the eyes of my younger self-vowing to honor and cherish his bride-trembling hands-quivering voice. Yet, this youthful Charles appeared nervous, but there was something else I saw in his face. Could it be tenderness? Could it be love? I tried to examine the middle aged Charles as he watched the video. His eyes were red. They looked sad, defeated.
From there where the life will take Shannon? Will she surrender meekly to the demon within-or will she come triumphant. Will she finally be capable of climbing the peak she had dreamt of reaching for so many days?
Corresponds made with her near and dear ones added a personal touch to the entire book. The fluid way of writing has made this book a read worth reading again and again.
The title of the book is appropriate-as it explores the patterns of life from different angles. Looking it back from a different perspective gives a new pattern.
It is a memory worth exploring-exploration that renders a meaning to life.
Human soul is the pivot of the world.
We are all starved to love-and to a starved individual love is a way of getting rejuvenated.

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Song of hope…

The Other Side of the Story by Daphine Priscilla Brown- Jack
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

He continued to look helplessly to the honourable man in front of him.
As if he is inside a vortex-sinking, sinking, and sinking!
There is no past, no present, and no future for him-everything is overlapped into a black canvas!
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?
Is judiciary blind? Is Nemesis blind?
The Other Side Of The Story by Daphine Pristella Browns-Jack is a tale of struggle-struggle of a lady for the man he adored- against a heartless all prevailing bureaucracy and the judicial system! the man who was arrested for unspecified crime- just like Josef K of the trial- went through storms that not only snatches the light away from his face- but also laughter turned out to be an alien word for the rest of the doting family of the man!
When you will read the story-story itself will compel you to think in utter shock and disbelief-‘is it possible?’ but it is the personal experience of Mrs. Jack- a chronicle of the trauma she and her family had undergone.
It all stated in the eventful day- of August 26-2009. The writer and her husband were taking their daughter to college and
“On August 26, everything was fine-at least I thought so. God had blessed my youngest daughter with getting into the middle school of her choice. While driving home from work, I began to reflect on my day. I was excited and thankful for my blessings. But then an unusual thought came to my mind, today is too perfect. I had a gut instinct that something went wrong.”
And her instinct was proved correct-well, she would be happier if she was wrong! It was a test for the writer- in tears and in grief-whether to believe the allegation or not. her mind swinged like a pendulum-between yes and no-sometimes her brain is telling it might be true- sometimes heart totally going against it! Nineteen years of happy marriage life- she had seen a lot of her husband- a caring father, a loving husband, a dutiful son- and he could not commit the crime…..
Unfortunately judiciary does not listen to the heart-and he has to depart his family- isolated. The writer sees the hand of god in this incident-as her mother in law‘s last days were filled with happiness in the company of her adoring son! The vacuum created in the demise inside the mind of the writer is never to be cured.
But as they say –time is the best healer!
Then came a rude shock-her younger children were separated from her. It was a tsunami inside her mind- but she has to triumph her. Judiciary was too busy for that insignificant matter- but to the heart of a mother there is no more significant one. Fortunately for her-the children soon returned to the safe haven of their mother….
After that she has her real struggle started- her struggle against the system. He was framed again and again-every time he is released from the jaws of judiciary- every time the case gets the dismissal order-.every time new charges were levelled against him. He may be free to the outside world- but his world is full of shadowy thoughts- thoughts of getting convicted-thought of getting under the gallows. Even framed charges were given against him when in reality he was out of the country.
Suitable reward for a man who has given his today for a better tomorrow of the citizens-he was from army!
Just like a dog- perhaps the protagonist of The Trial may whisper!
And that’s not all. Astronomical figures were demanded from Mr. Jack by the lawyers- for pleading his case. There is no oasis in the desert- only scorching heat! Dates were reset like casting of the dice- date after date after date-because he was unable to satisfy their demand.
‘Our finance sometimes would not allow us to buy groceries. Sometimes we had enough money to buy a bag of chicken, which would last about two days. There were then we ate egg sandwiches for three days. It was funny because the kids were content with what we had to eat at the time. Then I would get a call from a longtime friend asking if we need anything. I was embarrassed to say that we did not have any food.”
it is a moving story- moving in terms of narration-moving in terms of carefully crafted language and moving in terms of story telling that oozes straight from the heart-so spontaneous that it will make your mind grief stricken.
Where the destiny will take them? Will their family bond is adhesive enough to be tested with this fiery test of stress?
Over the ages –human has created the boundary of what is right-what is wrong. In place of god- judges are the persons on earth to judge the right and wrong. Sitting on the chair of justice- can he deny the right?
It is torrentially raining in this part of the globe- it is a sad evening here. Finishing the book- I kept on thinking- human may be a sand of grain at the hand of the destiny- but has ………….has the potential to rise above this fragile life- triumph over all obstacles.
It is a song of hope- hope which is the driving force of life!

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