LOST EDGES by SALINI VINEETH

Lost Edges by Salini Vineeth is a dauntless and earnest take on marriages, parent-child relationships gone wrong, and the mental health concerns of the millennials. Despite its mature and emotionally overwhelming narrative, it manages to keep the reader hooked till the end.

The book is a peek into the life of two millennials Geetanjali and Ravi whose lives are inextricably intertwined by way of love and marriage. Will the marriage survive their divergent personalities and the misplaced expectations of each other as a result? Or will their love story die a slow and inevitable death? Can childhood trauma overpower a person’s ability to live a happy life in the present? Can a partner’s mental health take a toll on the health of a marriage? How much is enough to call it quits in a relationship? Those are some of the few questions that the book successfully seeks to address.

The story sprints back and forth in time slowly unraveling the convoluted love story of two personalities belonging to two opposite ends of the spectrum. It is indeed challenging and courageous a task for an author to set a narrative alternating between two lives, two-time lines, and two cities as culturally diverse as Bangalore and Goa. But Salini Vineeth has managed to do so in a powerful and captivating manner.

The story probes into the lives of Geetanjali, an attractive, headstrong, and feisty woman, and Ravi, an introvert, who suffers incessantly behind the shadows of several episodes of childhood trauma, and how they both handle the dark and challenging knots in their marriage. Both characters present a real-world picture of the big battles that couples face in tiny houses. In many places, the male character pales in front of the female one, and that may seem like a pro-woman point of view to some, where the man’s strength of character does not match up to that of a woman. I feel it is quite possible in the real world. The way two opposing character arcs have been etched speaks highly of the author’s craft.

Another striking aspect of the book is how it seamlessly touches and dives into the much-needed and less talked about the presence of Therapy in the present world, and the complex issues of parenting during the formative years of a child and how that can adversely affect the lives of such children in their adulting years, maybe their entire lifetime.

The only thing that made me cringe was probably the ending. I felt it could have been more conclusive given the fact that it is not an easy and light read. I was expecting a strong, not necessarily happy decision at the end. That may be because I probably wanted to see the female protagonist’s character arc grow in that direction.

The author’s storytelling is absorbing for the most part. As a reader one feels compelled and moved by the various chapters of Geetanjali and Ravi’s lives. A major chunk of the book is set in Goa and the author has captured the beauty of Goa and Goan life admirably. The chapters dedicated to college life efficiently serve as happy breaks needed amidst a tense and powerful tale like this.

Lost Edges by Salini Vineeth is a complex tale of love, lovelessness, and the doldrums in between. It is sad and beautiful at the same time—a compelling and fascinating read.