A Letter From My Father - Review

Daksh Aggarwal is a simple 18 year old Delhi guy who had only one problem in his life - his complicated relationship with his father. He has been passionate about music from his childhood but more than that he was passionate about making his dad feel proud of him. He saw both painful and happy times .. he witnessed life and he witnessed death. His life was simple but still complicated.

Out of all the complications was he able to set up a happy life for himself? Or in his bumpy journey of making his dad realize his worth he ended up doing something terrible? What does the letter from his father has got for him in it? Find out.

About the Author

Kanak Aggarwal, a 19 year old Delhi based guy is currently living in Bhiwani, pursuing B.tech from the Technological Institute of Textile and Sciences. He is a curious learner. Gaining knowledge is his favorite hobby. Occasionally, he loves to play guitar and sing along. He’s been winning hearts of people, especially girls, through the vast list of his talents such as swimming; basketball and weightlifting. Not to forget he is a state level at all three of them. Participating in oratory competition have also been the source of his excitement. He loves travelling and clicking pictures of himself. Pencil sketching has been another past time. ‘A letter from my father’ is his debut novel.

You can reach him at kanakaggarwal17@gmail.com.

Do you know that saying - ‘beauty in simplicity’? Often, what seems simple is one that is beautiful, filled with a purity that’s unparalleled and a music that resonates softly, caressing your mind. One doesn’t require sophistication in life. Rather, a recipe that flows straight from the heart serves as the perfect concoction to walk ahead.

Kanak Aggarwal’s ‘A Letter From My Father’ is a straightforward narrative of a son and his relation with his father. Daksh Aggarwal, a simple teenage guy, is the protagonist of the story. He talks about his life, and how his father influenced his actions and outcomes in each and every stage of his growth. His first day at school, his eagerness to learn the piano, and how he was forced by his father to sacrifice his passion for music and instead join swimming classes are all well documented in this piece. Each chapter comes up with new experiences, both for Daksh as well as the reader, and the crisp smooth story – writing style makes one feel that the narrator is standing right in front of us, the pages of the book flowing like a full – fledged motion picture.

The focus obviously, is always on Daksh, and his father Raj. However, the other characters, like Daksh’s mother, his sister Sanya, and his friend Shruti, play vital roles in carrying the story forward. Each of them is like a piece of building blocks, combining to form a beautiful whole; had one gone missing and the tower would have fallen apart.

Now comes a big concern, something that has often puzzled me. Several new-age authors resort to vernacular dialogues in English novels. A bit of vernacular is fine, but what if it’s strewn quite often in the book. Obviously, an English novel with Hindi lines punctuated here and there would not go down with readers who are not well versed with the language. In that context, if such a book is marketed as a Hindlish novel and not purely English, that would be justifiable. ‘A Letter From My Father’ follows in the same bracket. There are several conversations that have taken place in Hindi, and obviously a person not acquainted with Hindi wouldn’t be able to grasp them. What about those who know the language? Purists wouldn’t approve of usage of vernacular in an English novel, but if you ask me, I didn’t mind it much since I felt that the dialogues were in sync with the progression and the characterization. They actually made the plot seem all the more real. I wouldn’t complain, but I too would suggest the author to resort to English when he writes his next English novel, and not add too many Hindi lines to it.

The author has potential, and I found him quite promising. His words are direct and do not beat around the bush, so anyone looking for a quick read can pick up this copy. Though simple in form and style, ‘A Letter From My Father’ is a real page-turner, putting forth feelings of love, hatred, fear, pain, victory and loss in this relationship tale.

Title: A Letter From My Father

Author: Kanak Aggarwal

Publisher: Lampshade Publications

Publication Year: 2014

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

Genre: Fiction, Teens

No. of Pages: 160

Price: Rs 125

My Rating: 4/5