Literary

Book Review: The Story of Dots by Zarin Ali

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 27 Mar 2021, 09:28 am

We all have heard of that phrase, a friend in need is a friend indeed. Whenever there is trouble in life we always seek a friend who will listen to our problems.

But how many times can we express our feelings without having the fear of being judged by the same person? We can’t.

Each one of us every day goes through innumerable situations which leave us with memories that are hard to forget.

At such times, all we need is a supportive individual, who will guide us and teach us from their experience about this complex yet beautiful journey called life. 

In the book named, ‘STORY OF DOTS…’ author Zarin Ali, starts by talking about her childhood memories and puts forward her various learnings so that we face our problems more consciously and make rational decisions at every step of our lives.

She beautifully explains the transition that she underwent while she was growing up, from being a child to a teenager, the way she became accustomed with the ways of the world.

She does so by questioning herself which enables the readers also, to question themselves for self-assessment and evaluation.

The writer continues to grab our attention by describing certain remarkable events; she kept on facing every hurdle that came on her way as she took admission to a college, the way her friendships got transformed, how she suddenly developed an interest in extracurricular things and so on.

She further unfolds how she again found love amidst all the melancholy, and why the emotional quotient was of far greater importance than the intelligence quotient.

The dilemma that we all face, of choosing which stream to choose after the tenth standard, backed up by social and peer pressure has been expounded on by the writer with great importance.

The writer also focused on the way the language changes for a teenager,  her reaction towards the changes in her physiology, thus imparting the young readers a sense of oneness with the author.

Zarin Ali talks about her social media experience and the conflict between her mind and soul, while she got replies from a well-known personality from the filmmaking industry.

The book finally ends with a mysterious entry of a person named, and how her life changed after meeting him.

The readers get to know a vital thing in the last chapter, that is, the reason behind the importance of attitude over aptitude and why having one true friend is better than thousands of fake friends on social media.

But who is this mysterious individual? How did this individual change the author’s way of thinking and life at large? To get these answers, everyone must read this simple yet unique book.

The book, written in lucid language, is divided into nine chapters, is a must-read for all, especially the teenagers, who find it increasingly difficult to face the challenges in life.

(Reviewed by Sayantani Sengupta)