Samsara| Saksham Garg| Book Review
‘Samsara’ is a story about a dangerous journey that Samsara’s souls have to undertake. Aman Chandra, along with the other souls and the child of the valley, has to train for a year to start this journey. For this very purpose, they are torn away from their families and transported to a hidden valley in the Himalayas where they are taught by their Gurus. These youngsters spend days away from civilization and everything they have ever known.
Plot of the story
Aman is a boy with low self-esteem, living a rather depressing life with his mother. His father was accused of disobedience and abandonment of duty by the Army where he had been an officer before his death. This had put Aman and his mother in a tight spot. Up until the current time, they have been at the receiving end of a lot of gossip and bullying.
In a sudden turn of events, Aman finds himself on a bus without his mother. He has no idea where the bus will take him. Little does he know that the bus will take him to his destiny.
Upon entering the valley of Samsara as the odd ‘eleventh soul’, he finds himself among many others who are like him. They too have come there for a mission. Some were invited, others forced and kidnapped. A short man of four feet height called Sanaka is responsible for recruiting these souls.
Within Samsara lies a lot of secrets. It’s a valley surrounded by hills and roofed by the mighty branches of the Kalpvruksha. It is Indra’s land, hidden from the eyes of common men. There is magic and sorcery everywhere. The valley dwellers spend their day in simplicity. They eat simple food and make do with minimum possessions. They meditate and live a peaceful life away from the other earth dwellers.
It is clear what the residents of the Samsara want from the souls but what does the King of Gods Indra want?
‘But in the valley fortified by the one that slithers, for the sake of home, that flower must wither.’
Good points
This story weaves a complex tapestry that has various colours. The individual stories of the Souls of Samsara make the story feel alive. The yearning of Prithvi, the ambition of her brother, Ujal; the competitiveness of Aarti, the level-headedness of Idhika and the calm composure of Faiza are worth reading about. I really appreciated the characters of Idhika and Prithvi in the entire book. It is such a pleasure to read about strong and unfazed young women like them.
The world-building and new elements that the writer has introduced are very impressive and unique. It is a fresh perspective and doesn’t feel like you have read it a thousand times earlier. It doesn’t at all feel like the author has combined a bunch of books and series together to make up a new story.
My doubts about Samsara
There were too many characters to be very honest. It took a little too long to get into the story and introductions stretched too far. Initially, I was just wondering where all this was even going. The book however got better as I kept reading. However, at no point do you feel bored. The book however will be getting a part two and I’ll be looking forward to all the other sidelined characters telling their individual stories too.
Conclusion
Overall the story is a lovely read. It’s a page-turner. The book really gains speed after the first half. Some stories start making more and more sense as you go ahead and start to connect the dots and see the bigger picture. There is also a plot twist that really didn’t disappoint at all.
‘Not everyone finds happiness or attains something great. Most lives are insignificant and thus blown away into the sands of time’
