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NAME OF THE BOOK: All Those Who Wander
AUTHOR OF THE BOOK: Kiran Manral
GENRE: Science fiction / Time travel
BLURB
What if the past, present and future exist at once? What if you could rewrite your past? What if you could go back and change it around? What if you could protect the child you were from the trauma you know she will have to live through? What if you were living infinite versions of the same life simultaneously? This is the story of Ana, who is at a different age each time we meet her. But who is Ana—is she really who she says she is? A tangled tale of looped time and non-sequential lives, of guilt and repercussions, ‘All Those Who Wander’ turns the classic time-travel genre into a spine-tingling gorgeousness of who, what, when, where. Wouldn’t you take that one chance to heal your inner child?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kiran Manral has published multiple books across genres in fiction and nonfiction. She has been awarded the International Women’s Day Award 2018 by the Indian Council for UN Relations supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, Government of India, for excellence in the field of writing. She was listed as one of the Womennovator 1000 Women of Asia 2021. In 2022, she was named amongst the 75 Iconic Indian women in STEAM by Red Dot Foundation and Beyond Black, in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, and British High Commission, New Delhi. She lives in Mumbai with her family and can be reached on twitter @KiranManral.
ABOUT THE BOOK
One of the wonderful things about reading is finding that next great author that you love. You read one of their books and instantly spend next few days hunting down their back catalogue. Experience has taught me not to read too many of these in a row as you start to see parallels in the books. But some times you come across an author who refuses to pigeonholed and Kiran Manral is one such author who has variety of books in her kitty.
Personally I am not one look back on my life, preferring to live and enjoy what I have in the present, but when I do it, it is about my time in school and university, that person I could have treated better or would have made extra effort to be a better at things. But what if you would have traumatic childhood and that had affected and changed your life drastically then, I am sure you would like to turn around the time for good.
All those who wander is the story about Ana who is also Nayna had a traumatic and painful childhood, she is time travelling by looking at her reflection in a mirror. Ana could travel through time and multiverses, pulling her one version from one universe and placing in another, hoping for a better world not realizing that this could entangle her life. The narrative goes back and forth between the past and the future leaving reader perplexed however this will make the reader more and more curious too.
There is a paragraph in a book which make things clear as to what's happening with Nayna or should I say Ana. The paragraph goes like this:
"Few of us have the ability to shift ourselves. Your time calls them time travelers. Some books and movies have already caught on to these, but your time can't explain how it is done. Neither can we. All we know is that a few humans can shift between dimensions. You are born with it, no one can teach you how to do it, no one can control it for you. You can move between times."
Though the story demands to be boxed in science fiction genre but has scores of emotions in it, be it love, thriller, fear or faith.
MY TAKE ON THE BOOK
This book gave me goosebumps. Never tried this genre but now I can happily say that, I would love to read more of this. Science fiction with time travel as a theme is not an easy read or write for that matter, as it takes time to connect, but ones you get the hang of it then there is no looking back. Every character is so well defined that despite shifting from one time to another didn't seems difficult to understand, as there was a smooth transition.
I would say, everyone should try reading this genre and if you are doing it for the first time than start with this book for sure.
BOOK DETAILS
Book format: Paperback/ Kindle edition
Price: INR 282/INR 235.20
Pages: 280
Publisher: Amaryllis
Availability: Amazon
This Book is part of Blogchatter's #Book Review Program #TBR Challenge #BookChatter
Whenever it comes to reading something on time travel, I get scared. I need to read it 1-2 times to understand the matter. But I am taking your word and give this genre another try.
ReplyDeleteI have read 2 books written by Kiran, The Reluctant Detective and All Aboard. I like the witty humor and engaging plots in her books. Would love to check out All Those Who Wander too.
ReplyDeleteTime travel as a genre can be very confusing for the reader and that's why I avoid it. But going by your review I think Kiran Manral has done a great job and this one asks for a read.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds really fascinating. I really love everything that is science fiction and more so if it is about time travel. Would love to get my hands on this book. Definitely in my genre.
ReplyDeleteTime travel is trendy topic and many books and series have been made on this recently. I have watched few K dramas on similar theme and it was an ok experience. this book seems great attempt on theme and your review has made me curious to check out this book.
ReplyDeleteThe blurb promises an intriguing tale of looped time and non-sequential lives, with a protagonist named Ana, who is at different ages each time we meet her. The concept of healing one's inner child and the question of who Ana really adds an extra layer of mystery to the story. With Kiran Manral's track record of publishing books across different genres and her recognition for excellence in writing, this book is definitely worth checking out for fans of science fiction and time travel narratives like me.
ReplyDelete- Anjali
I would grab this book asap because Sci-fi and time travel are my favorite topics. And, when the book is from an author like Kiran Manral, there is a lot of excitement attached to it:)
ReplyDeleteThe genre looks to be new to me but seems to be intriguing. Time travel is a concept explored by many and this sounds an interesting read..will check this out
ReplyDeleteThe Plot is really intriguing and your review is compelling me to add the book with unique plot to add in my tbr.
ReplyDeleteTime travel stories often intrigue me, I would love to give it a try. Thank you for your crisp review, I also like the title.
ReplyDeleteThe book cover gave me a God of Small things vibe but then I saw that it is science fiction. However, your review made me intrigued about the book.
ReplyDelete