How much of an influence do stars and planets have on a person’s destiny – This is a matter much debated over generations. While the older generations did believe in the power of the astrology and its hold over a person’s life, this belief has dwindled over the years, much as the study of astrology has. Newer generations have progressively lost interest and faith in the system of star-charts that our ancestors swore by. This conflict between the believers and non-believers forms the foundation of this story, hence the title – Sidereal Destiny.
“Sidereal Destiny” literally translates to “Destiny with respect to the distant stars”. It is the story of two families whose lives are interwoven in a strange fashion. Rashmi and her parents, a normal middle class family with middle class aspirations. Arpitha, Anand and their parents – an uber-rich family with a strong heredity. And then there is the love interest of Arpitha – Aarush, who is a faithful sidekick throughout the story. Love enters the lives of these four youngsters and the stars decide to play Loki with them.
Every person carries their destiny with them. But who writes this destiny – is it the person’s actions, or the people surrounding them, or a force totally out of human reach? Do stars really have an upper hand in our lives, or are the stars only responsible for shaping our thoughts; these thoughts then manifesting as our fate. Sidereal Destiny touches upon each of these questions in turn.
Our Take
The concept of the story is fresh, a welcome change from the run-of-the-mill love stories that are churned out every day by amateur authors. There is a maturity lying within the story that runs like a faint silver lining in the cloud throughout the book. The beginning of the story leaves the reader confused since scenes flit rapidly from one to another. But by the time thirty percent of the story is complete, the reader starts to appreciate the fragmented bits and their fit into a bigger picture. The substantive and developmental editing is much better than other books in the same genre and by similar authors. Every character is developed well, which helps the reader understand and appreciate each person’s actions. The author alternates between using everyday English and literary English – had she stuck to literary English, this book would have been a definite cut above the rest. We do hope for a future edition of the book with this change incorporated.
Sidereal Destiny is a definite must-read – for the well-developed storyline, the extra insights into Indian astrology, and because of that one critical quality of being a book that leaves you reflecting about your own life in the end.
Read other Book Reviews and view Booklists on Tell-A-Tale.
—
Tell-A-Tale Rating: 4.5/5
You can buy Sidereal Destiny on Amazon.in, Amazon.com and on Kindle.
Follow the author on Goodreads here.
