HEARTWARMING TALES ABOUT CYNICISM AS WELL AS HOPE

Book Review: "Heartbreak at Coffee Shop" by Ravi Valluri

Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin and one cannot exist without the other. The author Ravi Valluri has come out with the book “Heartbreak at Coffee Shop”, which highlights the darker side of the coin, while also telling readers about the brightness and optimism of the human endeavour.

In the book, the author Ravi Valluri carries forward the understanding of the quote by Brene Brown – ‘The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.’ According to the author, perhaps the fear of darkness diminishes human joy into ever lengthening shadows. Yet the world is a beautiful place dotted with extraordinary creation and events.

These array of tales have been woven around original stories, spinoffs and real-life anecdotes. The different aspects highlighted include many of the love stories not reaching their conclusion, mythological themes from Hinduism and Christianity, and contemporary discourses about philosophy, culture and religion.

There are 26 short stories, 10 drabble-shorts, and 2 plays in the book. The titular story is ‘Heartbreak in a Coffee Shop’, and the other short stories in the collection include ‘Ambushed’, ‘The Buddha’, and ‘Epistle’. The stories are set in diverse settings and varied milieus.

This collection, eclectic in narrative styles, containing stories, drabbles and plays; is also multifarious in the themes discussed, and also includes discourses on socio-political affairs, weaved wonderfully within the narrative of the stories. There are also stories about the human tales of suffering during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The short drabble stories, written in less than 100 words, with the musings elucidated to the hilt to readers, also demonstrate the minimalistic approach and understanding of the author of putting a point across.

These stories, while portraying the dark aspects of the society, also shine a spotlight at the light at the end of the tunnel, bringing the goodness of humans to the fore.

However, though there are twists and turns in the stories, keeping the readers engrossed, the narrative of some stories is slow in parts. The vocabulary used in the book is erudite, yet simple to read.

The author demonstrates perspicacity, portrays vicissitudes, and delves into vast and kaleidoscopic themes in this anthology. The book is also available in a Hindi translation, done by Ritu Bhatnagar, rendering the philosophical nuances of the author available to the Hindi reading audience as well. This book should be read for stories about human imperfections, foibles and follies; as well as human endurance and perseverance.