It was a different piece of cake this year. When one turns 30, there is a lot of life contemplation and well Happy Birthday! as a book only proves to be a perfect gift.

“Years have passed; years will pass;
the difference being,
today we are together,
tomorrow our memories will be together.”

Happy Birthday! And Other Stories by Meghna Pant (Review)

Rightly said, every birthday calls for such wishes and life stories, and this book is full of such life instances but with a difference. Every story carries a myriad of human relations, feelings, expectations, and realities. With her book, Meghna has subtly highlighted the truth real and blatant, which generally hides behind every shining life of each one of us.

Elderly people dealing with the changes that they see through their children is a theme across a few stories. As is changing relationships with time. Whether a friend who is pregnant and cannot afford it or a father who is also a father-in-law or maybe two adults who want to be together but can’t, every narrative is real – even though harsh. It is not something we wish to read, but yes, it is something that exists, which is real, and we know it.

“A dedicated friend undertakes one last labour of love for a childless woman. Nadia- married into money – finds herself facing uncomfortable truths about her comfortably numb marriage. A Mumbai slum girl dreams of speaking words valuable enough to be translated into English. A retired civil servant of modest means struggles to support his snooty foreign-returned daughter.”

There are not many twists or exciting plots. And there are not even too many dialogues. However, there are waves of thoughts and which hardly come out in real life. All the characters have to live with them; we are living with them. The small scenes from someone’s life, the need for companionship, strange relationships, and other sensitive issues have been simple, yet beautifully narrated by the author. Anyone who reads will surely be able to connect to some story or the other and won’t be able to comprehend certain narratives, I am sure. The author will not disappoint you. You can get the book here! 📖

This article contains affiliate links. BookWritten may earn a commission when you buy using these links.