People on Our Roof by Shefali Tripathi Mehta | A Family Caregiver's Journey

            

"Moss-Green Judgy-Eyed People on Their Roof Catalyze a Daughter and Sister’s Caregiving Journey Fraught with Absent Father, Amatory Turbulence, and a Quest for Catharsis"

People on Our Roof by Shefali Tripathi Mehta

Book Review by Dhiraj Sindhi

People on Our Roof by Shefali Tripathi Mehta

Authors: Shefali Tripathi Mehta

ISBN: 978-9389136708

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Length: 228 Pages

Publication Date: 14^th December 2020

Publisher: Niyogi Books India

Cover Designer: Misha Oberoi | Instagram: @misha.oberoi

Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/3yJWSm8

About the Author: Shefali Tripathi Mehta’s most recent book is Ek Koshish: The Story of Arushi (2019). This is her fifth book and the second work of fiction after Stuck Like Lint (2017). She has published short stories and poems in anthologies and online. She writes on disability awareness, social issues, travel and parenting. For close to ten years, Shefali wrote the cover story for the Sunday supplement of the Deccan Herald. She lives in Bangalore and works at the Azim Premji University. Shefali volunteers with the disability organization, Arushi, and curates Gond art to support tribal artists.

Shefali Tripathi Mehta

Instagram: @shefalitripathimehta

Disclaimer: This review is only intended to initiate discussions. The opinions and views presented in this article are my own and do not reflect anything about the book's author. 

REVIEW

In 1.7 billion strong India, 197.3 million people, or nearly 15% of the population, were battling mental disorders in 2017. In a country where nearly 1 in 7 people struggle unseen, People on Our Roof sheds light on the realities of living with and caring for those affected. Since numbers can't capture the human cost of mental disorders, this novel offers a poignant look at the emotional toll.

We've all encountered those in our communities grappling with mental illness, who wander the streets and markets of our neighbourhoods, perhaps engaging in seemingly nonsensical behaviour in a desperate plea for recognition or brandishing a stick, lost in solitary conversations. These quite conspicuous figures become invisible when it comes to understanding their psychiatric disability, their needs, and providing care. The stigma and lack of awareness render these realistic experiences as surreal. Still, this book validates these experiences by reflecting on the real world where knowing people with mental disorders is not uncommon.

People on Our Roof addresses this issue with refreshing candour. The protagonist's once-prosperous Delhi-based family, blessed with well-heeled privilege, circumvents the conventional "faith healing, crystal healing, exorcism" circuit by accessing a qualified medical expert. This subtle nod underscores the importance of modern psychiatric treatment, coupled with social support and compassionate care, as the dignified path toward healing.

However, family caregiving can be emotionally exhausting, and frustrating, and at times, it can strip one of identity and strain relationships, even beyond the family circle. Shefali Tripathi Mehta offers a refreshingly optimistic portrayal, grounded in realism, that avoids romanticizing the situation. She expertly straddles the fine line between depicting the challenges of caregiving and showcasing the unexpected pockets of joy within the quotidian chaos and the profound strength discovered within the caregiver.

There is the fear of the unknown, and greater still is the fear of the unknown within the minds of loved ones, which can weaken you even in the face of strangers. Yet, once you find the courage to overcome this fear and accept it for what it is, you conquer the world. This is the hope the book delivers, concluding with a delightful and uplifting ending.

Despite Naina’s struggles to make peace with her personal history, her mother’s psychotic episodes, the family's ostracism under the whispers of ‘pagalkhana,’ harrowing nightmares, the plight of independent women taking tough life decisions for themselves under the watchful, often disapproving eyes of society, and society's pitiless math deeming Naina fit only for a spouse branded by madness, People on Our Roof is enveloped in the warm embrace of the late 1990s. The narrative delights in the little things—crossword puzzles, childhood anecdotes, the Madhukamini bush, and chats over chai, all rendered in a soothing writing style imbued with penetrating empathy. A few male characters with sunny dispositions provide a safe haven, adding another vibrant thread to the fabric of this powerful tale.

Happy Reading!

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Dear Mom by Jigar Prajapati | Confessional Memoir | Book Review

     

Dear Mom: Finding Hope, Happiness and Her by Jigar Prajapati

Book Review by Dhiraj Sindhi

Dear Mom by Jigar Prajapati

Author: Jigar Prajapati

ISBN: 979-8885036436

Genre: Personal & Confessional Memoir

Length: 168 Pages

Publication Date: 4^th March 2022

Publisher: Notion Press

Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/3Gve5zc

About the author:

Jigar Prajapati, a 32-year-old guy, never thought of writing before. But as soon as he finished his first book, a new topic came to his mind. It Must Have Been Love was the first book that he launched in December 2020. The launching of his first book made him confident enough to produce another by creating a time slot from his regular work of Consulting, Engineering, and as a Builder in Ahmedabad.

While the author was writing his first book, his mom was in a very critical health condition. He prayed a lot and tried everything he could do to save her.

The author tried to write the same in his new book, Dear Mom. Writing about the closest person of his life was pretty easy. But when he started, he found so many wrong things that he’d done to his Mom during his life.

This book is the author’s tribute to his mom. It’s his apology to his mom. This book is a memoir of the relationship of the author, his mom, and his family.

Jigar Prajapati

Instagram: @jigar_author

Facebook: Jigar Prajapati

Disclaimer: This review is only intended for initiating discussions. The opinions and views presented in this article are my own and do not reflect anything about the book's author. 

REVIEW

Dear Mom is a confessional memoir written by Jigar Prajapati as a tribute as well as an apology to his mother; the book narrates the psychological state of the author during the flurry of stressful hospital visits when his mother gets hospitalized because of a brain hemorrhage; while seeking forgiveness, the harrowing memories flood back to the author; amongst the portrayal of the average Indian household troubles and how they are dealt with, this memoir confronts the poor state of psychiatry and mental health awareness in the country.

Set somewhere in Gujarat, Dear Mom spans 21 days of the mother’s hospital journey, the narration moving between the past and the present. The book is written in raw conversational language and it mostly comprises dialogues, which complements the simple style. The memoir begins with the brain stroke and the focus is shifted to the author’s lack of acquaintance with the hospital’s nitty-gritty, which a lot of us can relate with. The author acknowledges the privilege of having doctors in the family and resources available for the treatment. 

I would divide this memoir into three parts based on the prevalent themes and/or subjects. Firstly, the hospital experience. No matter how much you prepare for a medical emergency or any unprecedented event, you will be faced with a new, out-of-the-box challenge every time. Regular hospital visits for your loved ones often entail a strong psychological impact especially when you are not able to communicate with them. The author undergoes this experience and emerges with a good change of mindset and manages to keep sanity throughout the major turn of events. 

Other subjects that are prevalent here are little dysfunctions in an average Indian household and how they are dealt with, and schizophrenia. Most of the family quarrels and troubles are caused by dysfunctions like child neglect by one of the parents, rigid boundaries between gender roles and responsibilities, etc. For me, these two themes were interconnected, which should not be the case. The lack of mental health awareness and the scarcity of resources and the stigma, all lead to the handling of mental disorders like schizophrenia as if it is some familial or social issue to be resolved. The reason could be that these disorders oftentimes manifest in the form of conflicts in relationships. Considering the condition of mental healthcare in India, people mostly resort to google for answers.

A few pages in the beginning and a few in the end perfectly described the bond the author shared with his mother. That was the kind of vibe I expected from the book. However, the book as a whole did not follow the title rather it focused more on the troubles that schizophrenia and the brain hemorrhage attracted. The simple language constrained the author’s expression. Overall, it was a page-turner filled with anecdotes introducing you to the author's family as a character, and familiarizing you with different experiences.

Happy Reading!

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Will see you in the next post. Till then buh-bye. Take Care. Peace. ☮