Seema Seth is a popular name among the authors of contemporary fiction. She has written many books, from fiction to non-fiction, from romcoms to mythology. And the readers who have read her books are well aware of the fact that she writes books to entertain, educate and enthral readers. This time she has come up with a new concept, a new theme and a new story. Her new book, Some Love only Once: The drone story, is one of its kind book of short fiction. It is a short story and also a complete book… in short, one book with one story! I also believe it reflects the characteristics of a satire, a satire on modern society, especially on modern youths, who have changed the definition of love. More than entertaining the readers, this book is to show them a mirror.
Some Love only Once is the second book of Seema I have read. The first book which I read was Yashoda and Krishna. It was based on the most purest, most genuine and most emotional relationship. The relationship of a mother and a son. I must say that the Seema has made the character of Krishna more humane than in other contemporary books. And now I have just finished Some Love only Once. After reading these two books, I can say that her books concentrate on relationships. A relationship binds two people in a thread of love. However, now, this thread of love is losing its strength. It is getting weak with time. In some cases, it is not strong enough to carry the load of relationships for a lifetime. And the title of this book clearly highlights this. It was the title of the book that caught my attention and I ventured into reading this book.
This book asks a direct question – what is love? Is it to go on coffee or ice cream dates? Is it to go on long drives? Is it to talk on the phone with the partner the entire night? Or, is it to get intimate with the partner? No! Love is not this. Instead, it is impossible to define love. But, one thing is certain to love is to create memories with each passing day and to relieve those memories anytime and anywhere. love is not blind. It guides you. It leads you to the realm of consciousness. The book centres on this particular thought. The story is crisp and short. However, it throws some serious questions before you. The protagonists are a male honey bee, named Singh and his female partner.
Another thing that makes this book unique is its length. It is not like the books of Ellena Ferrante, James Joyce or Dan Brown that seek time and commitment from the readers. Nor it is a book that entails considerable focus to remember the characters, events and flow of the story. Instead, it is quite short. It wouldn’t be wrong if I say that this is the shortest storybook that I have ever read. You can finish it in just a few minutes. But, I can assure you that those few minutes would be genuinely memorable.
In the end, I would just say that Some Love only Once is about the realisation of some bitter truths and some sweet memories of life. It shows you two paths. Which one you choose is totally up to you. But, don’t forget to get ready for the surprises and challenges it unfolds for you. Get ready and go for it.
Written by Ashish for Featured Books
