Book Review : Borderline by Shabri Prasad Singh

Author - Shabri Prasad Singh
Publisher - Bloomsbury India
Pages - 256

Blurb

With this true life narrative turned fictional, delve into the life and thoughts of Amrita Srivastava.
Harbouring an almost devotional love for her father and unable to cope with the legal separation of her parents, this is the account of how she is subsequently diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and the powerful story of how she eventually overcomes her demons.
Having shifted from Chandigarh to New York to study, Amrita has just about begun to adjust to the new city when her life is thrown into disarray by the death of her father. Acting as a trigger, this event leads to a series of abusive relationships. Forced by a breakdown to leave her studies in New York, she tries to make a new life for herself in Delhi. Unsettled by the continuous changes, Amrita descends into a hard partying lifestyle fuelled by alcohol and drugs. Written as part of her healing process, this is a searing confession about the challenges she faces before finally reaching to the process of rehab and therapy.
Calibrating itself to the turning of the mind's endlessly churning machinery, this novel gives one the rare opportunity to see it at work. Life affirming and inspiring, this is at the same time a journey that navigates through the loneliness, heartbreak and intensity of Amrita's approach to life.
Intimate, forceful and raw, Borderline is the catharsis we all need.

Review

The beautiful cover gave me an impression that this is going to be a psychological thriller. But as I read the blurb I found that this is something I've been waiting to read since ages. Mental health is still a hush hush topic in India and nobody really wants to talk about it. It's so brave an act that the author has chosen to openly talk about such a topic portraying it via a life incident, which captures its entire essence.

Borderline Personality Disorder - even a few months back I was oblivious of the term. The moment I came to know about it, I was shaken by its graveness and consequences. After reading the blurb I simply couldn't turn down the appeal of the book.

This story is about Amrita's journey of life. Like all other people, her life too had ups and downs, but the sudden death of her father threw her life into disarray. She went off the track of life was dragged into an unending vortex of darkness. Drugs, alcohols and reckless lifestyle was what she thrived on.

No, the story isn't just about her downfall. The most important part comes now - her healing. Yes, healing plays a major role here. After reading this book you'll definitely believe that healing brings a person back to normal life, the way she used to be.

Now, coming back to the technicalities of the story... The cover is wonderful. The title is more than appropriate. The theme is bold and relevant. The plot is well chosen. The storyline is strong. The language is lucid.

Cover - 4.9/5
Title - 4.9/5
Storyline - 4.8/5
Theme - 5/5
Plot - 4.8/5

I'd like to thank the author bringing this story forth and daring to challenge people's outlooks towards a mental problem. This book is indeed a masterpiece. This book will definitely help many more Amritas to come out of their present situations and develop a newfound confidence in themselves.

Highly recommended!