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Reviewed by Robin Goodfellow for Readers' Favorite
Pebbles in the Water by Mandar Naik is a series of short stories that reveal an element of realism associated with humanity. The book consists of four stories. The Third Companion is about a woman who just found out that her dead husband had an affair with a gay man. After she meets this man, they bond over the memories they have of when her husband was still alive. Parijat introduces an elderly man and his assistant, both of whom meet a young girl that reminded them of their loved ones. Tathastu is about a man who is worshiped as a deity and performs miracles for a village, despite the fact that he is just a man who can easily be replaced. Colorless is about a kind girl who sees the vibrancy of colors. She learns that, at times, even children need to grow to see just how beautiful these colors can be.
I felt a certain tenderness when I read these stories. From bonding over the dearly departed, to being worshiped by humanity, to growing up, I liked just how relatable these stories were. Naik places these characters in difficult positions and demonstrates that, while they may appear fine on the outside, on the inside they’re struggling with certain conflicts that isolate them from others. I fell in love with each character development, a development that revealed a different part of life that everyone has to come to terms with sooner or later. It was as if each of these stories was a mere pebble in the water, causing various ripples in a lake, ripples that fade with time. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to fans of PeopleFish by Medella Kingston.
