Stars from the Borderless Sea, Shalini Mullick’s debut, is a collection of three short love stories centred around strong women protagonists and their journeys. In a warm and beautiful manner, the author explores the myriad expressions of love, longing, and togetherness.
The title and the cover picture are aptly suited to the stories. They set the tone and reveal what the reader can expect from this collection—soothing stories for the romantic soul.
Shalini quotes Rumi at the beginning of every story, and the carefully chosen quotes warmed my heart even before I started reading the stories. Her easy and tranquil writing style perfectly brings out the emotions of the protagonists.
Set in an Indian context, women play leading roles in all the stories. Apart from the choice of protagonist, intimate human relationships, a flashback, and a newspaper are the other common elements tying the stories together.
There is a mix in the manner in which the author has etched the characters. While a few are believable and drawn from real life, the rest are too neatly cut. Though the women are resilient, the men fail to shine and leave a mark.
I really liked the manner in which Shalini refrains from judging the characters based on the choices they make, and allows the reader to arrive at their own conclusion.
Humraaz—‘Confidante’ is my favourite story of the three.
As with most stories in this genre, here too, the stories are a tad bit predictable and the pace lags at times. But the author’s writing style more than makes up for it.
Stars from the Borderless Sea is a heartfelt collection that will leave the reader drenched in love for a long time.
Wordsopedia Rating 3.25/5
| Title: Stars from the Borderless Sea | Author: Shalini Mullick |
| Publisher: Readomania | Publication date: March 5th, 2022 |
| Genre: Fiction-Romance | Format: Paperback |
| ISBN: 9789391800222 | No. of Pages: 240 |
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About the author
Shalini is the author of “Stars from the Borderless Sea”, a collection of three novella length stories that explore different nuances of love. A practicing doctor with over 20 years of experience in her chosen specialty-pathology, she is also a writer and has a keen interest in medical humanities. She has published 5 short stories in 3 anthologies and has authored a prize-winning e-single. Her work has also been featured on different platforms and journals.
Get in touch with the author on her website.