The
Seller of Beliefs is a narration of a young, dynamic girl about her visit to an
unusual fair. The story begins with her reluctance to attend a two-day course, though
she finally succumbs to her parents’ persuasion. As a part of her course,
her teacher instructs to find, what she calls as, ‘essential ingredients’ and a
‘secret element’ from the fair. A guide is assigned to her who would take her
around at the fair.
Now what’s so unusual about the fair? One enters it with no pennies and returns with nothing either. Instead a jar of Punyas is allotted to each. And for every joy ride or a game, an amount of the Punyas gets depleted. In other words, the fair is metaphorically depicted as the life of an individual which one enters with the punyas he carries at birth. The fair events are set as life-learning lessons which the girl is supposed to grasp with the help of the guide, whose character is subtly woven as a spiritual being.
Now what’s so unusual about the fair? One enters it with no pennies and returns with nothing either. Instead a jar of Punyas is allotted to each. And for every joy ride or a game, an amount of the Punyas gets depleted. In other words, the fair is metaphorically depicted as the life of an individual which one enters with the punyas he carries at birth. The fair events are set as life-learning lessons which the girl is supposed to grasp with the help of the guide, whose character is subtly woven as a spiritual being.
For
whole of the book, the girl (interestingly, she is kept unnamed throughout)
does one of the two – either dives into a philosophy of life that the fair event
has to offer her; or tries to understand and build a rapport with her guide who
seems strange to her in all ways.
Every
ride or a game in the fair makes her learn something invaluable about her own
life. One of the fair events, The Mirror
of Gospel Truth lets her explore the purpose of her life by provoking a
series of thoughts and introspection in her. And with dashing cars, she learns
when to push the accelerator and when to hit on the brakes, not literally
though. Every item has a deeper meaning which reflects an essential philosophy.
Mostly, the guide explains what it is. At other times, she understands by
herself.
The
guide appears mysterious to her in the beginning. She finds it difficult to
strike a casual conversation with him. He either gives a sharp answer or
remains quiet. For the lively girl in her, he seemed strangely weird. However,
with time, she discovers his true angelic self. He takes genuine care in
guiding what exactly she needs. Towards the latter part, they get to get along
very well, sharing their thoughts about love and God.
The Seller of Beliefs is author Trishala’s first book. I will not be surprised if most readers associate
the main character with the author. Somehow one would imagine the author
herself acting as the girl in the book. I am glad she has adopted a unique
writing style, which closely focuses on the girl’s flow of thoughts. The plot moves
fast, so it would be a quick read to most. Readers can certainly relate most of
the lessons that the girl dwells into, to their lives as well. A few good old
philosophies as love, God, honesty, life purpose, being young at heart, joy in
giving, perseverance are subtly touched, I would say, in a new way. New,
because it is not a kind of a literal spiritual discourse book. Rather neatly
crafted within a fast-moving energetic plot.
Whether
all readers would buy in the author’s view about life is a question that I must
leave to the readers to decide. It definitely depends on individual
perspectives. The part I liked the most was the ‘kids world’, a huge hall of an
old building in the fair where old people gather to laugh, play and have
candies and ice cream together.
Certainly,
author Trishala has given a new dimension to philosophy. My appreciations to her
and as a reader I am undoubtedly waiting for her next book.
Book:
The Seller of Beliefs Author: Trishala D Shah Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pages:
112
Reviewed for Leadstart Publishing
This review is also posted at my personal blog Pages from Serendipity
Reviewed for Leadstart Publishing
This review is also posted at my personal blog Pages from Serendipity
Seems an interesting read. I would like to read this if I find a copy.
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