Author: Aman Chougle
Pages: 108
Publisher: Partridge India
About the book
The Last Soul Children is a look back at the childhood and youth of the author through the people surrounding him during his formative years; realizing himself as much as he traces his memories through them.
Whether it be your first infatuation or the realization that you are not a kid anymore; the stories here are a quintessential blueprint of deliverance from innocence for many of us who grew up like anybody else, muzzled from one institute to another: school, college, and finally into the mouths of big business. Forever repressed, forever the victims of false ideals.
Review
I had no idea what ‘The Last Soul Children’ was all about. Since I was asked to review it among several others, I picked it up with not much expectation. But I was wrong and the book did surprise me to say the least. Initially I thought it was a novel. I read two chapters, felt lost, and was about to give up. There were no names to the characters and I couldn’t string the two people together from the two chapters that I had already read. I was almost nearing the end of the third chapter and then it struck me. The chapters were actually different episodes from the writer’s life and that each chapter was going to be about a different friend from the author’s life. Finally I realized why Aman Chougle had described it as a look-book. From there the reading became interesting. It was a pleasant break from all the fictions I had been reading. There’s nothing make-belief in this book. All that has been written is something each of us have felt or experienced sometime or the other.
Each chapter marks a reconciliation with a long lost friend. What Aman has described is specific to his life but it is definitely relatable. As I read I thought about all the friends that I’ve left behind. Of how so much is not with me even though I’d have liked them to be a part of my present. Throughout the book the author has tried to visualize for the benefit of the reader not only his life but that of each one of us. What he has narrated is easily the story of every generation past and present.
The book makes for an easy read. The only downside is the grammatical errors that jump out of the pages and threaten to spoil that which the author has created so painstakingly. Some words have been oft repeated and not too appropriately. A good story should have a good language I believe. The novel has potential and there’s no denying that I read it cover to cover. I’m glad I got to read this book.
About the author
Aman Chougle is a poet and writer from Thane, Maharashtra, India. He also enjoys making short-films, and dabbling into music from time to time. He has published his short-stories and poems in various literary journals. Currently he's working on his first collection of poems, a self-exploratory endeavour to realize the best for himself, and for the ones close to him.
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I'd like to thank author Aman Chougle for letting me review his book. I do hope you end up liking the book when you read it. Thank you so much for stopping by, and happy reading!
