A heart-touching story, an absolute page-turner that twists and turns just like some Bollywood thriller.
What happens when ambition and desire collide? Secrets Within by Mushtaq Sheikh takes you on a thrilling ride through the hidden corners of human emotions, where every secret has a price. The story begins with Aakash, a young architect, who is given the opportunity of a lifetime: to redesign the mansion of a powerful businessman, Mr. Khanna. But this dream job quickly turns into a tangled mess of temptation when Aakash becomes involved with Maya, Mr. Khanna’s beautiful and mysterious wife.
As the story unfolds, Aakash finds himself pulled deeper into a world of lies, betrayal, and passion. The more he gets entangled with Maya, the more secrets come to light, and soon he realizes that every decision he makes comes with dangerous consequences. What starts as a simple job soon becomes a battle between ambition and morality.
Sheikh’s writing is simple yet gripping, making it easy to get lost in the make-belief world he has created. As the characters navigate their emotions and choices, you can’t help but feel the weight of their decisions, wondering just how far they’re willing to go for love and success.
Secrets Within is a book full of twists and turns that will keep you on edge. It’s a story about more than just forbidden love. It is about how our choices define us and the hidden truths we carry with us. If you love stories with suspense and unexpected surprises, Secrets Within is a Must-read. It’s the kind of book you’ll want to hug once it’s over and maybe, just maybe, it will help you make peace with a few secrets of your own.
Read between the lines of spines
From mushy YA romance to riveting thrillers and who-done-it murder mysteries, these fresh titles will keep you glued, writes Neil Pate.
Woodworking
Author: Emily St. James
Publisher: Zando-Crooked Media Reads
An unforgettable and heartwarming book that focuses on love, loss, unlikely friendships, and the struggles in trans persons’ lives. Emily St. James’s Woodworking takes us to a small town in South Dakota, where a trans high school teacher (Mitchell) befriends the only other trans woman she knows — her student (Abigail). She is upset about spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But loneliness can be tough in life. This wonderfully written book is a celebration of life and the power of inclusivity and diversity.
Mary Jane
Author: Jessica Anya Blau
Publisher: Mariner Books
A coming-of-age story of a poor teenage girl who is confused and caught between the conservative middle-class life of her family and the progressive carefree life of her employer’s family. Mary Jane (14) is elated when she gets a summer job as a nanny in a doctor’s house. But it’s only when she starts working there that she realises her employer, a psychiatrist is helping a famous rock star and his movie star wife sort out some stuff in his house. The star couple are living there. The dinner table conversations revolve around carefree life, free love, sex, drugs, and rock music. Mary is swayed by the progressive thinking of her employer’s family and their world view. She is smitten by their lifestyle and confused between her present and future life.
Age of Mondays
Author: Lopa Ghosh
Publisher: HarperCollins India
A story of star-crossed friendship and mystery. Narois (10) realises that her parents are separating and her mother is moving out into some other place. Narois wonders if her mother is abandoning the family forever. She gets lost into the dark and mystical Jahanpanah forest. She meets Jugnus---legendary healers. Silver Samir, a charismatic leader, Mian Pagla who followed the river, Kochi and Velu.
The trio mesmerize Narois with their tales. Narois does not know whom to trust and ignore as betrayal and stealth is in every nook and cranny.
Spent
Author: Alison Bechdel
Publisher: Vintage Digital
A fabulous laugh-out-loud racy read in which cartoonist Alison Bechdel keeps wondering about the world she is living in – climate change, wars and political upheaval everywhere. Alison’s graphic memoir about living on a farm with a taxidermist father turns into a hit TV series. She becomes the envy of her friends and neighbours. After winning laurels and stardom, she decides to write a reality TV series that shows people how to break free from the shackles of consumerism and lead a more sustainable and content life. A rollercoaster read that is worth spending time on.
The Original Daughter
Author: Jemimah Wei
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Wise and wonderful, writer Jemimah Wei’s
The Original Daughter takes you into the heart of a middle-class Singaporean family. Sisters Arin and Gen are insuperable, but in winner-takes it all world, the two girls must prove their talent and mettle, be it work or play. As the stars of one sister begin to shine, the other must do something or be lost in the shadows of her sibling. A brilliant read on family dynamics, the fault lines in our society and the constant yearning for love and recognition.
