"If a criminal was once a saint & a saint was once a criminal, then who is the criminal & who is the saint?" - a wonderful line from a wonderful book. I am glad I got chance to read 'The Tree with a Thousand Apples" by Sanchit Gupta.
Book Blurb
Inspired by true events, this riveting narrative traces the lives of Safeena Malik, Deewan Bhat and Bilal Ahanagar, three childhood friends who grow up in an atmosphere of peace and amity in Srinagar, Kashmir, until the night of 20 January 1990 changes it all. While Deewan is forced to flee from his home, Safeena’s mother becomes ‘collateral damage’ and Bilal has to embrace a wretched life of poverty and fear. The place they called paradise becomes a battleground and their friendship struggles when fate forces them to choose sides against their will. Twenty years later destiny brings them to a crossroads again, when they no longer know what is right and what is wrong. While both compassion and injustice have the power to transform lives, will the three friends now choose to become sinful criminals or pacifist saints?The Tree with a Thousand Apples is a universal story of cultures, belongingness, revenge and atonement. The stylised layered format, fast-paced narration and suspenseful storytelling make for a powerful, gripping read.
It is a story of Deewan, Bilal, and Safeena. A Kashmiri pandit family of Deewan has to leave J&K within a day. It is like you get only 20 minutes to pack things which you have gathered or nurtured for life. Bilal, a Kashmiri Muslims, who turned into terrorist due to mishap of the military. Safeena, a peace loving girl, fights for missing people in her locality. No matter how chaotic situation became, people were adjusting to circumstances. But it gave birth to revolution when circumstances became unbearable. Each of them met such circumstances which forced them to take extreme steps.
"The Tree with a Thousand Apples" is not a story, but a journey. For people living away from Kashmir, it is a place for which our country fighting for years to keep away from Separatist or Pakistan. But we hardly think about the people who live in Kashmir. It is the same place which was known as heaven on the earth. Their culture was peace oriented Sufi sect. But today it is turned into a battlefield. Those who don't know the reality simple curse Kashmiri. Sanchit has tried to show about real peace loving spirit of Kashmir.
Things I liked in the book are Poems, Story telling and Characters.
If you really want to enjoy this book. Spare 5-6 hours aside. Have cups of coffee on table. Finish this book in one go.
Talking about ratings:
- Cover - 4 / 5 (Meaningful)
- Content - 4.5 / 5
- Story Line - 5 / 5
- Characters - 5 / 5
- Overall - 4.5 / 5
Reviews of other authors can be found at GoodReads
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