Story Review – Cheers to Love

This story is written by Renu Sethi who blogs at http://day-to-daystories.blogspot.in/.

The story was one of the stories in the book, “Love Stories That Touched My Heart”.

Before I begin tearing apart the story, I find it necessary to clarify that I do know the author and yet my attempt is to be unbiased in my review.

A look at the author’s blog gives you an idea of how easily she identifies with the human stories. I refrain from calling them love or relationship based fiction because man or woman, we hope that we all have a love story that we can narrate, write or reminisce about.

We hope that our real life love story is truly special and takes our breath away.

To be truthful, the story is simple and you could guess the end of it. It did not have the thrill or twist but holds ones attention because of the simplicity of the story. The characters were normal people and they exist in many of our households but yet we do not see beyond the obvious in them.

The actions of the lead characters are romantic in the real sense and the use of words to express how one feels is done away with.

It does make one think about the idea of love in a relationship. More than words being mouthed, it’s the actions that speak louder. This does raise a question about perception. What if the person we are with does not perceive actions louder than words?

The answer to the question of perception could be a lengthy discussion on its own merit but in this story one can sense the love but no words are used to put it into a dialogue.

One of the best parts about the story is the lead male character, Uday. He is drawn as a smart, grounded man with a mind and heart of his own, with the power and strength to stand by his decisions. In simpler words, the lead male character had a good amount of spine. It does make one wonder, are there such men in reality or is it just a fantasy?

The story does highlight drawbacks of giving it all in a relationship. The lead characters were so invested in each other that they never invested in any other activity or friends other than each other. In the long run, it’s a recipe for disaster and loneliness if one person leaves the relationship, either by death or by choice.

It’s always tough to critically review stories with a quotient of sadness in them. The stories could have strands of reality of the writer’s life attached to it. They have to be treated with a respect unlike any other story.

As you reach towards the end of the story, you realize that what may look like a repetitive life to many was treasured by the characters and the story works its way into your head and stays there.

“Cheers to Love” reminded me of a story I had read long ago where the man described the daily routine life activity he had with his wife as a dance. The man made the bed and the woman made coffee every morning.

The imagery in both stories is unforgettable and stays with you long after you have put down the book.

As I finished reading the story, I was left with 2 questions:

Can every man be like Uday?

Can every man like Uday, find a life partner like Sarita?

Lastly, using the son as a narrator may sound simplistic but yet it works because the son’s love story is left open-ended with a possibility of the son learning from his parents’ life story and being a better man.