Book Review: Long Short Stories by Chetan Soni

Long Short Stories
Author: Chetan Soni
Publisher: Half Baked Beans
Rating: 3/5

Short stories are my all-time favourites because of the brilliant writing and concise plotting. It is like a cherry on the cake when writers are able to tap the mental schema of the readers with fewer words. Long Short Stories is an anthology of five stories that evoke a confluence of emotions in your heart as you come across the characters that are laced with varied shades and unexpected endings. However, the charm and the skill to make the readers do a double-take are missing in this book.

These five short stories revolve around the lives of several troubled characters who are in search of true happiness and they believe that happiness only resides in love. Based on the themes of infidelity, unrequited love, hope and acceptance, these stories are quite relatable yet they lack the flavour. Why you might ask? That’s because these stories have been written with an elementary writing style and need another round of proofreading. Knowing how the author uses his words so wisely, this collection didn’t pass the muster because of the verbose narrative and the exploration of a common theme. For those who like reading something simple and predictable, this will serve as a quick and entertaining read. Out of the five, my favourite was the Long Short Story of Kabir-Sonia probably because I have been following its short snippets on Facebook for a long time and had developed a kind of connection with these two characters. Considering that this was the author’s debutant, the feat is laudable.

Overall, Long Short Stories is a quick read for sure. It has a straightforward plot and a smooth narrative.

Best wishes to the author!

Buying link: Amazon