I always feel and consider mental strength and wellness are the most important for an individual however intelligent or idiot he/she is. I happened to read articles on such mental disorders like the one I have mentioned recently ‘The entitlement syndrome’, there seems to be several others. An elaborate article written on dementia in The Hindu magazine made me feel terribly upset. I have already heard about the miserable experiences of persons suffering from Bipolar Disorder. There are lot of articles and analyses have been made on Depression in recent times. So any type of mental sickness sent a chill down my spine.

A new-gen novel I have read now made me write this. ‘Cross Your Heart Take my Name’ by Novoneel Charaborty. Honestly, I don’t carry a great charm for this author as I have done a translation of one of his books in Tamizh during my translation spree which was a crap.

The back cover of the book said ‘a tale of urban loneliness, relationships in the time of social media, and our deep seated need for companionship. It will take you through the twisted journey of two individuals who are caught up in their own emotional plight, blurring the lines of between crime and sin.

The book wasn’t created much interest in me in the initial stages and as the story progressed, in fact, I started feeling positively annoyed. Nevertheless, I was curious to know the end. The last few chapters and the concluding 15 pages made me riveted to the storyline I have read. It had introduced me to two other neurological disorders ‘prosopagnosia’ and ‘S&LA’ which are quite disturbing as I have not heard about them. At least I can vouch for one because of my life experiences, the other is also quite probable.

The novel in the light of the last few chapters sounds quite relevant as mentioned in the back cover. The author says the book is for ‘Every married couple, and those who’re about to get married. Also, for those who are once married.’

I liked the line ‘A relationship is never the destination. It’s always the journey.’