Vices of Eden by Arpita Bhawal

According to Arpita Bhawal, ” What’s Life, anyways, without good stories that ring true?”

Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, Arpita masterfully spins tales,centred around the seven deadly sins and Death, Judgement, Hell and Heaven. Each story, set in contemporary settings, is deeply introspective and moving.  With women as the protagonists, Arpita deftly portrays their relationships, trials and moods, in relationship with Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth and the Last Four Things. The stories are easy to read, yet create the intrigue and suspense that keeps the reader hooked till the very last page. From Juhi’s Pride in her supernatural ability to Luna’s Gluttony for materialistic vices, Arpita hits a chord by questioning today’s sensibilities and driving force, which are no different from those that condemned humankind to hell in the mythical Garden of Eden.

As in Dante’s epic poem, the reader passes through the nine circles of Inferno in order to attain salvation. While some stories talk about unfulfilled love, there is hope in stories like Rosa’s Day, Mirror, Mirror and Power Out.

Readers may not relate to all the stories, but with her debut short story collection of tales that may possibly be true and unfolding somewhere in today’s world, Arpita hopes that everyone can get what they need from them and explore the questions they may raise in the readers’ minds.

With Vices of Eden, Arpita brings back the charm of short stories from the by-gone era of O’ Henry, R.K.Narayan and Somerset Maugham.

Rating- 4.5/5

Vices of Eden

Arpita Bhawal

201 pages

Notion Press

About artikaaurorabakshi

Artika Aurora Bakshi Artika Aurora Bakshi is the author of five well-acclaimed children’s books,My Little Sikh Handbook, My Little Sikh Handbook 2: Ardas, My Little Sikh Handbook: Travel Journal, My Little Sikh Handbook: The Mighty Sikh Empire, My Little Handbook of Feelings, and an anthology of stories, Hold On To Me. Her first story, set in Amritsar, during the pre-Partition period, All She Had Left, was published on Story Mirror. Her short stories have been published on Kitaab. She co-manages thegoodbookcorner.com, a manuscript help and book review site. Her passion for reading has led her to helping other writers with their manuscripts. She is a Contributing Editor for Nishaan, and the Associate Editor for SLIM Marketer. She comes from a family of lawyers and has a master’s degree in International Banking & Finance. A regular at the Galle Literary Festival and The Ceylon Literary and Art Festival, Artika’s articles and book reviews have featured in the Daily Mirror, Daily News, The Ceylon Chronicle, and various blogs, such as, talkingcranes.com, sikhchic.com, sikhnet.com. An avid reader, Artika runs an online book club with a membership base of over 600 members. Her quotes are featured under soul_nightingale_artika on Instagram and on Soul Nightingale by Artika Aurora Bakshi on Facebook. You can reach Artika at bakshiartika@gmail.com .

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