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
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About artikaaurorabakshi
Artika Aurora Bakshi
Artika Aurora Bakshi is the author of three well-acclaimed children’s books,My Little Sikh Handbook, My Little Sikh Handbook 2: Ardas, My Little Sikh Handbook: Travel Journal, 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.
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 comes from a family of lawyers and has a master’s degree in International Banking & Finance.
Currently based in Sri Lanka, she teaches Commerce and History on a part-time basis at an international school and enjoys being part of the literary scene in Sri Lanka. A regular at the Galle Literary Festival and other literary events in Sri Lanka, 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.
She was actively involved with SAARC Women’s Association of Sri Lanka and was President of the Association in 2016.
An avid reader, Artika runs an online book club with a membership base of over 600 members.
Her quotes are featured under soul.nightingale on Instagram and on Soul Nightingale by Artika Aurora Bakshi on Facebook.
Artika is also working on her fourth children’s book in the My Little Sikh Handbook series and a second anthology of stories for adults.
You can reach Artika at bakshiartika@gmail.com .
Reblogged this on Art of the Matter and commented:
Amazing review by Artika Bakshi of The Good Book Corner on #VicesOfEden – She writes: “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.”
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Agree with the review. Waiting for the next book.
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