Alive Inside : A Short Story Review

Alive Inside
By Nehali Lalwani
Review by Ila Garg

The short story Alive Inside is well written by Debutant writer, Nehali Lalwani. It’s a true integral part of the book Kaleidoscope, which is a collection of 25 different spellbinding stories.

Set in a village, the story begins on an interesting note. The writer has a good grasp on language and uses it well to create such a beautiful story which will leave an ever lasting impact on the readers.

The descriptions of rain, the guest house, and other surroundings are picturesquely elaborated and an excellent flow of words and emotions has been maintained throughout. The writer has actually painted pictures with her words.

The characters are chosen well and cleverly woven into the story. They are not sounding out of the world kind of characters, but are very relatable. Change of scenes is done quite intelligently, without disrupting the overall flow of the story.

In the beginning, I felt the story has realistic elements but by the time I reached the ending, I had different opinions. It has therefore a very unpredictable end, which in my view will keep the readers engaged as they will realise the use of metaphysical elements by the end of this breath-taking story.

I personally loved the story as it has a different genre, instead of the common genres these days, like romance. Its ending actually makes you say ‘wow’. Also, for a debut writer this story is quite unexpected as it is very challenging. Kudos to the writer! Ms. Newbie, You have a brand new fan here. I'm waiting for many more stories from your side. Expectations are high now! Good luck & Cheers!