Dented & Painted : Book Review

                           

Dented & Painted

By Tirupathi Khemka

Review By Ila Garg

The anthology comprising of 23 remarkable short stories, Dented & Painted, has been published by Notionpress which is a self-publishing firm. The collection penned down by the visionary author, Tirupathi Khemka, is a must read for all humans especially the Indian folks. The reason why am saying this is the mentality of Indian men that is depleting day by day. Dented & Painted is appalling in its tone and subject. It deals with some of the highly sensitive issues prevailing in our society at large.

Each story is instilled with sheer pain, miseries, & struggles. Different hues of women are portrayed efficiently. The language is bold and comprehensive. Details are also well written. On the whole, the collection is nicely compiled and stories are engrossing and have a power that grips you from within. 

As you continue reading these stories, you develop a strong sense of connection with the theme of feminism that is prevalent and also one feels that the author has poured his heart into these stories. Expressions from heart are always real and pure, same is the case here in Dented & Painted. 

‘Male chauvinist pigs’ are well-exposed. The mind blowing stories are an eye-opener and the narrative is quite strong. Sometimes the pace gets fast, though the emotions are well maintained. True reality is pictured which pinches you somewhere and shows you the mirror unto society. It depicts the cruelty of patriarchal society in which we continue to live. Dented & Painted leaves your eyes moist with tears and you feel how crippled you have become by letting others dominate you and decide things for you. 

The stories begin with the opening lines in italics which store in them the essence of the whole story and ends with question marks that leave your mind ticking. These life changing stories shake the insides of your soul. The author has made very interesting and keen observations before penning down each one of these wonderful pieces of writing.

Kudos to the writer for his brilliant attempt! He proved the power of a pen and the wonders that it can do. The cover of the collection is beautiful and attractive and makes you want to ‘Get, Set, and Go’ with the book immediately. 

Dented & Painted is a complete page turner. The complexities of women’s life, how they are tortured, subdued, and tormented, and how they fight back are narrated by the author. The fact that the stories are taken from real life amazes you. The female readers will share the pain, the grief, and will understand their power and may try to act in the right direction by stop letting the men rule their lives. The male readers might be able to see the other side and will try to become humans instead of beasts that they have become in reality.

The stories expose a wide horizon of themes from prostitution to rapes, women as victims to women as fighters, the sufferings of women to struggles of women, women as creators to the women as destructors, the divine to the not so divine women, and many more.

This book is recommended for masses for the major change that it aims at. 

Rating: 4.5/5