Ratings :
Writing- 4/5
Plot- 4/5
Characters- 3.5/5
Overall Ratings- 4/5
Genre: Fiction
Age Recommended: 13 and up
It’s not very often that we receive review copies of books that completely take us by surprise. The Tree With A Thousand Apples was certainly one of them.
I belong to a region that I haven’t visited for the past seven years. The reason? It’s ‘terribly unsafe’. Between 1980 and 1990, among other Kashmiri Pandits who fled the gorgeous valley, were my relatives. After over two centuries of residing there, the descendents of our ‘Kaul’ clan unfortunately were left with no choice but to leave the valley which they once called home. Slogans saying “Asi gacchi Pakistan, Batav ros te Batanev san” ( We want a Pakistan along with HIndu women but without their men) were openly glorified while most women my dad’s own aunt, chose to hide themselves in closets along with matchsticks (to set themselves on fire) for defense from the ferocious protestors who could barge into the house any moment.
This isn’t my home. You don’t know what it is to be on a lifelong exile. I have no home.
The issue of Kasmir is a one that is incredibly close to my heart and so, when I was approached by the author with the request of an honest review, I obviously could not refuse. Continue reading “Book Review: The Tree With A Thousand Apples by Sanchit Gupta”