Love, Life, And Healing

Anish Ghimire’s ‘The Stardust In Us’ embodies unconditional love, poignant romance, and tragic reality. Reading this novel is like discovering a literary treasure. The book gives each character a distinct yet substantive story, catalysing the impressive storytelling pattern the author offers his readers.

What truly captivated me was the Nepali essence engraved in every aspect of the reading: mutton momo on a first date, typical Nepali names, highlights of our social orthodoxies, friendships that transcend professional hierarchy. While delving into each chapter, you’ll get an epiphany of how well the emotions are portrayed through the right selection of words in the sentences. Ghimire’s novel puts readers into such a persistent flow that it’ll leave us wanting to know more and then even more.

 In ‘The Stardust In Us,’ the story revolves around the life of Apurva and Tejashwi, two young people committed to one another regardless of several mental turbulences and baffling situations that complicate their lives. The first chapter opens as Apurva expresses his inability to sleep all night as he waits for the date his friend/colleague, Dixita, set him up for. He is worried about how his impression on a stranger as a socially awkward person would go. In the meantime, his other colleague, Abiral, notices his nervousness and tells him to just be who he is because, as Abiral puts it, “It’s a date, not a job interviews.”

 People often hide their true selves when approaching a stranger for the first time.

Why would we want the other person to see a version of us that doesn't exist? Adding layers of falsity to who we are isn't the right way to initiate the bond we want to build up. A relationship between two people must be real and true.

 The date ends with the start of a beautiful connection. Apurva introduces himself as a senior accountant in a bank and Tejashwi as a psychologist—a profession that Apurva wanted to pursue but couldn’t. Afterwards, they converse about their interests, ultimately letting them learn about their hobby of writing poetry. When your mind is cluttered, and you put that on paper, the realest ‘you’ emerges. Venting ourselves through a writ lets every suppressed part of us have a voice. Someone getting to know that part of you makes it easy for that person to figure out who you are. Hence, they gradually get to a point where they share their writings, introducing the other person with their most honest forms, which has much to do with them getting fonder of each other.

 Halfway through, the story grows into a sweet romance where the couple becomes a part of one another’s growth, trips, and happiness. 

The other half of the story makes you pray that everything gets better and on track. Their astonishing ire, Tejashwi’s depleting memory, unfolding personal traumas, and tiring attempts to accept reality definitely serve as a bumpy spot in a fine gravel road—unexpected and awakening.

The novel’s greatest strength lies in the way its writing is structured. Visual imagery, meticulous description of circumstances, notable appreciation of art and literature, and its smooth play of events immerse the readers in its compelling storytelling, making them ponder different aspects of life a human must go through. However, the poetic manner in which some of the sections are portrayed might come off as ambiguous or complicated for them to fathom. The transition of one scene to the other can also come off as swift, obviously serving as a source to increase the reader’s inquisitiveness. It can cause the reader to feel they're not getting enough from something they expected more of.

Nevertheless, the novel takes readers on a journey that proceeds beyond conventional romance, rendering a profound exploration of daunting relationships, understanding them, and finally allowing a breakthrough. As the plot continues, it reveals elements such as the unavailability of a parental figure, Tejashwi’s plummeting cerebral issue, and Apurva’s transition of perception towards falling in love with a lunatic woman, offering its readers an entrance to a psychologically disturbed life too. This read is also a source that talks about mental inconveniences of our daily lives that, most of the time, go unnoticed or treated trivially.

Overall, Ghimire’s ‘The Stardust In Us’ is a compelling piece of reading for those who fancy the authenticity of a human relationship with a hint of psychology. It’s a book whose story lingers in your brain even after you finish turning its final page. In a generation where people are often taken for granted and relationships are easily forgotten, this book reminds us how beautiful love can be, even when it's messy. It shows how our lives can change in meaningful ways and helps us appreciate the relationships we build.

(Hada is a journalism student.)