They say that the title of a book pretty much decides the fate of it. When Sonali sent across an ARC of her third book, I knew next to nothing about it. The first thing that caught my eye was the title, a single word that sounded lovely on my tongue. Nonet, as Sonali described means 'a group of nine people or things, especially musicians'. And truly, just as she assured, each of them held a beautiful tune. Although, this is Sonali's third book, her writing flair portrays her as an established author, someone who has already penned more than a handful of books. Nonet proved to be a breezy read, something that I'd enjoy reading on a busy day which would help me ease the day's burden significantly.
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Nine stories, nine different genres. Ranging from romance to paranormality to politics, this book of short stories covers a wide range of topics. I was hooked right from the first chapter which was titled 'Zero'- a heartwarming tale of a Soldier's family. Sonali creates a sense of curiosity often leaving the readers with a whirlpool of ideas in their minds. It's always a tedious task to handpick favourites from a short story collection. Albeit all the chapters were well written, my favourites are Zero, Dine and Dash and finally, Mystic. Mystic had me stupified at the end, something that pleased me immensely. While few stories managed to create a sense of mystery, rest of them carried messages. Dine and Dash, for example conveys to the readers that giving up on a relationship is perhaps the easiest thing to do but to hold on to it takes courage. Another chapter, Blindside talks about domestic violence. Sonali has chosen important topics and it reflects clearly as one reads along.
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Short stories are often the hardest ones to write for it needs to be punchy in just a few pages. Although I enjoyed most of the chapters, there were few which I felt could have been more engaging This may have to do with the simplicity of the story or with the normality of it. Chapters like Trust the Future and A Sojourn of Somewhere had me struggling to hold on to the plot. A little bit of tweaking would have taken such stories to a higher level. The very first chapter set up a benchmark and this proved critical in assessing the rest of them. I would have preferred reading few unique takes on regular topics but having said this, Sonali's powerful manner of writing makes it easier for the readers to enjoy the book nevertheless. Nonet makes for a light read which one can finish in just a couple of days. One cannot miss the ease with which Sonali weaves magic with words. I found myself looking forward for her next book even while I was reading this one.
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Rating - 3.4/5.