Francoise on 'Sad Story Of Lives Lived'

Beyond the talent of the writer as a story teller, beyond the gift of the author as a master at description, a past master at exploring the finest connotations, Sushama not just invites us to join in the scene: she also takes us with her, and makes us be part of story, the direct witnesses of life, swinging between the past and the present, between memories of a happy time and the brutal desolation of what is left.

The text is a narrative involving the narrator, then us, its readers, the witnesses and finally the absentees:

"out there, YOU get a glimpse" here is the narrator's presence, addressing her public

"Before WE go": nice sign of a connivence between the narrator and the readers: one needs courage to go through such a scene and it's better to be together.

"And THEY left": the absentees are mentioned, their identity almost blurred or erased in their anonynity.

A very strong text.