Deepti Menon
Thriller | Non-Fiction | Poet
Shadow in the Mirror
It all begins with a death. Nita, a pregnant woman falling from her balcony, becomes the string that unravels the plot. Her death casts a shadow over many lives; her heartbroken father, her husband, and Vinny, a young journalist, drawn in by the whiff of foul play and murder. What follows are stories within stories, eras and worlds, colliding with one another, leaving behind splintered relationships, and mesmerizing slices of life that appear to be drawn together and driven apart by the whimsical threads of destiny. As events cast their shadows ahead to link the stories of Vinny, Kavita, Roma and Krish in an unrelenting knot, a journey starts to uncover the truth. What is the secret that links Nita’s death to the other characters? Will Vinny be able to unravel the mystery? Shadow in the Mirror is a tale that skates across decades, a saga that encompasses characters who lie, laugh, love and etch their personae on the hearts of the readers. What is that one link that ties together the stories of the vivacious Vinny, the enigmatic Kavita, the self-obsessed Roma, the artistic Krish and the charming Nita? Does Kavita’s breathtaking beauty set her aside from others? What makes best friends drift apart? Do houses have their own tales to tell? Suspense and romance find a place in this psychological thriller, and it is left to the intrepid reader to chart his or her own way across the pages of this book, to find the answers to all their questions. From intimate diary entries and letters, to bantering over a meal, and sharing memories while spring-cleaning, this novel de-familiarizes the ordinary, presenting a kaleidoscope of our own pasts, broken edges and pulsating hearts.
Author Bio
Deepti Menon has always loved the written word. She began to write at the age of ten and was lucky enough to have travelled around the country as an Army kid. Her experiences during those years helped hone her interest and her flair for writing. Her first book, 'Arms and the Woman', published in 2002, takes a light-hearted look at the life of an Army wife. 2013 and 2014 were lucky for her, as many of her short stories were chosen for myriad anthologies. She also has a book of poems, titled 'Deeparadhana of Poems', lovingly compiled by her mother, herself a talented writer and ‘Shadow in the Mirror’, a psychological thriller published by Readomania in 2016. In 2020, the pandemic year, she brought out an eBook of thriller short stories, titled ‘Where Shadows Follow – Tales that Twist and Turn’ and ‘Tales from the Panchatantra’, a set of four eBooks, all by Readomania. In 2021, she continued her ‘Shadow’ series through her latest eBook titled ‘Shadows Never Lie’, again an anthology of thriller short stories, which has been well received by her readers. She is currently working on stories based on ten Shakespearean plays, which she hopes will pique the curiosity of young readers. Writing has been an endless journey with its twists and turns, often leading Deepti on to the myriad mysteries of life, love and relationships. The thrill of seeing her name in print has only intensified over the years. She believes that Mark Twain had the right idea when he said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” There has never been a dull moment, never time to regret, according to her, as life is truly worth living.