About the book:
Life is unpredictable, even though we always desire ecstasy.
What if life offered you innumerable tragedies, sorrowful pains & dreadful agonies?
Would you still have the courage to try and thrive to get what you want? And to be the so called ‘Mr. Fortunate’?
Or will you keep blaming your insecurities & failures and choose to be a fiasco?”
A sweet couple, Manbir & Nivia, were living with their toddler, Ruhi. They stayed farther from their respective families, cursed by both their parents for having an inter-caste marriage. Manbir was a robotics engineer and while working hard on his dream project to make India’s first AI robot, he failed in his family responsibilities, which was followed by his wife, Nivia’s demise. And when all options were lost, Manbir had to struggle to look after his daughter Ruhi, while continuing to work on his company projects.
Will he ever be able to be a great father for his motherless child? Will he ever be able to make India’s first AI robot? And how will he find a way to look after his child during his office hours? To know more, read ‘FARTHER - A Fabulous Tale of a Troubled Father.’
My Review:
Farther is a tragic story of a man, Manbir, who is trying to achieve his dream of making the first-ever AI robot, while destiny constantly keeps adding troubles in his life.
The story talks about career aspirations and relationships with parents, spouse, kids, friends, colleagues, and rivals. We see Manbir juggling each of his responsibilities while poorly failing in all. The entire story is a journey at understanding how he can have it all at once without failing in any.
I loved the character development throughout the story. The story is, as I like it, well-rounded, with detailed updates about the lives of every character, leaving no loose ends. However, that made the story a little slow and repetitive, which could have been avoided. Anyways, I really liked the overall flow of the story. As you read the story, you fall in love with each character of the story. You try to reason with their qualities, whether good or bad.
The author’s attempt to turn an obvious villain into a morally grey character is impressive.
The story kept transitioning between first- and third-person narration, and the climax, I feel, could have been more powerful. The fight between Danny and Manbir could have been more direct and urgent. It was dragged and lacked the impact it was supposed to make.
I love the highlighted message in the story: “However, the most important thing you’ve to know and always remember is to never ever bargain your family time just to work for a few more hours.”
After reading this story, I feel that I ought to spend more time with family and friends. Work and money may come and go, but family and friends are forever.
I find this book a must-read for people struggling in their lives, trying to find a balance between work and life.