Redefining the Dynamics of Human Relationships

A Marriage, an Affair, and a Friendship by Sabarna Roy is contemporary fiction with an amazing blend of different ideas and social concepts. Demolishing the ossified dogmas and hackneyed beliefs, it has an unconventional plot that meticulously redefines the norms of marriage. The author has most sensitively dwelled on the idea of modern relationships and marriages in this profound piece of literature. Containing well elaborate nineteen chapters, it sheds immense light on contemporary relationships, their newly drawn boundaries, changing contours and bold dynamics.

The thematic aspect of the narrative is quite engaging and engrossing as it presents a crisp and fast-paced cocktail of multiple perspectives pertaining to an open marriage through an ensemble of convincing characters who fully resonate with the readers. All the characters have been delineated with consummate care and are absolutely loaded with the Aristotelian idea of probability. If plot is the bones upon which the meat of a story hangs, then surely characters are the heart and soul.

"A writer creates a character as a way to reveal and emphasize consciousness — to extend the pitch of human possibility," as the novelist Don Delillo so perfectly puts it — to which I add that Characterisation is ultimately a depiction of motive. Therefore, it would not be fallacious to remark that when we meet

Rahul, Paromita, Suroma, and Samaresh(A few of the significant characters) they gravitate us towards them with quite an irresistible pull.

Rahul and Paromita are leading a happy and prosperous life. The story becomes all more grippingwhen they decide to dilute their social bondage and intersect the boundaries of marriage, affair, and friendship. Here, the author, Sabarna Roy attempts to hammer hard on our parochial thoughts and regressive mindset by weaving a story that elegantly explores the inner crevices of the post-modern idea of open marriages and everlasting friendship. Rahul and Paromita are coupled in their early fifties. As the story flows, we find Rahul absorbed in his deep thoughts about the actual meaning of life while Paromita is a straightforward character, she lives in the present and doesn't care much about brooding and contemplation.

The author presents the personal thoughts of the characters to society with the view to bringing about awareness and a new awakening about human relations. Mutual understanding, strifes in marriages, personal decisions, male dominance, all seem realistic when analysed without the blinkers of old fossilised conventions and meaningless rituals. The novelist must also be appreciated for choosing such a provocative topic and displaying remarkable courage to deliberate unflinchingly on ultra-sensitive social bonds.

Much to our gratification, the story does not merely reflect on different phases of relationships, but it profoundly portrays the varied facets of human emotions also. When we conduct the stylistic analysis of the novel, we fain conclude that the author is well versed with the idea of pragmatics and semantics of Linguistics. The ease and grace with which the subtlest of the ideas are revealed so lucidly elevate the author to quite a higher notch and make the book a classy read for all segments of readers.