When Goodbye Begins

In When Goodbye Begins, author-filmmaker, actively involved in mental health advocacy Geeta Lal Sahai rips apart the stereotypical existence. These five stories are about failed aspirations, malfunctioned relationships, infidelity, betrayal, hopelessness, and dark lanes of memories. There is pathos, feelings, inner conflict and stoic acceptance.

In the title story - When Goodbye Begins, a middle-aged woman, caught between her dreams and the present reality of being a caregiver to her husband, walks on a tightrope. Through her eyes, we experience the broken and painful world of people with Alzheimer's and families. In Walking on Ice Sheet in Pencil Heels, the story captures the protagonist Sheena's struggle with her identity, and the frightening and fascinating world of bipolar disorder. In Death of a Memory, Rashi facing betrayal and infidelity fights with her memories to face the world. In another story - If Only I could Tell, the author recounts the painful and traumatic world of the child sexual abuse survivor who keeps running away from love, people and self. Caught in the web of childhood abuse, the author through her protagonist poignantly shows the long-term ramifications of broken trust and bruised body.

In all the five stories Geeta exquisitely crafts the inner turmoil of her characters. The world of characters in these short stories is real and gripping. These stories will make you ponder long after you've finished reading it.