Sneha reviews Naked Beneath the Midnight Sun, a bildungsroman story, that grips reader’s attention. An exclusive for Different Truths.

Author: Kamalini Natesan

My Rating: ☆☆☆☆

When you leave the familiar surroundings in which you spent your life and try to fly high, you always go through a reincarnation.

When you leave the familiar surroundings in which you spent your life and try to fly high, you always go through a reincarnation. You start to see everything in a new light and it totally changes your life’s perspective.

This story is kind of bildungsroman.

This is a story of Suchareeta, a girl from a middle-class Bengali family, who is believed to be a spoilt child by her parents. But when she decided to go all the way to Norway for studies, it completely changed her perspective of life.

She was warmly received by her teacher and fellow students, who mostly belong to different countries. She is the only Indian among them.

She was warmly received by her teacher and fellow students, who mostly belong to different countries. She is the only Indian among them. She adjusted with bit difficulty and although she feels homesick now and then she started enjoying it. She studied and took part in different activities; she visited her friends’ homes.

Each incident was like an adventure for her. She started to see the short comings of her earlier life and the tense relationship of her parents.  She started thinking more and more about her past life and started comparing it with her present life. She falls in love with Norway and its culture and decided to settle down there. What happened at last?  Will she be able to manage to settle down in Norway or not? How her parents reacted? So many questions? You have to read it to know more.

The description of different places in Norway and journey of Suchareeta is beautifully chronicled.  I really loved the way the author recounted menial details.

This novel is quite interesting and different to read. It’s kind of biography with a good narrative. The beauty and lifestyle of Norway is discussed in detail. The description of different places in Norway and journey of Suchareeta is beautifully chronicled.  I really loved the way the author recounted menial details. It feels like scenes are playing in front of us. The story is beautiful and so realistically delineated.

The language is lucid. It’s a Must Read!

Photo sourced by the author